The Triathlon Thread

[Pippa]

Since the swim is not in delicious tasty custard,

If only....

[andygates]

AHA! You took my bait! Because custard is non-Newtonian so while you're swimming (and nomming) in it, I'll run across the top and get the best swim time ever.

Before being disqualified for not using a proper swim stroke.

Bah.

[Pippa]

*digs in deepest recess of BRANE and thinks back to engineering degree*

Ah yes - shear-thickening oodly wotnot. Good call.

I thought backstroke was not permitted - so you should be fine 

[andygates]

I thought backstroke was not permitted - so you should be fine 

Indeed it's not.  Though, oddly, I saw my first swimmer doing backstroke as part of a sort of "panic medley" of strokes he could remember, in the early waves.  I think they let him off because the whole lane was that set (I remember being in that set) of cheerful duffers.

[Rich753]

I got a nice missive the other day - email from British Triathlon to say I'd been selected in Great Britain Age Group Team for the 2010 Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships. 

Thirteen weeks to go, and I'm not currently running due to achilles pain - but I'm sure it will be fine!!

[andygates]

GB strip? Representing your country?  *wipes away a tear with a scone*

Nice one indeed. 

How's the achilles healing?

[Rich753]

I know!

Appreciate that it's Age-group (55-59), and maybe duathlon isn't as competitive as triathlon but I'm unbelievably pleased - on the verge of tears, even, if that doesn't sound too melodramatic!

Achilles problem is partly my fault - after last years trials and tribulations I didn't really keep up my strength work and now the physio has laid it out - "for the rest of your active life, you'll be doing calf exercise 3-4 times per week".  So that's fine, and after a couple of weeks of warm baths, ice baths, friction massage and calf exercises (especially the eccentric ones) today I was able to jog down to the gym, and hopefully tomorrow will do a bit more.  Definitely feel that vffs are a valuable tool to avoid future injury, btw.

[dkahn400]

Appreciate that it's Age-group (55-59), and maybe duathlon isn't as competitive as triathlon but I'm unbelievably pleased - on the verge of tears, even, if that doesn't sound too melodramatic!

No, it sounds completely justified. Congratulations and good luck. Now go and kick some wrinkly foreign arse for us. 

[JJ]

Anyone on here going to the Dambuster next week?  Mrs J is racing, but it's not clear yet whether that or the recorder concert at the school fete takes precedence for the rest of the J tribe.

I know which I'd rather attend!

[LindaG]

Some pre-tri Carbo loading materials here

[mike]

God bless Mrs Mike.  For our anniversary she's gone and got me a voucher for a new wetsuit, so my old, ex-hire one is surplus. 

I'll measure it properly when I get home, but if anyone wants a big speedo wetsuit for the price of postage... let me know!   As a size guide, I'm 6'2" and 16.5 stone. 

[longers]

I've persuaded my boss that his idea to do a sprint triathlon is a good idea, the trouble is he's talked me into doing it as well.

I did several a few years ago and remember having trouble with my legs being very dead from the knee down on the run. Have you any tips please on how to avoid this?

I can run or could do but just not very well after the bike section so any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

[andygates]

Dead legs are common off the bike.  Two things help: cadence and exposure.

Cadence: A good run cadence is faster than most bike cadences.  Say, 180 - which is 90 on the bike.  In the final leg, spin a faster gear and your leg-timing circuits will be at the right speed.  A cadence computer is obvious, or just ride one gear lighter than usual.

Exposure: Do some brick sessions. Ride then run.  For hardcoreness, ride at race pace then run the same; if you have a turbo, warm up and then do 10 minutes bike, 1km run a few times over.  Bricks are an on-season thing; there's less point doing them in the winter.

[longers]

Thanks, nothing else to do but get out and do it then. Not that I thought there'd be an easy answer.

First swim last night, don't ache too much today. I'm dreading the run at the weekend.

[andygates]

Oh dear oh dear, BADtri - Bristol's big, very good tri club - are running a pilot race in August with an open-water dock swim and a chunk of closed Portway to ride on.  Oh dear oh dear oh dear, I seem to have entered or something...

[dkahn400]

Oh dear oh dear, BADtri - Bristol's big, very good tri club - are running a pilot race in August with an open-water dock swim and a chunk of closed Portway to ride on.  Oh dear oh dear oh dear, I seem to have entered or something...

Bummer! Commiserations!   

[DrMekon]

Am really tempted to start, parly because loads of people at work do them, and my brother is just starting, but I'd need to get swimming lessons first, as I am so slow my wife can do 3 lengths in the time I can do 1. The ride and the run should be fine. Has anyone else had adult lessons for technique?

[andygates]

I had adult lessons for crawl from scratch.  Well worth it. 

Once you have something resembling a stroke, tri club coaches are the most affordable and accessible training option.

[dkahn400]

Am really tempted to start, parly because loads of people at work do them, and my brother is just starting, but I'd need to get swimming lessons first, as I am so slow my wife can do 3 lengths in the time I can do 1. The ride and the run should be fine. Has anyone else had adult lessons for technique?

It can be done but it's hard work. As an adult it's much easier to learn to run or ride a bike than it is to learn to swim well. I'd hate to put you off though. If you're prepared for the long slog then go for it.

[andygates]

Am really tempted to start, parly because loads of people at work do them, and my brother is just starting, but I'd need to get swimming lessons first, as I am so slow my wife can do 3 lengths in the time I can do 1. The ride and the run should be fine. Has anyone else had adult lessons for technique?

It can be done but it's hard work. As an adult it's much easier to learn to run or ride a bike than it is to learn to swim well. I'd hate to put you off though. If you're prepared for the long slog then go for it.

It's a hell of a lot easier to learn with physical coaching than it is with books, videos or advice from the internet.  What's needed is feel, proprioceptive feedback, and an eye for the sticking points.  Someone to say "put your face in the water and just breathe out, don't worry, you won't drown" and to lift your bum to the right angle. 

If you're someone who can learn a new thing - a sport or a dance or whatever - then it's eminently doable. 

[dkahn400]

It's a hell of a lot easier to learn with physical coaching than it is with books, videos or advice from the internet. 

... which is probably true of almost any skill.

If you're someone who can learn a new thing - a sport or a dance or whatever - then it's eminently doable. 

Agreed. I wasn't trying to put the good doctor off, merely to warn him not to expect acquiring an efficient swimming style to be a trivial matter. On the plus side there is a lot of satisfaction to be derived from acquiring a skill that doesn't come easily.

[Barnsdale]

[Agreed. I wasn't trying to put the good doctor off, merely to warn him not to expect acquiring an efficient swimming style to be a trivial matter. On the plus side there is a lot of satisfaction to be derived from acquiring a skill that doesn't come easily.

Not trivial by any means, but I went from being a very poor, splashy breathless swimmer to being competent and efficient, if a little slow within a few weeks and 4 lessons, interspersed with fewer practice sessions on my own than was good for me.  Since then, I've sped up steadily.  If nothing else, I'm pleased that I went from hating swimming to loving it (in open water that is - not bothered about chloriney pools). 

The problem is I keep torturing myself by adding a fast ride and a staggering run at the end of it...

[mike]

Dr Mekon - I've had a couple of sessions with Ed from the Cambridge Swimming Academy* and he has transformed the way I swim - if you had a 1:1 coached hour or two then went along to the group evening sessions he does it wont take you long to get going.  I'm loving it again, just (like you, Barnsdale), the run is *ugly* 



* I'm even buried somewhere on the website, 10 points if you can find the photo & video of yours truly

[mike]

My brothers report from his first olympic distance tri 
 
1.       I couldn’t breathe in the lake … I spent the first 15 mins doing breast stroke and back stroke! .. I even raised my arm at one point to get rescued by one of the kayaks .. they never came to my rescue, bug*ers! .. I  just couldn’t get the breathing as I had massive hyperventilation. Half way through I got my stride and started swimming. 

2.      I had intense pain in my eyes from suncream  (schoolboy error)

3.      So got on the bike angry and did ok but had no legs left for the run (schoolboy)

4.      Had to stop 3 times on the bike as I had both eyes shut as a result of the sweat and suncream cocktail in my eyeballs .. .

5.      My legs felt like yours look and I couldn’t run at all for the first 4km then I found my stride and got a little pacier but not a lot. 

6.      The word at the event was it was an 11.2km run.  If it had been 10k, it felt like I would have got about a 48 min*

7.      When I finished my legs still felt like they weighed 20 stone each and so when I got home I slept for 5 hours.
 
I think you can safely say I was underprepared.
 

* - I've mapped it on google and it's about 10.1k.  He's in denial because his normal 10k run time is about 40 minutes and this took him just shy of an hour.  I'd warned him it was harder after a bike ride but he hadnt ever tried it!
 

[dkahn400]

 I'd warned him it was harder after a bike ride but he hadnt ever tried it!
 

Oops, yet another schoolboy error.    The tri is an event that has enormous scope for making these of course.