First Triathlon This Saturday

NoNameNoNumber

NoNameNoNumber

NoNameNoNumber

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Flying out tomorrow morning to Lanzarote for my first Tri... Bike, wetsuit, running shoes all packaged up, just doing the last of my laundry now.

It's obviously too late in the day for training advice or suchlike but any last minute gems will be appreciated! Get there lunch time tomorrow so I guess first port of call will be building the bike up and reccy-ing the lagoon where the swim starts... I've cycled Lanzarote before so not worried about Tabayesco or the heat, never swam that far in the sea before though and nor have I ever run the full distance but I think I'm pretty well prepared :)

I guess I'll update the thread Saturday afternoon... It'll all be over by about 2pm :)

Not nervous yet but I assume that'll come race morning. Looking forward to it, been training since last December so I hope it's all worth it and that I can avoid any injuries.
 
Thanks, I've said for a few years now that I fancy a go but this year fell perfect with shifts at work as I got paired up with a several time Ironman so I knew it'd be much easier to do one with him.

1.9km swim
90km bike
21km run
 
I'm not sure it being in another country really changes much? I guess the stakes are higher as it's cost me a grand or so to do it so not finishing would be a huge bummer.
Just a bit warmer out there, and more climbing, always windy etc etc :D
 
Shamrock said:
Would this be Ironman Lanzarote 70.3? Good luck! I rode the full Ironman bike course last Xmas and thought it'd be horrible to race due to the relentless wind and draggy nature of some of the roads.:D

I don't really have much advice to offer besides try and get in the water before the race if possible. A land-only warm up doesn't compare to actually swimming for a bit before the race to loosen up! Secondly, walking through the aid stations on the run to make sure you actually take in fluids is worth it in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Yep, I cycled the full course the other year and loved it but if I remember rightly the full doesn't go up Tabayesco. That and Femes from Playa Blanca are the two hardest climbs IMO.

That drag from Yaiza to Timanfaya though... Good lordy that wind is relentless :D

The swim is probably my weak point but OW swimming here in a lake I've been doing 3x2km sessions a week and consistently down to around 45mins a time with the cutoff being 1:10 so I should be ok!

There are plenty of feed stops and perhaps my best attribute is being able to keep on top of fluids, food etc. I have had to because otherwise I get horrific cramp. And that's no fun!
 
Cycled the bike leg of it yesterday in a leisurely 4hrs flat but had a few miles really pushing on to check the legs were there. 40:32 to get up Tabayesco if anyone is familiar... Chuffed with that.

Swam the lagoon this morning in 39 minutes so that puts that worry to bed. We'll definitly make the cutoff there! The run is by no means flat though, in fact its all either up slightly or down slightly and maybe 1/4 off road which I didn't expect!
 
I made it!
44 minute swim, never swam that well before and really enjoyed jostling at the corners etc. Considering I could only do 50m in March I'm pretty chuffed.
3:49 on the bike, had a bit of a mare. The wind was unbelievable, the last 20k I kinda gave up and tried to save my legs for later.
2:15 run, could've probs done 2hrs but I'd never ran over 9.5 miles before so a bit scared of pushing too much, its hot and surprisingly hilly and a bit is off road. just glad to have made it :D
 
Cheers guys.
Advice hmmm... Walk from the swim, through T1 get your head round where your bags are and where you've left the bike... Same for T2, get that set in your head to avoid any panic in there... I was specifically slow and methodical in getting changed so as to not forget anything... 7mins in T1
The bike would be easy to chase people or get carried away on, some people playing silly buggers etc and drafting, ignore them and do your own thing...
I reccied the course and had mental pace notes of waypoints along the route last Wednesday, the winds came in much stronger by Saturday and blew (see that :p) my plans out the water... But stuck to my guns of just plodding on saving up for the run.

I had never run over 10 miles so I was perhaps the most apprehensive about it of the 3. I took my time in T2 as well, 4 minutes there. Taped a couple of toes up I had been having trouble with on longer runs and also fresh socks. There were hundreds of people shouting and cheering, the adrenaline is awesome and really does make a difference. Feed stations, walk the 30m or so to get some water/bananas or whatever down... Sage advice from above echoed by Luc Van Lierde on a pre race chat...

I'll link to my Strava profile if anyone is interested. There's no structure at all... No gym or pool sessions, literally all of my training is on strava except I didn't bother uploading most of the swims... In total I swam 22 times all OW starting from 50m and working up. Bike I think about 800 miles and ran around 150 miles.

Don't be fooled into thinking you need £££ worth of gear... Tri suits, transition bags, TT bikes etc etc... My kit list is as follows
2011 specialized allez, with ultegra group set
Castelli tri shorts
Adidas cycling jersey
Orca wetsuit <£100 from wiggle
Planet x shoes
Mizuno trainers <£60
 
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