Help - Please!!

Ste J

Ok, first let me give you the background then you'll realise the problem!!

I ran for many years, joined a club, ran various distances including a few marathons etc. but then gradually lost interest. So for the last 10 years or so I've just been jogging around a little trying to keep at least some semblence of fitness. So, realising I needed a new challenge I entered the NW sprint tri, trained a bit and really enjoyed it.

Now the problem: I know at my age (46) I should know better, but arriving home after the tri filled with enthusiasm I've entered the "Big 1/2" at Trentham next July.

Finally the questions 

1. Can anyone recommend a good book to base my training on (my swimming in particular is not the best).

2. I assume I should try an olympic distance event before then, any recommendations?

3. Are there any good clubs in my area (I live in Widnes Cheshire).

cheers

Ste

[Deleted User]

Have a look at the Triathlon Training Bible - Joe Friel. It covers a lot of the stuff you'll need (not too sure about swimming technique though). Regarding swimming - get some stroke development lessons.

My swimming is poor (usually bottom 10%) but it's a speed problem, not distance.

For clubs try to british triathlon website (google it). 

And yes, I would do at least one Olympic distance tri - maybe a month or so before your main event. Any local to you would be OK I think.

Think about hiring a wetsuit next year (from TriUK in Yeovil - typically £25 for the season with a £100 deposit). Available from April/May time. Not worth buying one until you really want to go futher.

Hess.

Welcome aboard Ste

1. I used begginnertriathlete.com for a web based training plan, you can just download the pages and print off. I found the training was good, and not too intense, but depends how much training you want to do. If your swimming is a prob, maybe some one to one coaching at your pool would be helpful.

2. You don't need to do an Oly before hand, but may want to fit one into your training, many of the pirates on here went from zero to full ironman in one go

3. Sorry don't know as I live down south

Good luck

WildWill

I thought Cheshire WAS down south

debbo

cheshire is definitely in the deep south

WW - you live in the south too!

Ste - you'll get loads of useful stuff from these threads too.

candy ollier

Don't worry.  Bike training is much the same as run training, which you already know about.  There's no point buying a book, complete waste of money.

 if you insist on so doing though, try triathlon 101 by John (or Jon) Mora, that's all you need.

 tips:

Overall

Not rocket science, do a bit of each.  Getting a good run is all important, but a good run means not knackering yourself off the bike, so bike strength (and knowing how much to hold back) is also all-important!

It's possible to hold back TOO much and have a fantastic run, but still do worse overall than if you'd gone slightly harder on the bike... so it's a balancing act.

Swim

Technique is 80% of the game, so get a good coach.  Try the tri club - they probably won't have you wasting time learning butterfly and tumble turns

So a bad swimmer will do 2-3 swims a week, focussing at first entirely on technique and drills

Once your technique is OK (so you can do 400m in 8 minutes) then start doing some distance sessions too.  maybe drop 1 technique session and just swim... build up 0.5 mile - 1 mile - 2 miles

and from next spring get into open water (with tri club) as often as possible.  most people freak out a bit at first when they get into a murky green lake

Bike

Like a half marathon run training programme, with 2 - 3 sessions a week.  The TIME for each session will be about 2.5 times as long as the time for each run session (eg one long slow, one steady, 1 speed or hills).  Don't worry about comparing distances, go by time. Effort will be slightly less than the equivalent run session (if you use an HRM, about 10 beats lower on the bike.  so your 180bpm intervals will be 170bpm intervals on the bike.  or whatever)

Run

Like a half marathon training programme, with 2-3 sessions a week

Bricks

Your legs will feel odd running off the bike, so do a few hard sessions where you bike then run, just to get used to it

Rest

Vitally important. have 1 day a week COMPLETE rest.  no sport at all.

have fun!

for short races, watch the forum

clubs: mersy tri; chester tri

JPenno

Ste, i am also in widnes and doing HIM uk next year so looking for training partner, give me a shout via email and see what we can sort out.

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

Chester Tri Club  me, brownyboi, Ironmike and MTB are all members (Think Cougie is as well)

Ste J

Many thanks for all the advice and encouragement. I'm pleased nobody told me I was being idiotic with my timescale (I'm not counting the wife here of course!). So in for a penny, in for a pound, since Hess reckons many on the forum have jumped straight into full IM, how long after a 1/2 could I consider a full (no use letting all that training go to waste!).

jpenno, i'll send you a mail to try to sort out some training (don't let my Everton tattoo put you off!).

 cheers

 Ste

M.ister W

I did IM the year after doing a half but you could go for the Big Woody in September.  You'll have to modify your training so you focus on the longer distance and treat the 1/2 as an interim race but it's perfectly acheivable.

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

I entered the Big Woody in September last year, When I didn't have a bike, and couldn't swim. If I can manage nothing to Ironman in 11 months...

Ste J

So I post on here worried that I've entered a HIM and wondering if I'm dealing from a full deck. Now, the following day, after your advise I've not only stopped worrying, I'm looking forward to the training and I'm seriously considering aiming for the big woody and using the 1/2 for training!

 Thanks ............................ I think!!

bassy -- annoying people since 1967

Cor the Big Woody bike will sort you out!

Ste J

Now don't start knocking my new found confidence already!!!

Do I assume its a tad hilly?

Little Les

Cheshire is most definitely north along with Birmingham, well I think it is as I really do live in the South by the sea in Poole!

Ste, I used beginner triathlete too but from my experience I would say two things:

1. I found it hard to stick to a "standard" plan with time constraints of work etc

2. For the middle distance I am doing next year I will construct my own plan but not have something written in concrete ie. wednesday after work bike 15 miles. If I come home from work tired I hate that pressure. I'd rather have an aim and "bank the miles" as I can each week around work and other things.

My aim is going to be a long bike ride once a week with another ride too. Run three times a week one a longer run eg. 10 miles. Swim twice a week.  I will vary distances as I build up for the race and combine bike and run sessions as "bricks".

This is just me, I know a lot of people like following plans as I did for the London Marathon and definitely would again for that. I just feel differently about tri.

bassy -- annoying people since 1967

Ste, if you train for it you will get round it. The bike course is hard, but several pirates (not me I hasten to add, I just did the bike) completed it.

Set your sights on it and go for it, I certainly dont want to knock your confidence. I will say includes lots of hilly rides in your training, you dont want to get there and be shocked. 

But all the greater the sense of achievement when you finish! 

Ste J

Bassy, thanks for the advice its certainly better to know now with nearly 12 months to do something about it! I'm still a novice cyclist so I know I need to do a lot of training (its always easier to go for a run though). Looks like I'll need to get off the Cheshire plain!

JPenno

Ste - certainly no hills round here unless were going 200 trips up and down Pex Hill entry road or fiddlers ferry bridge

Ste J

JP - You could be right, we're not ideally placed for hills!!

JPenno

I know and i am doing HIM UK and i believ there may be a hill there, might have to bike over to macclesfield, the half marathon last week was fairly Hilly

cougie

okay here is my take on it. You can buy a book if you want but i doubt it will tell you much you dont know already. Running you can do - but work your way up to a fifteen miler and then do that every week or two. bike is the most important - make sure you get strong on that - long sunday rides are necessary for that - and try not to do the cafe stops. Swimming is the least important - maybe one session a week of an hours swim - and try to get some open water practice when it warms up. no real need to do an olympic first - my first was ironman and i dont think i needed the olympic practice - the pace is very different.

Ste J

Problem is I think I'd be knackered before we got to Macclesfield!

JPenno

so would i BUT that would be the distance for the Big Woody, Widnes to Macc on the country roads, not the M6, round the half course for the hills and then back to Widnes

Ste J

Looks like we'll have to do it early next year then!! I'll mail you tomorrow about some bike training.

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

Depends where you live in Cheshire... Being just outside Chester, I always manage to go up and over Frodsham hill on the way out on a ride, and then back over Frodsham golf course on the way back.... Deffo prepared me for The Big Woody.

As for open water swimming Salford Quays on a Thursday night is brill.... proper changing, with showers, all the safety boats and people you could dream off, and the water is reasonably clean, and all for 4 quid a session.

Ste J

Dave

Does the Salford Quays swimming run all year round or just through the summer months?

JPenno

Ste the open water swim normally starts first week of may until end of september. Dave do the golfclub members not complain about you going home across the course. I had forgotten about Fordsham hill upto the Mersey View or whatever its called these days, that could definately provide some hill training. Even Fluin lane is more challenging than anything we have around our part of cheshire

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

Salford is just summer months, It finished last week.

Ah the Mersey View... had some wonderful courting memories up there in the 70's....

Ste J

Dave

Now you are definately showing your age!! I went to school in Helsby, but living in Runcorn at the time I was only ever an infrequent visitor to the infamous Mersey View!!

Dave The Iron Ex- Spartan

My age is well known !!!

I'm 50 in a few weeks..

I went to Ellesmere Port Gram, Before it became Whitby Comp.

After nearly 30 years away from the area, Now living in Elton in the shadow of Helsby Hill..

Even parked in the car park of the Mersey View a while back, and wondered what happen to the bird I used to take up there .........................

Ste J

Well after you reminding me about Frodsham hill I'm actually planning to ride over there in the morning. Can't put the hills off any longer. I'll probably ride through Helsby and do a bit of wondering myself ........