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

I just entered a middle distance triathlon for next year, MEGALOLS.

Which one @Hats ? I was thinking of signing up for one of the middle-distance events in the New Forest next year:
http://www.racenewforest.co.uk

Cotswold 113. Technically I'm on the waiting list but I should be high enough up it that I'll get a place...
I looked at the new forest races, which one are you thinking of? The early one has a nasty swim, the 2nd one is odd distances and the 3rd one is quite late. But then you do get to go to Sandy Balls campsite, which has got to be worth something.

@Hats. Probably not the early one, as I have an olympic distance Tri the following week. I'm planning on doing my first marathon (Purbeck Marathon) the week before the September event, so I will probably end up doing the June event with odd distances. I suppose being able to camp at Sandy Balls would be convenient though.

@Pifko Also, SANDY BALLS! What a name!
I just looked up the Purbeck Marathon, looks beautiful. You could hitch a lift on a cow if you get tired.

Not only does it look beautiful, but apparently in the 2013 finisher bag you got free beer and a tub of ice cream. SIGN ME UP.

but apparently in the 2013 finisher bag you got free beer

At the finish of London-Edinburgh-London in 2009 you were given a free beer. (I'd cycled the last 60km from St Neots with 4 cans of 1664 in my rack-pack just in case).

PBP 2011 there were rumours of a free beer at the half way point (Brest) but it didn't appear (the 2007 riders got one there). Two free beers at the end though.

Tub of icecream you say? Tempted.
At IM Austria this year they gave out free beers to the finishers. I had 5, but then I hadn't knackered myself out actually taking part.

Yeah free beer at IM Austria, but IIRC i was non alcoholic which suited me just fine after the race!

@hats Which Cotswold 113? I think there is one in June and one in August. I'm doing the June one, which is apparently sold out for 'general entry' but there are still reserved places for group entry.

My cycling club are pulling together a group entry right now, and I don't think you need to be a member to be included on our entry. If you want me to put you on the list then send me a PM and I'll do it now. I think it also gives you 10% off entry price.

(actually, I think having you on our group entry may help us out too... I think we need a minimum of 10 people and we have 9 for june at the moment!)

Non alcoholic beer is the best kind of beer IMO :)
Thanks so much for the offer - I'll PM you now.

since IM Wales i had about a month off any training in that i turned up t a few sessions for fun, and to see people but there was no structure and certainly not a lot of effort. I then started to think about next year and decided that my best racing was olympic and 70.3, but also that I quite fancied wearing GB age group kit. I don't fancy travelling to Chicago for next years world olympic and sprint champs so that left middle distance or long distance. i wrote long distance off as there arent many races of that distance, and as i've never raced it before i would have no clue how to deal with the distance, which seems a tough way to try to treat an "a race".

So i've registered myself for the ETU Middle distance champs, and as long as not too many more people sign up I've got a pretty good chance with my qualifying time of 4.54.

I've started working with a professional coach, and this was motivated as i tend to train based on volume rather than quality and this isn't the bet idea as its probably not going to help me achieve my aim of 4.30 next season, and its not great for having a social/family life.

1 month into training i haven't noticed a huge improvement, i've had to make quite a lot of changes to my normal routine to fit it in, but training buddies have started commenting on the fact that while they could keep up with me before, if they try to keep up with me in run sessions they'll blow up.

My first club ride since before IM yesterday was a nice boost, as while i was tired afterwards, i was able to keep pace and even when I was trying not to push too hard on the hills when i was on the front we were still dropping people.

So, I find out in January if i'm in the GB Age Group team, at which point i'll need to book my spot at challenge half rimini. I'm not sure what my target is for the race but I would certainly be aiming to get sub 4.45 and or top 10 in my age group...

I need to find a few more 70.3s to do throughout the year, but i'll also do as many of the chicago olympic qualifying races as well just to test myself against some decent competition, oh and maybe find a small race that i can get on the podium for!

Created an LFGSS Tri club on Strava:- http://www.strava.com/clubs/117551

The current LFGSS club is just cycling, so it doesn't show running or swimming.

Useful to see just how much training some of you lot are doing.

Exciting plans!

Why don't you do the Cotswold 113 too?

^ This. I believe the June edition is currently full but they will re release a load more entries when they know how many there are left after the group entries are all assigned. My guess is that they'll re-open soon.

IM Wales. Hilly bike course isn't it?

I don't own a TT bike, and Tri is not yet a srsbzns for me, so can I make do with the road bike (Wilier Izoard) and lash some tri-bars to it? (If I did do IM Wales then I'd be aiming for about 14 hours unless I find some hidden ability somewhere).

I've got two bikes to sell (Aravis Audax and a Colnago Master) so I could get a low end TT bike, but I don't really need it.

I have a planetx taking up room. You're welcome to give it a spin should you decide you want to buy a low end machine.

That's not helping.

[EDIT] Tell me you're not about 5'9" or that it's got Shimano.

Yeah, Wales is considered hilly. Not sure exactly how much elevation gain over the course (on phone so can't check), but I think the main issue is that there isn't any flat stuff... It's all either up or down.

Not many hills around here but I'm trying to cram as many as possible in to all of my rides at the moment.

I thought you lived Oxfordshire?
There are some excellent lumps round there.
I really need to start training, but the workload at the moment is preventing me from not feeling guilty about being away from the books.

Not sure exactly how much elevation gain over the course (on phone so can't check), but I think the main issue is that there isn't any flat stuff... It's all either up or down.

Just checked. ~2150m ascent in 180km. That's fine, it's on the upper end of an average Audax (and nowhere near some silliness that I've done).

All useful in talking myself out of needing a dedicated TT bike.

It's F&F and aero bars only - You can stick whatever group you want onto it. The bar end shifters are DA, but there's naff all difference between those and the SRAM shifters.

I'm 6'2", so it may be a touch large, although the frameset is smaller than the equivalent road bike.

^^ I've not begun any t bike acclimatisation yet, but I'll be on full to setup (p2, disc, h3, wizard hat)

Hth ;-)

Wizard sleeve?

Nah, too much drag.

*aero drag