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

Probably a bit late in the day but am just starting to plan my tri training for 2016 now. Ive been ticking over nicely since Jan.

Does training peaks only work if you buy a training programme?

I think there are only 3 ways of "planning" a programme, buy a plan, buy a premium account or hire a coach/tri club with a coaching account...

otherwise you can only log stuff and don't get much in the way of analytics.

got a last minute and unofficial place to the windsor duathlon today, really enjoyed a local run out on a fun course!

was very much supported training for me but gave run 1 and the bike 100% and slightly cruised run 2, 54th overall and 6th in age group, so pretty pleased, although not entirely sure why the racing switch went off in my head for the second run, possibly as i didnt want to do too well and confuse the qualification process for people racing legitimately, but something for me to think about!

Hi Forum-triathletes.

We (Massif Central) are looking for a triathlete to be in a short film we will be making in a couple of weeks time.

It's likely to be a couple of hours filming in an East London studio - not actually in the water. The shots will form part of a montage about the various sports (cycling, triathlon, running) that we illustrate and is likely to be mainly a head & shoulders shot with swimming cap and googles.
Visible Ironman tattoos welcomed!!

Ideally we are looking for an under 30 yr old, clean-shaven guy for this 'role'. You'll need to bring your own tri-suit.

We can 'pay' for time in Massif Central prints, bits of our cycling kit, T-shirts, beer, eternal gratitude etc..

Please get in touch via DM or email - howardsmith@themassifcentral.co.uk
thanks
hms

Right, need to sort out a training plan for IM Wales as it is 20 weeks away on Sunday and my legs feel mostly OK from the marathon a few weeks ago.

Will watch the footy tonight and swot up on example plans (Mostly this one: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=33&memberlevel=1 )

Something along the lines of the 20 weeks divided into 4 week blocks of Prep, and Base 1 and 2, then a 5 week Base 3 and then a 3 week taper/race block.

The 3rd week of the 4 week blocks I'll try and do my homemade 1/3 IM:-

• 9am drop daughter off at school, walk to pool
  
• 9.15am in the pool for a 1400m swim
  
• 9.45am out of the pool and changed, jog home
  
• 10am home, change into bike stuff and straight out on the bike
  
• 60km cycle (5 laps of RP with to/fro)
  
• 12.50pm home, stow bike, change into running stuff
  
• 1pm out for 14k run (flat out and back along the river)
  
• 2.30pm home, quick shower and change
  
• 2.45pm leave home to pick up daughter from school [feeling very smug AND KNACKERED]
  
• 3.15pm back in the pool to recover whilst daughter messes around and drags me up and down the pool
  
  

Silly T1 and T2 times as home is 1km from the pool (which suits IM Wales ironically) and I have to get changed twice (I am not running home in cycling gear) but at least it should be consistent. Need to play with Forerunner 920xt to set up a Triathlon profile with an indoor pool segment.

Other commitments kind of fit the plan:-

• Wimbledon Common HM would be the end of Week 2 of Prep block, that's ok
  
• Ditchling Devil 200km Audax is end of Week 1 of Base-1 block, that's ok, I won't be going out hard
  
• Mersey Roads 24h TT is the very start of Base 3, not ideal but I'll cope
  
  

It's not perfect, but my goal for 1st IM is to finish it and I've got a lot of training to go before I'd consider myself in shape to start thinking about targeting a specific time.

the only thing I'll comment on is there's no mention of training with anyone else - I'd go bonkers/never really push myself unless I train with others at least once per week!

How did Mallorca go @Sainsburys_Ed ?

5:03, got knocked off my bike by a numpty and broke the bars and front brake - which made the wet descent even tougher than it should be! No damage to me thankfully!

I am doing the aj bell London triathlon first week of August, is anyone else going? I signed up for the olympic after having one too many beers like everyone else. Really stoked about it though, I have never swam (or ran) actively before and haven't followed a training plan in years. Bit of a learning curve but I really enjoy the swimming part of it! Found a training plan that just focuses on volume, started out last month with 4h each week and peaking around 8h the last month. Should be good! Now I'm on the lookout for tri bars :O

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/05/hands-on-with-the-new-garmin-fr735xt-triathlon-watch.html

Just about to read it to see whether I have gadget envy...

[EDIT] Nope. Optical HR doesn't work when swimming and battery life is 14 hours compared to 24 (for the 920xt).

Still, they're moving in the right direction.

And the comments below mention that a 920xt firmware update released today might have added structured swim workouts to the 920xt. Can't find it though.

Bloody hell Garmin aren't fucking about, the 920 isn't that old.

Found a training plan that just focuses on volume

That's roughly what I'm doing.

Trying to do more running at low intensity and just parkrun (and a bit of 5-a-side) at 'high' intensity.
Focusing on technique improvements for swimming as I can already do the distance no problem
Getting miles into the legs cycling. Probably pushing too hard so trying to force myself to slow down.

The only problem is that my program starts at 8h and peaks at 18h. Weeks 9-11 are fun as each one focuses on one a particular discipline:-

• Week 9 has 6h20 of swimming (!)
  
• Week 10 has 6h45 of running
  
• Week 11 has 11h of cycling (although that roughly coincides with the Mersey Roads 24h TT, so I might exceed that a tad...)
  
  

Week 1 done: 1h10 swim, 3h05 bike, 2h54 run (including 5-a-side) for 7h9m (short of 8h10 plan)

Damn that's a lot of of hours! Have you been doing triathlons for a long time? These last two weeks for me with 4h each have really put a toll on my body, guess I'm not used to the volume. This is a recovery week which suits me well, specially after a long 217km ride I did on Sunday.

Do you have a link to the plan you are following? Would be interested to see how its set up. Here is the one I am doing.

First triathlon. Go big or go home.

Plan: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/training-plans-view.asp?planid=33

^ he's also train gin for an ironman rather than an Olympic....

Have done 13k swimming this week, most of which has been in a wetsuit, the idea being I learn how to swim fast in a wetsuit not just a pool, my shoulders now feel like they are made of glass!

I've also spent 10 hours on my Tt bike, Mallorca with 55x42 up front and. 12x25 on the back isn't ideal but I now feel ready for anything Bolton an throw at me, plus blasting past people on descents has been fun!

First triathlon question: should I shell out for a trisuit or will a cycling skinsuit be OK?

What length tri? Have you tried swimming in the skinsuit? Have you tried cycling in the skinsuit when it's soaking wet? Why do dogs have black lips?

Nope - thought I would ask before turning up at the pool in it.

It's an "olympic" only with a shorter swim.

Get a trisuit

I went 2nd hand for mine. £10 for some Orca job. They're usually only used once or twice by those in a mid-life crisis who decide sport isn't actually for them

Does falling face down in a muddy ditch count as swimming? Asking for a friend (@owlz )

Great, that's saved me a whole pile of training.

What size are you? I have an old trisuit worn once or twice that was too small for me.

i might be interested as well ewan, what size is it? I'm around 190cm.

Probably too small for you... I'm 184cm and found it uncomfortably tight. I'll look it out anyway in case anyone is interested.