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

Neoprene spats are in this season.

My coach likes to talk about periodisation, he advocates two weeks hard training then one week of easy so all the sessions still happen but done at lower intensity and duration, but in the real world this works around races for us, so the race is in the easy week and if there are three weeks between races then go for 3 weeks hard and then have an easy one etc....

Still doing as many sessions stops the feeling of craziness in a usual taper, and still leaves you fresh for racing....

Sleep is awesome too, and I've just discovered baths!

I don't have a coach and don't really enter competitions.. I just like training.

I agree that rest is important but it doesnt really answer the problem.. what if the training regime you have set is just too hard to ever recover from even with rest inbetween time?

I'm coming back from injury and doing a similar amount to what I was doing before, maybe at higher intensity but its just feels like a restday does nothing.

Infact I feel better with active recovery, but probably end up just doing another training session again.

When I say coach, I'm a member of a triathlon club, and some members get discounted membership and courses paid for in return from coaching group sessions...

I'd recommend looking for a local club as it'll allow you to benchmark your training against others as well as access to formal training and if you find a good one some informal racing without having to pay a fortune to take part in more formal events...

there were plenty of guys and gals at Ironman UK with calf guards on under their suits, wish i'd thought of that

When I say coach, I'm a member of a triathlon club, and some members get discounted membership and courses paid for in return from coaching group sessions...

I'd recommend looking for a local club as it'll allow you to benchmark your training against others as well as access to formal training and if you find a good one some informal racing without having to pay a fortune to take part in more formal events...

A Triathlon 'club' you say?
Surely the individual self obsessed psychology of triathletes would mean that could never possibly work.

What club you a member of?

^Berkshire Tri Squad

Highly recomended if you live in berkshire!

But there are defintely good clubs throughout london, if you're there though, have a look on the british triathlon website, I think it has a find a club function. Most will let you try a few sessions for free so you can see what kind of people there are, although don't judge a book by its cover the people who I spoke to at my first session were the clubs resident weirdos and among other things I was told it wasn't a great place to pick up girls...erm thanks.

^Berkshire Tri Squad

Highly recomended if you live in berkshire!

But there are defintely good clubs throughout london, if you're there though, have a look on the british triathlon website, I think it has a find a club function. Most will let you try a few sessions for free so you can see what kind of people there are, although don't judge a book by its cover the people who I spoke to at my first session were the clubs resident weirdos and among other things I was told it wasn't a great place to pick up girls...erm thanks.

Ok, I'm crashing this thread for a charity plea. My brother is doing Ironman Wales today. He's been going since 7am this morning and is now on the last 5k of the marathon. He's raising money for GBSS. Group B Strep Support. My son Dylan died from a Group B Strep infection at 21 days old. It's a little known condition that can affect anyone and yet is easily preventable. All that is needed is information.
This is his JustGiving page. Please give a little if you can.
http://www.gbss.org.uk/fundraiser/AdamSmith

My bike speed still continues to disappoint - ever since my respectable Ride 100 time, i wanted to build on the gains and increased my training.

But my run times are tumbling with only minimal effort - is it normal for one to detract from the other?

Used to live in deepest darkest Berkshire (reading)
Thank god I escaped back to the big smoke.

Yes. It's been a big struggle for me to learn to bike again after 2 years of just running. it's definitely about tradeoffs.

d.n.f. for me at challenge henley. Nutrition problems followed by a mechanical. I rode on for another 3/4 of a lap but was spiralling so cut the course and went back to transition to quit.

Bad luck.

Happened to be in Henley yesterday so swung by the race a couple of times to have a look, it was amazing to see how fresh all the people looked on their first run lap and how broken they looked on what I hope for their sake was their last lap...

Cool, sorry I had quit already so you couldn't have given me a shout. Galling because I've done 3 IMs with my own (completely un-thought out) nutrition strategy with no problems but this time my coach talked me into using a carefully tailored plan that she gave me. What makes it worse is that the problem wasn't the nutrition plan per se, but the fact that the bottle of concentrated energy drink had set so thick that I couldn't get anything out of the bottle!

Thinking about a last minute entry to Wasdale Tri to make up for it now. Is anyone else doing it?

Pru Health Tri this weekend anyone?

My first olympic tri. Training has consisted of individual 10k runs, almost no swimmng until a month ago and almost no bike training beyond a daily hilly fixed gear commute. Very real possibility of it also being my first dnf.

Anyone else doing it?

Yeah I'm giving it a go, although at the moment my legs are sore after a 1'19" at RTTB. Not swam very much for a while so maybe a slower time then the Virgin London.

Dooks I am sure you'll be fine and I am sure you'll enjoy it as the atmosphere should be special.

Did Ironman UK on only 3 swims this year, you'll be fine

Regarding training and the like, is there anywhere that does recommendable training plans that aren't based on targeting a specific event? (kind of a rolling, fairly consistent plan)

Well that was fun. My first Olympic and I actually enjoyed it, despite shitty weather, one of buddies dropping out through illness this morning and the other pulling up after one lap of the run. Makes me wish I hadn't bothered waiting an age for him in both transitions now. Hey ho. I got round! *retires

Anyone doing the Hever Castle tri this weekend?

er... you mean the weekend following right?
and no.. too blumming cold.

I will never buy this paper again

http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/simon-jenkins-we-play-second-fiddle-to-boris-johnsons-sports-stunts-8821750.html

its free

When I read it yesterday, it said the event was organised by "a shady UN subsidiary called the International Telecommunications Union". When I first saw it, I gave the journalist the benefit of the doubt and put it down to massive trolling, but that quote has since been surreptitiously removed without comment or acknowledgement which points towards appalling stupidity and laziness. Bell end.

^ That article is so bad! Especially as the roads outside the park were only closed briefly on Saturday morning for the Elite Ladies race.

The event was good, although I dislike the fairly unavoidable multiple lap bike course and the monmouth transition run. Didn't do quite as well as I had hoped, tired legs and getting stuck behind people on the corners on the bike. A good crowd though.

@Dooks glad you survived and enjoyed it.

the monmouth transition run
Wouldn't that make it a triallon?

That article is apalling. Hehe. got my times back yesterday. spent a grand total of 21 minutes in transition, hanging out, chatting, eating... ffs