Training for 1st triathlon

Swimming:

The pool (well, the slow lane) was quiet on Friday, so after a decent warm up I did a timed 750m and it took 23 mins, which is the fastest yet! I guestimated 21mins when signing up for the triathlon, so heading in the right direction.

@john_smith It's getting easier but I'm not sure if I can get below 20 mins.

Cycling:

Did 15 miles yesterday which I found easy, but I took the electric bike! I really need to put some real miles in on the road bike, but the electric bike is so much fun :)

Running:

First run today since the calf strain 10 days ago, and thankfully it went well. I did some YouTube warm up exercises before leaving the house, and walked down the lane about 300m before starting to run.

I only did my usual route of 3.9km and it certainly wasn't fast, but it's good to know that I can run again. Also did a warm down afterwards. Not warming up is a lesson I only want to learn once!
 
Last edited:
Brick training, bike then run. I thought I'd be warmed up coming off the bike, but my feet felt like bricks! I guess that's where the name comes from.

I've got some open water swimming lined up for April, and am making steady progress in all areas, so it's going well so far.
 
Quick update.

Swimming. Still swimming twice per week. We went to Devon for Easter and I did an open water coaching session, including video analysis, with two very helpful women. Takeaway points were: slow down my stroke, keep my head down and reach further in front. I've done 2 sessions since at the pool and it's really hard getting rid of my bad habits, but it's working. I'm still in the slow lane but I was swimming on Friday and there were 2 guys in the faster lane next to me, they were going a little bit faster than me but they were ploughing away at the water and I was doing long, slow strokes and nearly keeping up with them. An open water swimming centre less than a mile away has just reopened and I'm swimming there tomorrow.

Cycling. I'm only doing 1-2 rides per week, but this is my strongest discipline so I'm not bothered about doing lots of miles and instead focus on riding then running straight afterwards.

Running. I'm running twice per week, but only about 4km. I'll need to increase distance. I used to be a fast runner but not any more. I'm going to build up to doing about 7km per run.

So, with only 7 weeks to go, I need to continue to build up the training. I'm training 5 days per week, so doing a weekly brick session will give me one rest day per week, and I must start doing some swim stretches so maybe I could do these on my rest day.
 
Quick update, with two weeks to go:

Swimming: I've got a strong, slow/medium speed front crawl, I'm too fast for the slow lane in the pool, but too slow for the fast lane. I've done 3 open water swimming sessions, with the 3rd being today, I did 1.2km. Sighting is getting better, and I think I'll be ok for the swim.

Bike: I've been doing plenty of rides, did 36 miles yesterday, and am confident the bike will be the strongest leg of the Tri. I won't push too hard though, to save a bit in my legs for the run.

Run: I've had problems. My 5km route is fine if I run slowly, but if I run strongly I get quite bad backache afterwards, and for the next 2 days. This sets me back for swimming and cycling. I had this before when training for a half marathon. Running on grass is much better and I can go faster.

With only 1 week of high intensity training left, I've decided to stick to short 4km runs at an easy pace. I know I can do the run, and have done several brick sessions, so the plan is to just accept I'll have a bad back for a couple of days after the event.

Not long now!
 
Nutty_Death said:
You only have to hang in there with the run. I wouldn't worry about it too much if you know you can do the distance.

I've got the Leeds triathlon (Olympic) in 2 weeks and had some fairly disruptive training after getting a bad ski injury and then a few illnesses.

I'd highly recommend getting as much open water swimming as possible just to get used to it, so you're more relaxed on the day.

Fortunately I live next to a lake so I've been able to go in every other day. Hate getting into the water but love it once I get going.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about the ski accident, hope you're now fully recovered.

I'm lucky enough to live less than a mile away from an open water park. I was intending to do 2 pool swims next week in weekdays and an open water session in the weekend, but, listening to your advice, I'll check if the open water park does evening sessions.
 
Nutty_Death said:
Yeah fully recovered, just not as fit as I was hoping to be. The run will be a grind but at least I'm taking part.

I'm not sure how much outdoor swimming you've done but even though I'm a confident but not particularly fast swimmer, I still found it took several sessions to fully relax and swim properly. You'll obviously be fine but might as well get as familiar as you can.
Click to expand...
I've done 3 open water sessions. The one I did yesterday was the best, I knew what to expect and was more relaxed than the previous time, but you're right in recommending as many OW sessions as possible because it's replicating the actual Tri swim.
 
Nutty_Death said:
Sounds good, your only need a small peek occasionally and can do it around your stroke.

I did another morning swim just now. Still hate the first 2 minutes ! Not sure how I'm going to run in and go for it straight away :cry:
Click to expand...
This open water place near me does morning and evening sessions and the water in the evening session was noticeably warmer than the morning. Can you switch to an afternoon swim?

Regarding sighting, I need to do it regularly because I'm not a very straight swimmer. I've tried the crocodile eyes techniques but this lake gets a bit choppy, so, as you say, I sight as I'm breathing and just have a quick glance so my legs don't sink.
 
Brick session today, 23km ride (race distance) and 4km run. It went well. I can't run too fast because the shock aggravates my back, but because I have limited run speed, I completed the run from the bike in a similar time to just doing the run.

My T2 is fairly quick, but my T1 will take a while. I don't have a Tri suit, so will be wearing budgie smugglers under my wetsuit, then on T1 I'll remove wetsuit and put on a t-shirt and the outer shorts from my 2 piece enduro cycling shorts. I've been running, swimming and riding in these trunks for 2 weeks and they're fairly comfortable.

My wetsuit comes off fairly easily down to the ankles, but I can't stomp out of it without using my hands to pull it off my ankles, so the plan is to sit on the floor to get out of it, to save me toppling over. I'll probably have a quick check that I'm all set too, before setting off on the bike.

I'll do some transition practice this weekend.
 
Nutty_Death said:
I say you cycle and run in the Speedo + vest to save extra transition time. The exrtra freedom might even speed you up or slow down your competitors. :cry:

I recently got a trisuit.they don't seem to be designed for someone who's 6 foot 3. Had to go xl to fit my height but my limbs don't fill the openings that well.
Click to expand...
NOBODY needs to see me running in speedos :)
 
Open water swimming today. My Google's fogged up and I nearly missed a bouy! Must get back into the habit of wiping a bit of saliva inside them.

Tomorrow I'm going to have an easy day, cleaning and oiling the bike, and practicing the transitions.
 
Nutty_Death said:
I watched this transition video yesterday and had a towel set up with all my gear in the boot of my car this morning.
youtu.be

How To Organise Your Triathlon Transition Set Up | Step-By-Step Guide

Race morning or the thought of setting up in triathlon transition can be rather stressful, especially if it's your first race! To help all your pre-race worr...
youtu.be youtu.be

Did my last big training before next week today:
1500m swim, 36km bike and then 5km (parkrun). Next week I'll just do an easy swim or two and low intensity spin.

They were actually setting up the lake with the big starting pontoon, so it'll be nice to give that a go before race day.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll check out the video. Sounds like you're all set. I really should have incorporated swim, bike and run into some sessions.

GF and I cycled into town yesterday to scope out the triathlon venue. Looking at the race route, the swim starts at this corner of the harbour:

PXL-20220603-102040739.jpg


There's also lots of signs up, which is exciting:

PXL-20220603-105648474-2.jpg
 
AndyCr15 said:
Interesting read, thanks for documenting. Your opening statement sounds a bit like me and it's the kind of challenge I'd love to try too, but my swimming is very poor and I just don't think I would cope with open water swimming :( A duathlon is perhaps the alternative, but then it just isn't as impressive as a Triathlon and not really worth it :cry:

Good luck with the event. Regardless of where you finish, I think the journey is the more important part really so you're already a winner :)
Click to expand...
Hi Andy, and thanks for your words of support. The swimming was the biggest concern for me, but, surprisingly, it's the discipline that's given me the most enjoyment. I've only made moderate gains but am now comfortable in the water, which is a massive deal for me.

I was never a strong swimmer, I loved playing about in the pool as a child but was certainly not a natural swimmer. My parents took me to swimming classes before primary school and I did 25 metres with arm bands, but only because the instructor held out the handle of a pool net in front of me, just in case! In primary school, even though I potentially had a head start over other children, I still couldn't swim well and I remember being told to go back to the shallow end after joining my friends in the main swimming area, and doing a controlled drown across to the other side! I did learn to swim in primary school, but have never been a strong swimmer and when considering the triathlon I was acutely aware that open water swimming would be a challenge.

The 3 main things I now like about swimming are:

1. It's all technique. If I fight the water and try to power through, I go slower and tire more quickly. There's so much to learn and so many areas to improve on. People who are really good at swimming have practiced for years, if not decades. It's a good return on investment to see the improvements.

2. It's non impacting and good for the body. Once I'd learned some simple swim stretches I was able to train quite hard and feel fine the next day, and can ramp up the volume quite quickly. I was concerned about all the stretching aggravating my back, but swimming actually helps with my back.

3. It's great for fitness. My shoulders are bigger, my waist is narrower and from a cardio perspective the running and cycling has improved from swimming.

Of course, I'm yet to experience being part of a massive bunch of swimmers racing each other!

Even so, I'd recommend signing up for a triathlon BECAUSE you're unsure about the swimming.
 
AndyCr15 said:
It sounds like you started from a better place than me. It's not that I'm unsure, I'm almost scared of swimming. I don't really like water. I seriously doubt I could ever do 'proper' swimming with my head down and then breathing out the side and all that. I enjoy bouncing about in a pool, but I wouldn't go anywhere I couldn't put my feet on the bottom.
Click to expand...
I understand, and I shouldn't have just assumed that everyone would perceive swimming as just another sport because it is different in as much as it doesn't take place on dry land :)
 
Swimming: I decided to do a pool session this evening, and it was weird being in an indoor pool after 3 sessions in open water. My legs felt more prone to sinking and there was no need to sight, indeed I forgot to do it until about 15 mins in. I only did a warm up, then several lengths of high intensity, then a warm down.

I also tested out my goggles for a shallow dive and they're fine, plus a bit of saliva does stop them from fogging.

Not long now until Sunday!
 
Gentle run this evening. Annoyingly I've picked up a cold type virus, I did a covid test which was negative. Still a few days to go until Sunday so hopefully it will pass by then.
 
Gentle indoor swim this evening, this is the last swim before the triathlon on Sunday. The goggles stayed fog free and survived a couple of dives. A short ride tomorrow and that'll be the training done. Fingers crossed I don't pick up an injury at this late stage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom