Triathlons for 2008

attica

Thanks Hammerite, you're not the first to call me that, doubt you'll be the last either.
Me and the hills of Exmoor have unfinished business anyway after I had a spoke go about 100yds from the top of Dunkery Beacon on last years Exmoor Beast, kinda ruined my day - and I was on a flyer too. It gets very cold VERY quickly up there in November, took me an hour to warm back up at the feed station.

I've trained on the course and have to say, it's not the worst of the hills around there, doesn't make it easy though!

Ieuanllan

I'm doing Newton-le-Willows this Sunday.
Anyone else going to be there?
I'm also signed up for Macclesfield on the 24th of August.

ieu

hammerite

Not me Ieu, too far north for me.

Attica, how did you get on at IMUK 70.3?

I did my first OW swim last week and quite enjoyed it. Got my next tomorrow morning at 8am. Then my first OW race a week on Sunday, 750m. Will be interesting!

attica

hammerite wrote:

Not me Ieu, too far north for me.

Attica, how did you get on at IMUK 70.3?

I did my first OW swim last week and quite enjoyed it. Got my next tomorrow morning at 8am. Then my first OW race a week on Sunday, 750m. Will be interesting!

Hi Hammerite

Well I managed the swim in 48 minutes, my advice on that one, unless you're fast, get to the back and let the washing machine head off before you get going.
I did nearly have an argument with one chap though, he cut across me at 45 degrees just a few feet away from the turning buoy, got quite agitated when I nudged him in the right direction telling him "it's that way" not necessarily the done thing but I had to stop to let him past anyway and he'd have missed the buoy if he kept going!

Had what felt like a stormer of a bike leg, got overtaken by one person only yet overtook at least 200 others (no really!) did the bike in 3 hours 40, kept backing off thinking I must be going too fast as I was overtaking too many people, sad thing is I don't think slowing up will have made my run any faster as I spent the first 4 mile lap with my quads in spasm, got it together and managed a 2 hour 15 run, add in some very lesiurely trans times (I really wanted to finish not set a record), and I came in in 7 hours and 9 minutes, which is a good 20 minutes faster than I thought I'd do.

Job done.

The reason for not telling you all about it earlier, I set off the following Tuesday for a fortnight in Mallorca, took my bike of course, had a great few rides once I'd recovered. The hills out there seem a it tame, but when it's 35 degrees celcius, that's no bad thing, thoroughly recommend the trip.

hammerite

Well done Attica. Good effort, my mate said the bike leg was pretty tough and he got withdrawn before the run, although his longest training ride was 30 miles!

He said at one point there was a downhill single track where there was no overtaking, and he got stuck behind someone who didn't like the downhill who was going 5mph!! Did you have problems like that?

I got accepted into New Forest Middle Distance, managed my second OW swim today where I did more front crawl than before (I'm a bad swimmmer!). Think I may be ok for it now, with nearly 3 months training time still left.

attica

It was a Bu99er of a bike leg! Loads of people walking up the two steep climbs and the no overtaking section was an annoyance (although for safety's sake understandably necessary).
I got stuck behind a similarly slow rider on the first loop, shouted out "can I come past?" and overtook her safely, on the second loop I nearly got caught out by a guy who braked very heavily at the bottom and had to take avoiding action so as to not rear end him.

I spent absolutely ages training on my hill climbing (single speed, it's the future!) I just couldn't believe how many people I overtook every time I reached a hill, people just seemed to stop dead.

As for the swim, concentrate on learning how to swim in something approximating a straight line when you're in the open water, I made up time on faster swimmers who took the scenic route, I'd hazard a guess that some people did all of their training in the pool and then got a bit of a shock when they found theselves in the open water without ropes and tiles to follow, the last person out of the lake took 1 hour 20 odd minutes (cut off was 1 hour). I'd throughly recommend getting open water specific goggles, like these.

Keep us posted with how the training is going and more importantly how you get on on the day, good luck.

FSR_XC

I think I'm doing the world's shortest Triathlon Wednesday evening.

It is part of the Mevagissey Feast Week (local fishing village festival in Cornwall).

Swim - approx 100m (across the outer harbour)
Cycle - approx 2 miles (out to the school at the TOP of the hill)
Run - approc 1/2 - 1 mile (the shorter route back down the hill.

I'm aiming to break the hour.
That'll be the first time I've done any tri in such a time. 8)

attica

Crikey, you could conceivably spend more time in transition than on the rest of it.
practice those transitions and you could well break the half hour!

Good luck

hammerite

Attica wrote:

As for the swim, concentrate on learning how to swim in something approximating a straight line when you're in the open water, I made up time on faster swimmers who took the scenic route, I'd hazard a guess that some people did all of their training in the pool and then got a bit of a shock when they found theselves in the open water without ropes and tiles to follow, the last person out of the lake took 1 hour 20 odd minutes (cut off was 1 hour). I'd throughly recommend getting open water specific goggles, like these.

Keep us posted with how the training is going and more importantly how you get on on the day, good luck.

my plan is to do 3 swim sessions a week, 2 OW swims and 1 pool (for drills etc...). I used to hate swimming, but I'm really enjoying it at the moment, I think it's because I can see the progress I'm making.

I've already got some OW specific goggles, good job as I'd have been blind looking into the Sun on saturday morning. I got the Aquaspehere Seal XP, cracking goggles, in fact they're pretty much a face mask. My little goggles are aquasphere too, but leak a little in the corner on one eye, no problem in the pool, but I don't want a load of duck poo water in my eyes!

9.5 mile run yesterday, swim tonight as I'm in a hotel for work that has a pool, then 10k race tomorrow night.

FSR - that little tri sounds cool. I reckon you'll be 30 mins too!

FSR_XC

Thanks Attica - but I think this really is 'just for fun'

I'm thinking of braving the cold water.

Think it will take nearly as long to get the wetsuit off as it will to do the swim!

I'm even thinking that the MTB will be a better option as that hill is effin steep!

attica

Nice work Hammerite, I couldn't swim 18 months ago but have also started to really enjoy the swimming, especially when you can see such improvements, if only I enjoyed the runs too!

I managed a similar amount of time in the water, but only really got into the open water in mid May, I really enjoy it, especially without the chlorine.
Found myself in a hotel trying to do a 2k swim in a 15m pool a few months back, had to ask the guy at the desk to borrow his calculator to work out how many lengths it was - 133 if memory serves, gave up in frustration fairly quickly - hope you have more luck.

hammerite

Attica wrote:

Nice work Hammerite, I couldn't swim 18 months ago but have also started to really enjoy the swimming, especially when you can see such improvements, if only I enjoyed the runs too!

I managed a similar amount of time in the water, but only really got into the open water in mid May, I really enjoy it, especially without the chlorine.
Found myself in a hotel trying to do a 2k swim in a 15m pool a few months back, had to ask the guy at the desk to borrow his calculator to work out how many lengths it was - 133 if memory serves, gave up in frustration fairly quickly - hope you have more luck.

LOL - I tried doing that too at one place I stayed, but it was only a 9m pool! The place tonight has an indoor and outdoor pool, the outdoor looks quite big, but if the sun is out I'm not sure my shoulders will stand it (got burnt wearing a vest on the run yesterday and forgot to slap the cream on).

I think I'll just be having a gentle swim tonight after a heavy training weekend, with a 10k race tomorrow. For me the running isn't a problem at all, I've moved into tri from a running background, so it's just a case of building my run mileage back up.

Ieuanllan

Quite chuffed, finished my sprint 50th out of 190 or so, in 1:29.12.

My goggles disappeared between my ditching them in T1 and finishing the race, those OW ones look rather nice

Good luck with your training and races guys, sounds like you're all going long!

ieu

hammerite

Ieuanllan wrote:

Quite chuffed, finished my sprint 50th out of 190 or so, in 1:29.12.

My goggles disappeared between my ditching them in T1 and finishing the race, those OW ones look rather nice

Good luck with your training and races guys, sounds like you're all going long!

ieu

well done mate, any more planned?

FSR_XC

Ieuanllan wrote:

Quite chuffed, finished my sprint 50th out of 190 or so, in 1:29.12

Well done, I'd certainly be happy with a placement like that.

What were the distances?

Ieuanllan wrote:

Good luck with your training and races guys, sounds like you're all going long!

err no. I like 'Sprint Triathlons'. . . . . . I don't swim ya see.

Ieuanllan

Cheers guys!

I'm doing Macclesfield next, on August 24th, then at least one more in September.
None planned for July as I have a stag do to attend and a 2 week holiday booked. I'm getting slightly panicky about not riding on holiday - I'm going sailing, which I Iove, but taking the bike really isn't an option!

FSR: Distances in Newton-le-Willows were 400 / 21.6 / 5.6

ieu

FSR_XC

Quite chuffed with last night's 'Tri'.

17min 15sec

hammerite

tell me you didn't bother with a wetsuit with a time like that FSR!! Well done.

It would have taken me 5 mins of that to get the wetsuit off!

FSR_XC

hammerite wrote:

tell me you didn't bother with a wetsuit with a time like that FSR!! Well done.

It would have taken me 5 mins of that to get the wetsuit off!

Didn't even bother with cycling shoes. Never tried 'racing' in trainers on spd's before. Feet slipped off a number of times - Doh!

It was a crackin' laugh

hammerite

MK Sprint Tri tomorrow for me. First OW race, looking forward to it, hope the weather holds out.

Ieuanllan

Good luck man.
Let us know how you get on.
I'm leaving OW till next season.

hammerite

Did MK sprint tri today. First OW, which was interesting, I knew I'd be slower than most so when the whistle went I just held off and let most set off before I did myself. After about 30 seconds someone tried ducking me, but soon realised I was there..... I was swimming in the right direction, and he was heading totally the wrong way I think I started a bit fast for me as I struggled to get into a rhythm early on, but once I got some clear water I was fine. Finished the swim in around 20 mins (750m). There were only two people left behind me in the water on my wave :oops: But Y1 went ok and i overtook a few people.

Started raining as I got on my bike, the wind picked up too so it felt very cold. But once I warmed up I felt ok, over took quite a lot of people and didn't get overtaken myself. 20k in 37m 30.

Felt rough at the start of the run, but I always do! Just kept plodding on at a steady pace finishing the run 5.3k in 24m 30. Finished in about 1h 25 in total inc transitions, waiting for official results to see for sure.

Ieuanllan

Good work!

FSR_XC

I completed Hayle (Cornwall) sprint tri over the weekend.

Beat last years time by over 7 mins.

Time 1hr 20.13min.

I now need to do something about my swimming - 129th out of the water!

idaviesmoore

FSR_XC wrote:

I completed Hayle (Cornwall) sprint tri over the weekend.

Beat last years time by over 7 mins.

Time 1hr 20.13min.

I now need to do something about my swimming - 129th out of the water!

Try Terry Laughlins DVD- It's on Amazon for 14.99. Really good, if a little weird at first

hammerite

FSR_XC wrote:

I completed Hayle (Cornwall) sprint tri over the weekend.

Beat last years time by over 7 mins.

Time 1hr 20.13min.

I now need to do something about my swimming - 129th out of the water!

Good effort. 129th out of the water out of how many? I think I'm in the same boat though as my swimming is somewhat lacking.

My last tri I had 2 people behind me coming out of the water (in my wave), the upside was overtaking a third of the field on the bike and run though!

FSR_XC

hammerite wrote:

Good effort. 129th out of the water out of how many? I think I'm in the same boat though as my swimming is somewhat lacking.

My last tri I had 2 people behind me coming out of the water (in my wave), the upside was overtaking a third of the field on the bike and run though!

129th out of 161 finishers (I think about 170+ started)

I passed 50 people on the bike . . . . . the split times show I was 10th fastest on 2 wheels!

Problem now is I can't tell the wife I need a better bike to go faster. . . I just need to get a better wetsuit and some new trainers.