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

Ps, I’m really not a runner and it shows. I never do more than a gentle 5km trot around town a couple of times a week. Definitely an area to work on. I was top 10% in the swim and top 25% on the bike but below the average on the run.

I did my first triathlon a couple of months ago in Sevenoaks. Managed around 1:45 for a sprint distance with pretty limited training and 12 minutes of transitioning so some easy gains there. Was planning to do a half ironman in late August but a dodgy knee has pretty much ended that plan, oh well

12 minutes? What were you doing for that time?! I think mine averaged 90 seconds each including running into transition etc.
If you practise a tiny bit you can get non wetsuit kit changes down to 30 secs easily and wetsuit down to 60 secs. Then it’s just the run from your rack to the exit

In other news, my next race starts at 6.30am and you don’t get numbers, rack bikes etc until the day. Do people really get up at 4.30 am or similar? Eesh can’t wait for a day with the kids after that

Do people really get up at 4.30 am or similar?

For most IMs I've ever done, yes. 5 at the latest.

I took it as opportunity for a rest to be honest, wasn't in a rush! Especially after the swim. And I didn't fancy blisters so I was mucking around with my socks for a while. Also haven't practiced putting my shoes on whilst on the bike so had to walk in road cleats

All easy to fix if I set my aims a bit higher than merely finishing next time!

Haha I like your style, a chance for a rest is a great shout!

First go at a sprint tri earlier (and 2nd ever tri).

Went out so hard on the swim I thought I was going to have to stop after 500m and gather myself but slogged my way to the finish, 9th out of the water. Reasonable t1, faffed a bit with cycling shoes, must pick up some proper tri shoes. Had a decent bike leg, passed a few, got passed by a few, set the 11th fastest bike leg of the day, on my steel road bike, negotiations ongoing to justify purchase of tt bike. Reasonable t2. Run slightly improved on the last tri I done but was still a slog and I lost a few places.

Finished 14th overall, fairly content with that, but that’s it for my tri season now. Bring on next year!

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That’s a decent time! What size feet are you? I have some shimano tri shoes to get rid of

Orca wetsuit on ebay

Seller notes:

“As photographed, mid life crisis purchase; used once, got kicked in the head but swimmer in front during a triathlon, nearly drowned and had to doggy paddle to the finish following the incident, never used again. I am kidding myself by keeping it. Time for some one else to repeat my experience without spending £250.”

lmao

Made a last minute decision to do a local sprint yesterday, having decided in July that it was the end of my season. No really intense bike or run sessions, and no runs off the bike, but it was only a sprint so knew I’d at least get around. Got a tt bike a couple of weeks back but only ridden it once and never ran off it so opted to stick with the road bike for this.

Swim - went out too hard, had to doggy paddle to catch my breath after the first 200m, settled in then after that, 13th out of the water, happy enough
T1 - forgot to unbuckle my bike shoes so wasted a couple of seconds doing that, otherwise fairly smooth, must pick up tri shoes for next year
Bike - felt good, clawed back a good bit of time. Course was rolly enough, a few long drags that probably suited a bigger powerful rider, caught a guy that sat straight onto my wheel so I asked him not to, he suggested we work together to make life a bit easier, I said it’s not in the spirit of the sport, he told me to go f myself, so I pushed on and dropped him. Heard the announcer saying I was 5th into T2
T2 - uneventful
Run - Hard start to the run course, straight into a hill, heart was in my ears at this point, unpleasant guy I met on the bike danced past me like a gazelle (and went on to finish 5th overall and 1st in our age group), I lost 4 more places and finished 10th overall and 2nd in my age group

Happy enough considering I could have prepped better if I’d known I was doing it. That really is it for the season now tri-wise. Away on a work cycling trip this week, 3.9km swim the following week, and local half marathon in early October then I’m done.

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Sounds like some run training is in order (as with 95% of triathletes!)

I did my only race of the season on Saturday a super sprint at dorney lake, no swim training and little bike time in the last 3 months definitely showed, started well in the swim but exited 32nd, a slow transition followed as I needed to put socks on and am frankly very out of practice but onto the bike and despite high heart rate, my legs were feeling pretty good and speed was great, 2nd fastest bike split and onto the run, coming off the bike I was in 5th spot and first place was 1km down the road and he’s a decent runner so no chance of catching him and barely able to see the others but having spent a lot of the last 3 months I was pretty confident to close the gap, initially at half marathon pace and into 4th and then when that wasn’t closing the gap down to third went full gas for the last km, official time 17:53, although the run course was a little short!

Which one did you do? A mate did sandman on Anglesey at weekend which looked stunning

Ah it was a local one in Ireland, lough key forest park sprint

Sounds like some run training is in order (as with 95% of triathletes!)

Training is for sadists.

I did my first tri in literally a decade this year (London)- had meant to train, couldn't find time to get to the pool so hadn't swum properly since pre-covid, injured my knee in a XC 10k in May so had been not running very much either (fear of injury stopping cycling). But money had been paid and my next-door neighbour was doing it so they cajoled me into it.

The general standard was clearly a bit poor as-mass start I came 3rd overall and across all times through the day would have been 28th.
Everything was slow- the swim expectedly so, the run perhaps understandably so, but I was still a little upset (it was a little hectic), and the bike- well I had a mechanical and got caught behind an ambulance so that was very upsetting indeed.

S:22
T1:4
B:59
T2:2.5
R:41
Total: 2hr10.

Last tri of the year tomorrow and today at my start time it was 5 degrees. I haven’t really factored in being cold before. Presumably people just throw a long sleeve top or thin jacket over their tri suit?

Will you not be warm from the effort? I started a swim in 4.5 degrees this morning and was melting by the end of the 3.9km

Maybe but then I reckon wet kit + tt speed will be chilly. I wouldn’t normally ride fast in 5 degrees in a short sleeve top!

Olympic or sprint? Granted I’ve only done one Olympic and 2 sprints, but I’ve never noticed the weather/temperature once the flag drops

Sprint tomorrow. Neither have I but it’s always been warm and sunny! I guess I’ll see tomorrow

Sprint definitely isn’t long enough to worry about putting more clothes on

At the Leybourne Xmas Day triathlon we once had to break the ice to do the swim and the following year there was 4 inches of snow. Wetsuits were not permitted. I used to just fling on a cycle jersey in T1, and was always toasty warm by the end of the run.

It warmed up! 8 degrees at the start

How’d you go?

Good for a fat guy who can’t feel one leg!
36th, 1hr15 total time.
Swim time, bike average speed and 5km run time were all post kids PB’s!

1:15 for a sprint is decent!