Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.
New to triathlon
Options
-
02-04-2019 2:12pm#1Hi. Never did a tri before. Signed up to Blessington standard distance and Dun Laoghaire 70.3 ironman.
I can only swim 200 metres non stop right now. Im not too worried about cycling and running as I can put the hours in. Ive ran half marathons before. Its the swimming Im worried about now. I got lessons but how often should I be swimming a week to get up to 1500m in Blessington? . Any tips for how to split the training or a book/plan to recommend? Thanks0
Comments
-
Plenty of good information out there on training alright. If you search here there is a thread on swimming for triathlon that had a good guide thanks to Kurt G. https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057321888
In terms of books Joe Friel Trithlon Bible is the go to.
How oftern, ideally 4 times a week, minimum 2 but 3 should be a happy medium in my opinion0 -
Was in a similar position to yourself. Swam 3 times per week - a lesson for one of those, a swim with a club and one on my own. Brought me on very well and quickly. Joining a club was great as it kept it consistant, the lessons for obvious reasons and when I was in the pool on my own I was putting it together slowly and learning the drills. After 2 months distance was not a problem it was speed and working that down took time and technique! Still is hard to get the times lower0
-
Thanks for the replies and advice, very much needed. Yeah nervous about the distance, just under 3 months to go from 200m non stop to 1500m non stop. Ill step it up to a consistent 4 morning swims a week for starters.0
-
I started a thread here not sure how to link to it but I received some great advice , like yourself I am competent and bike and run but couldn’t swim more than 1 length in December just gone .
Look on the thread i started as there is good advice there , ive been swimming now 4 months getting to the pool 3 times a week on average . In December i mostly did 1 length at a time stopped at wall after 25m for 1 minute and swam back . I kept at it with small targets it certainly took a while to get to 200m non stop . swimming can be frustrating I overloaded my brain with information and tried to correct too many things and ended up annoyed .
Today I could swim 1500m without too much effort at least at an easy pace , my easy pace has come down from 2:20 per 100 to about 2:05-2:10. The big thing for me is just keep at it , get to the wall and go when your still a bit uncomfortable.
I did 10* 100m today in 1:50 average going at 2 mins , I couldn’t dream of doing even 100m non stop in December , I am still slow and have yet to do my first triathlon but improvements give me the drive to keep returning to the pool. Improvements are certainly not linear some weeks i felt like i was regressing .
I don’t even consider distances anymore I had an extra 20 mins left today so just swam it out trying to get as much time in water as possible , I didn’t need to stop at all and pace was about 2:05 , that’s probably part mental also where before I was thinking about getting to the wall for a breath now i kinda recover in the water.
I found doing sets of 150’s made up of 50 easy 25 all out really helped me get used to recovering in the water after the hard 25m .
Best of luck
Just checked my swim spreadsheet
6th January first day doing 200m non stop (2.20 pace per 100)
1st February first day swimming 1000m non stop (2.23 pace per 100)
19th March first day swimming 1500m non stop (2.08 pace per 100)
About a week or two after the 1000m non stop I reckon I could of swam 1500m non stop but just never tried it as I don't usually just do non stop swims.0 -
Thats great information. Thanks. Just stuck at 200m mark. Think I need to work on breathing as in Im taking too big a gulp of air. Also my leg work is atrocious, I barely kick and they drag behind me badly.0
-
Advertisement
-
I started a thread here not sure how to link to it but I received some great advice , like yourself I am competent and bike and run but couldn’t swim more than 1 length in December just gone .
Look on the thread i started as there is good advice there , ive been swimming now 4 months getting to the pool 3 times a week on average . In December i mostly did 1 length at a time stopped at wall after 25m for 1 minute and swam back . I kept at it with small targets it certainly took a while to get to 200m non stop . swimming can be frustrating I overloaded my brain with information and tried to correct too many things and ended up annoyed .
Today I could swim 1500m without too much effort at least at an easy pace , my easy pace has come down from 2:20 per 100 to about 2:05-2:10. The big thing for me is just keep at it , get to the wall and go when your still a bit uncomfortable.
I did 10* 100m today in 1:50 average going at 2 mins , I couldn’t dream of doing even 100m non stop in December , I am still slow and have yet to do my first triathlon but improvements give me the drive to keep returning to the pool. Improvements are certainly not linear some weeks i felt like i was regressing .
I don’t even consider distances anymore I had an extra 20 mins left today so just swam it out trying to get as much time in water as possible , I didn’t need to stop at all and pace was about 2:05 , that’s probably part mental also where before I was thinking about getting to the wall for a breath now i kinda recover in the water.
I found doing sets of 150’s made up of 50 easy 25 all out really helped me get used to recovering in the water after the hard 25m .
Best of luck
Just checked my swim spreadsheet
6th January first day doing 200m non stop (2.20 pace per 100)
1st February first day swimming 1000m non stop (2.23 pace per 100)
19th March first day swimming 1500m non stop (2.08 pace per 100)
About a week or two after the 1000m non stop I reckon I could of swam 1500m non stop but just never tried it as I don't usually just do non stop swims.
Did you do much drill work in the pool? Did you use floats? Or did you just swim it out? I'm at 400m non stop but its a massive job and I'm gasping. I swam backstroke for some of it just to catch my breath. I've been for group lessons already but I think i might have to get one to one as the Blessington tri swim is in 9 weeks and is a 1.5k swim. Any advice or thoughts?0 -
https://www.triathlonireland.com/News/2019/I-Tri-d-Athlone-Triathlon-Club-Beginner-Triathlon.html
Not sure how far into training you are or where in the country you are based but the above beginners, pool based triathlon is on in Ballinasloe this weekend. Could be a good for a first timer, I'm doing it as my first just to get a taste.0 -
https://www.triathlonireland.com/News/2019/I-Tri-d-Athlone-Triathlon-Club-Beginner-Triathlon.html
Not sure how far into training you are or where in the country you are based but the above a beginners, pool based triathlon is on in Ballinasloe this weekend. Could be a good for a first timer, I'm doing it as my first just to get a taste.
Thanks but Im up in Dublin at the moment. Could be an idea to find a sprint one.
I'm trying to read Total immersion book but I need to be more patient with it0 -
tony stark wrote: »Thanks but Im up in Dublin at the moment. Could be an idea to find a sprint one.
I'm trying to read Total immersion book but I need to be more patient with it
My 2c for what it’s worth.....bin the TI book. Look at swimsmooth.com - it’s not perfect but it’s better than TI and easier to follow IMO.
If you’re gasping after a few lengths you need to sort out your breathing. I’d guess you’re kicking too hard and your body position is poor. Try swimming with a pull buoy for part of your session and concentrate on the front end of your stroke. When kicking make sure you don’t overdo it and end up tiring yourself out.0 -
^^^This and slow down.
Better slow & steady than fast and spent...ahem.
Once you get your position and technique working - no matter how slow - you'll find distance and speed will follow. You'll want to build distance rather than speed this season.0 -
Advertisement
-
griffin100 wrote: »My 2c for what it’s worth.....bin the TI book. Look at swimsmooth.com - it’s not perfect but it’s better than TI and easier to follow IMO.
If you’re gasping after a few lengths you need to sort out your breathing. I’d guess you’re kicking too hard and your body position is poor. Try swimming with a pull buoy for part of your session and concentrate on the front end of your stroke. When kicking make sure you don’t overdo it and end up tiring yourself out.
I'll try this thanks. Yeah the book has so much superfluous information for me0 -
^^^This and slow down.
Better slow & steady than fast and spent...ahem.
Once you get your position and technique working - no matter how slow - you'll find distance and speed will follow. You'll want to build distance rather than speed this season.
Yeah its definitely just distance I want. I only have 8 weeks to Blessington and its a 1.5 km swim. Finishing woyld be a miracle. Maybe I should drop down to the 750m swim as I have the half ironman 2km swim in August. That's the big goal. I'm going swimming 5 times a week though so just maybe I'll make the 1.5km swim in 8 weeks. It'd mean going from 400m struggling non stop to 1.5k in 8 weeks. Is this possible or am I mad?0 -
tony stark wrote: »Yeah its definitely just distance I want. I only have 8 weeks to Blessington and its a 1.5 km swim. Finishing woyld be a miracle. Maybe I should drop down to the 750m swim as I have the half ironman 2km swim in August. That's the big goal. I'm going swimming 5 times a week though so just maybe I'll make the 1.5km swim in 8 weeks. It'd mean going from 400m struggling non stop to 1.5k in 8 weeks. Is this possible or am I mad?
There's being ambitious and having a goal and there's being unrealistic. All the swimming you've done so far has been in a pool, but openwater swimming is a different animal. Throw in the fact that you will be nervous on race day, Blessington lake will be a new environment where visibility will be next to zero and there will be a couple of hundred other triathletes in the water all around you at the same time splashing inadvertently kicking you and knocking you off your rhythm as they jockey for space and now you are presented with a very different challenge.
I applaud your drive but trying to go from 400 m to 1500 m in 8 weeks when you're already struggling is unrealistic and reckless. My advice is take the pressure off yourself now and drop back to the sprint distance. Based on your struggling to swim 400 m at this point just completing the sprint distance swim will be a great achievement, so to even contemplate swimming four times that distance in 8 weeks is nuts. Id also suggest your ambitions to swim 2km in a half ironman this summer are way off too. Swimming is the one skill that you cant fake. You can crawl around the cycle and run course with little training but thats just not the case with swimming. If I were you I'd adjust my goals, drop back to a sprint distance and gear my training towards that. Training 5 days a week in the pool is a lot, probably too much to be honest. Scale it back to 3 times a week and you'll enjoy the process more.In the next couple of weeks you should be looking to doing some open water sessions anyway because you dont want the day of the Blessington triathlon to be your first time swimming in open water.
I would strongly urge you focus more on your bike skills. The route around the lake undulates alot so I would recommend getting some hill work in. The Blessington Tri has had very hot weather over the last couple of seasons which will also affect your strategy on the day if it turns out to be the same this year. Good luck but be realistic.0 -
tony stark wrote: »Did you do much drill work in the pool? Did you use floats? Or did you just swim it out? I'm at 400m non stop but its a massive job and I'm gasping. I swam backstroke for some of it just to catch my breath. I've been for group lessons already but I think i might have to get one to one as the Blessington tri swim is in 9 weeks and is a 1.5k swim. Any advice or thoughts?
I am teaching myself from swimsmooth book and youtube video's although I am not doing any drill work. I just figure I need time in the water to get a feel for it so am getting in and just swimming and trying to relax.
I don't like giving advice because I am a terrible swimmer! But what helped me most is slowing right down and if i feel like I'm getting out of breath slow everything right down even more , turn my head and take a breath then fully exhale this breath slowly under water and slow your hands and feet down as your doing this till your fully relaxed .
I went to the sea on my own last week(my wife was on the shore ) with a float thing that goes behind me , the water was freezing and i've never swam in a wetsuit , as soon as I put my face in the water I froze it was so cold my chest just closed and I couldn't breathe . I did breast stroke for a minute and tried again sticking my head in the water , the swells and the cold salty water was very very difficult to take , I decided to swim out to a buoy at sea which looked about 400 metres away , it was hard to keep sight of it , the swells over my head throwing salt water into my mouth and then blowing out air under water into cold salty water was really difficult . I got to the buoy after about 10 minutes and turned around the buoy to swim back . I put my head sown and began swimming back towards the shore after about 8 strokes I looked up and realised I had not moved anywhere , I started to wonder was there another buoy again I swam harder but was getting pulled further away from the buoy at an angle back out to sea , I started to panic a bit and rolled over onto my back to get my bearings . I eventually decided I must be caught in some sort of rip current so swam in at a different angle to shore and walked to rocks back to my original entry point. I was going to pack the whole thing in I was tired and dizzy but wife told me to get back in just go in and out a few times 20-30 metres from shore which I did.
I just want to put this here , I was very nervous getting into sea , it is very different just be careful and not stupid like I was I made a few mistakes there.
If your not fully relaxed in pool the sea will be very hard . I'm doing howth aquathon 1000m swim on 13th May and I am very nervous but i think I have to face it eventually and I won't be alone.0 -
I am teaching myself from swimsmooth book and youtube video's although I am not doing any drill work. I just figure I need time in the water to get a feel for it so am getting in and just swimming and trying to relax.
I don't like giving advice because I am a terrible swimmer! But what helped me most is slowing right down and if i feel like I'm getting out of breath slow everything right down even more , turn my head and take a breath then fully exhale this breath slowly under water and slow your hands and feet down as your doing this till your fully relaxed .
I went to the sea on my own last week(my wife was on the shore ) with a float thing that goes behind me , the water was freezing and i've never swam in a wetsuit , as soon as I put my face in the water I froze it was so cold my chest just closed and I couldn't breathe . I did breast stroke for a minute and tried again sticking my head in the water , the swells and the cold salty water was very very difficult to take , I decided to swim out to a buoy at sea which looked about 400 metres away , it was hard to keep sight of it , the swells over my head throwing salt water into my mouth and then blowing out air under water into cold salty water was really difficult . I got to the buoy after about 10 minutes and turned around the buoy to swim back . I put my head sown and began swimming back towards the shore after about 8 strokes I looked up and realised I had not moved anywhere , I started to wonder was there another buoy again I swam harder but was getting pulled further away from the buoy at an angle back out to sea , I started to panic a bit and rolled over onto my back to get my bearings . I eventually decided I must be caught in some sort of rip current so swam in at a different angle to shore and walked to rocks back to my original entry point. I was going to pack the whole thing in I was tired and dizzy but wife told me to get back in just go in and out a few times 20-30 metres from shore which I did.
I just want to put this here , I was very nervous getting into sea , it is very different just be careful and not stupid like I was I made a few mistakes there.
If your not fully relaxed in pool the sea will be very hard . I'm doing howth aquathon 1000m swim on 13th May and I am very nervous but i think I have to face it eventually and I won't be alone.
Total respect for getting into the open water when the sea temperature is still only 8 to 9 degrees, trust me by the summer it will be balmy warm by comparison at 15 degrees !!! Always splash your face with cold water before actually getting in to swim. The trigeminal nerve in the face reacts to cold water by producing a gasp response and a sudden intake of air, its as if the body is momentarily shocked by the cold water, this reaction is a legacy from tens of thousands of years ago and is there to protect you. Splashing your face before entry reps the body so you arent shocked when plunging in properly.
If you're cold do what all triathletes do and urinate in your wetsuit once submerged, it wont damage the suit and will certainly make the first minute or two in frigid waters easier, plus pre race nerves tend to stimulate the bladder so a pre race pee in your wet suit while treading water will also have the psychological effect of calming you down.
When faced with rip currents obviously trying not to panic is the main thing. You did the correct thing moving onto your back to get a breather. Then swim parallel to the show to evade the rip and once out swim diagonally to the shore.
https://www.wikihow.com/Survive-a-Rip-Tide0
Advertisement