Tri / Triathlon / Triathlons - do they float your boat?

Here are the garmin data if anyone is interested:

Bike: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/98073498

Run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/98073514

and the FB album with some of the photos in: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.714090215931.2349839.61000900&l=da3be0b876 (I think that is the link to share albums publicly... IMAT photos should run from 46 - 64 )

brutal. seriously well done dude.

very sad news from the 70.3 I pulled out of:
http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=GSR3D5N63

RIP Arthur.

Congrats on the Ironman Austria! I've been wanting to do a triathlon for a couple of years now. Can manage the bike and have done a few trail marathons, but still suck at swimming :(

Have heard good things about the Total Immersion DVDs to help hacks like me get more efficient in the water. Have had others (who have competed) tell me that wearing a bouyancy suit makes a world of different and should just pony up for one of those and get out in some cold water.

Anybody who has made the transition from concrete legs to super fish got any tips?

Practice practice practice, and get some coaching. Pool time beats dvd watching time. I was doing almost 20 miles per month in 2008 whilst sorting out technique and building distance upto 4km.

Good Luck.

Just filled in the entry form for my first triathlon, decided to wait until i got a few weeks of training out the way first!

It's a sprint distance, 600m swim, hilly 35k ride and 7.5k run, bike and run's fine so far, just the swim beforehand i'm not looking forward to! Still got 8 weeks to go though so i'll have to get some pool mileage in!

Is it a pool or an OW swim?

Pool based sprint tris are often fairly relaxed and there wouldn't be a big problem with pausing between lengths so long as you keep to the side of the lane and don't obstruct anyone. If open water, wearing a wetsuit makes keeping your body position in the water MUCH easier - specific Tri wetsuits (especially the entry level ones) are deigned to make you float in the correct position then all you have to do is wave your arms about and kick like hell.

In terms of improving your swimming more generally, join a masters swim club. There will be plenty of people there who can give you pointers and coaching and they are usually very friendly. Other than that I hear "swim for Tri" in london are a good coaching service. better to get some coaching early on rather than ingrain bad habits. Swimming is 90% technique, 10% grunt which is why both my baby sisters are still faster than me despite both of them giving up any form of training over 5 years ago.

It's a pool swim so no wetsuit, but trisuit and swimming cap should make a fair difference to the shorts i'm wearing at the moment! Luckily my brother is an ex-county/national level swimmer so i'll rope him along for some form training. The masters club is a good idea though, i'll look into that.

On a cycling note, think i'm finally used to riding on rollers, managed an hour non-stop yesterday with only a couple of "oh f--" moments

Here are the garmin data if anyone is interested:

Bike: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/98073498

Run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/98073514

and the FB album with some of the photos in: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.714090215931.2349839.61000900&l=da3be0b876 (I think that is the link to share albums publicly... IMAT photos should run from 46 - 64 )

Yeah Yeah - Wheres the swim ?? ;)

Hardcore ! Hat's off to you.

There is no swim because I blew several hundred quid on a waterproof GPS watch and am too scared to take it in the water for fear of losing the damn thing!

Swim was 1:02 though including 2 stops for a little... regurgitation.

My g/f did her first Olympic distance today. She did London last year and then virtually no training for the rest of the year. She did another sprint distance in March, again on almost no training and then straight on to today. 3hrs 11. 6 months ago she couldn't ride 20 miles without a stop in the middle and was only able to run a couple of miles maximum before her hamstrings started playing up and she had to stop. Even now she doesn't do that much training, certainly very little at any real intensity. It is safe to say that I am a little in awe this afternoon.

Also once again impressed by just how friendly and inclusive a sport it is. Time to get some decent swimming coachiong and have a go next year I think.

i did london yesterday.

it was an awesome ride down to westminster and back x3 with no cars etc on the roads.

expensive but just about worth it.

Tri great Norman Stadler retires after heart surgery:

"I am flattered that so many people believe in my comeback. Nevertheless I know that I wouldn’t be able to achieve a world class level again."

The end of a legends career. His kona meltdown is still one of the best.

i'm feeling a little nervous about it too. my running seems to have gone to shit lately. can't remember the last time felt comfortable or got round even a pretty modest circuit without having to stop for water, cramp or to get my heart rate down from "about to pass out" level. am at least looking forward to the swim and bike.

reckon the new deda bar tape will be worth a minute on the ride alone. psychology, i haz it.

crabon fibré i trust? you going to rock the teardrop aerohat too?

did london for my first race back after my ankle break..
A long painful sub 3hrs but good to know its still possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYvelnnKZI

Good luck to all the dextro triathletes for today. Go princess tiswas!

how'd you go tiswas? those transitions were looooooong eh?

He ran out of corner, and was rewarded with a multi-part collar bone.

for shiz?

yep, see the right now thread

Wac!

no way. does that mean i won?

I did the buckingham palace course yesterday, and it was great cycling out of hyde park with no cars on hyde park corner and past the palace. Lots of spectators, think it'll be great for the olympics next year, really great atmosphere (despite the rain during the elite men's race).

The only thing I didn't like was how far away transition was from the swim, spent 5 mins in T1!

Do you think they'll be doing the age group race next year (being the olympics and all) or will they just put it later in the year like the London Triathlon (which is late Sept)?

Tiswas hard luck, hope you're on the mend.

How did you find it Dooks?