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Hi every1, i've always had this dream of being able to do a triathalon and now i've decided to actually crack on and do it. I'm a fairly strong runner with distances up to about 10k and an average swimmer i would say i could cope with distances of no possibly no more than a mile. Not really sure about bike riding tho. Basically what i want is some tips on training.. Equipment ... Events and basically what the hell do i do. Please some1 help me
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Have a read of this:
The Unofficial PSOF Guide to Sprint Triathlonshttp://www.pirateshipoffools.co.uk/?p=467Starting with a short race (called a sprint) is a great way to start as you don't need much gear. Then you can get more kit if you like the race.
Your question is pretty vague. There's nothing rocket science about getting started in triathlons.
You will need to do some brick sessions in training - bike then run straight after as your legs go to jelly when you start running & you need to get used to it.
Read that guide Little Ninja has pointed you to, it's very helpful.
Equipment - depends on what you have already got - it can become a very expensive sport, but you make your choices based on your commitment & budget.
If you are sure you are going to stick with it, and have nothing really to start with, a triathlon package can be great value - loads of shops do them e.g. Triuk. However it's not worth it if you have stuff or you are not sure whether you will stick at it.
Swimming - need goggles and trunks. If you are going to do open water events you really need a proper swimming wetsuit. These start at just over a £100, but right now places which hire them will have them back in stock and be selling them off, often for about £50.
Bike - need a bike. Any will do at first, though if an MTB or hybrid put slick tyres on it. A road bike is probably best for a newbie - entry level bikes are about £550, but can get 2nd hand. Cycling shoes and clipless pedals make it much more efficient. You must have a helmet on any time you are touching a bike in a race.
Running - trainers & some elastic laces to make transition quicker.
Clothing - you can do it in shorts and T-shirt, but it makes transition a bit slower. Most use special one or two piece tri-suits - basically cycling shorts with a thin pad so it doesn't get in the way when you run, with a top to go with them, attached or separate - you wear them for all 3 disciplines & don't need to change. They cost upwards of £60, though More Mile at Start Fitness do them for £30, and every so often Aldi have them for £15.
hi Nathan,
I was in your shoes a few months ago.. step 1 for me was just signing up to a beginners triathlon.. after signing up I figured i just had to do it so went from there. I then bought a tri top and shorts. My first tri was in a pool so that was really all i needed clothes wise. I bought a road bike but could have done it on my mountain bike so all depends on if you have a bike and what kind but for your first tri you could use any road worthy bike.. If you are doing a pool tri then you are fine in your tri top and shorts/tri suit or swimming togs...
Training wise .. i just started building up to 2 sessions of each sport a week.. and get on the forum and follow the different threads about biking and swimming.. there are some good threads about swim drills.. about not being scared going downhill on the bike etc..
good luck.. i loved my first triathlon and am doing my second this morning (first open water one this morning) .. its a really great thing to get into and there is a lot of support to be got from this forum.
And yes, I'm a pedant but please ..... someone everyone
5 years ago, it was my dream just to run 10K once in my life to say I had done it to my kids.
Then I met this lot.
Welcome.
yep, NR, pretty soon you'll be wearing yellow and black lycra and yelling "go Pirate" like nearly everyone on here!
(watch out for the Ironman press-gang!)
May I ask what the level entry is for triathlons??
ie what sort of time you need to be able to do to compete as a beginner... how much for say 400m, 10k run and whatever distance they do for a bike?
I ask as everyone seems to be SO fit!! Is that the case?
who knows? you maybe someone who finds themselves at the pointy end or maybe the blunt end and until you try you just don't know.
nathan, i got on great and loved it!!!
if you are buying a bike anyway i'd get a road bike if you can.. much easier!
Some longer distance races have cut-off times (ironman & half ironman), but other than that it really is a case of turn up and give it a go.
The standard probably is higher than that in an average running race - I would probably expect to come about 1/3 of the way down the field in a local running race, but came 107th out of 142 for my first Oly the other week. However, there was quite long tail with a number of athletes coming in a long time after me. Probably be more at the lower end in big events like London Tri.
After going to but my first tri yesterday I'd say there is a total mix of people and equipment.
Bearing in mind this was a sprint distance - I saw shopping bikes, hybrids, road bikes, carbon, pointy helmets, what looked like BMX helmets, people in compresion gear, people swimming in normal swimming costumes etc etc
As long as you can cover the distance don't worry about it
Sprint especially there will be allsorts. Even more so at those with names like "Try a Tri" or "Novice".
As the distances get bigger, the standard and equipment probably on ave. gets better.
Thank you v much, all. I suppose I'm an average ish swimmer (I can do about 80 odd lengths in an hour), but a poooooooooor runner (10 minute miling). As for my biking, lets just say Miss Marple could beat me. But with a bit of practice.......
Hi Exiled Claret..... Burnley doing OK?
An a larger field (with novice in the title as well) would be best?
(cough) Regensburg (cough)
oh-my-lordy-thats-a-big-one...............
(event)
Hi WV, fairly happy with the start so far. Think we'll be in the mix at the end of the season - looking more like play-off contenders rather than automatic. Still it's a long way off the old 4th division days!
To answer your question - much like road running probably - get more beginners at the big events.
I've just played with the numbers though, and found not too much difference between London Tri and the (probably bit hillier) Weymouth Classic. Both Olympic distance. My time of 3:03 put me 75% of the way down the field at Weymouth, and I reckon would have put me about 67% of the way down the field at London (though hard to tell as the results are all broken down by sex and age group).
If you are worried about trailing in way behind everyone else, an idea might be to do a pool based sprint tri. Firstly because the distances are shorter, the time differences by the end are much less. Secondly they'll have to start the athletes in waves, so it's really hard to work out who is actually in what position until all the results are published.
On the other hand, don't worry about it all. Someone has to come near the back, in fact someone has to be last. Just get out there and have fun!
http://www.pirateshipoffools.co.uk/?p=60
Should be a sticky thread I recon
Thanks all.
It all looks too good for me at the minute, esp the bike riding.
. I keep coming back to the thought of tri's though. So I need to get on that blumin penny farthing!!!!
Exiled claret. Thanks for the figures, I can get my head around them... on average, what percentatge would you have finished had you done a road race of similar effort? ie are you personally better at running or at tri?
I'm more of a runner. In a local race I'd probably expect to finish about 1/3 of the way down the field - top quarter if I'm in good shape. (I'm not quite there at the moment).
PB for 10K is 40 mins, 1/2M - 1:32.
This showed in the tri - I was about 100th in the swim, 120th on the bike, and 65th for the run - I made up 19 places, and ran about 10 mins faster than those around me for the 10k. I guess I know what I have to work on to improve (and buy a new bike!).
Incidentally I didn't really know what to expect in terms of how the previous disciplines would affect my run. I reckon I could do a 10K in 43 mins at the moment, so my 51 min in the tri was quite a bit slower. On the other hand, no-one broke 40 mins for the run, which I didn't think was particularly hilly.
Figured as much, I just didn't know how much that difference would be. It was obvious that the guys at the front in my tri would have been well under 40 mins in a standalone 10k.
I'm reckoning that I was about 1 min per mile slower, but think I can get that down a bit as I get fitter.
Hi there - I too am heading into buying new equipment in preparation to do my first Triathlon in 2011. However I am a little confused as to the whole Tri Suit Wetsuit thing...
Can you swim, cycle and run in just your Tri Suit, or do you have to have a wet suit on over the top for the swim leg? does the tri suit offer any protection against the elements of the water?
The tri suit is basically a vest and cycling shorts (with a smaller pad) joined together. Think of i like an extended swimming costume.
If you are doing a pool based tri, then you swim in it, and then bike and run in it, just changing your footwear (unless you are using your trainers on the bike).
If you are doing an OW swim, then you will probably need a westuit. They are compulsory below a certain temp. by BTF, and are then optional (though many events insist on them). Above a certain temp. (think 20 oC) they are banned - this is only likely in very shallow lakes in very hot weather, and doesn't happen often. The water temp usually means they are optional , but as I said, the event may well insist on them.
Given the option, the vast majority will wear a wetsuit, unless it is a very short swim. They keep you warmer (a tri suit doesn't really offer any protection), they have less drag, and add bouyancy keeping your legs higher in the water, making you swim faster (most people are significantly faster in a wettie than not). This more than compensates for the few secs it takes to get it off (with a bit of practice) in T1.
You have your wetsuit on over the trisuit, whack it off, put your helmet on, grab your bike & go.
You do not necessarily need a tri suit - lots of beginners use t-shirts & shorts etc., it's just a bit longer in transition.
Ironwolf - I did quite a lot of brick sessions, and was quite pleased with how I ran off the bike - didn't really have jelly legs at all. I think it was just that I was a bit undertrained and didn't really have the endurance base to keep exercising at that intensity for 3 hours, though I was markedly better than everyone around me (due to being so rubbish on the bike).