Triathlon training newbie! Any advice welcome

dandelionclock30

What about joining your local Tri Club or if not then local running group. At a running group theres bound to be a few people who can help out. Also if you went to a masters swimming class they would again be able to point you in the right direction with all this.
If you want to know if you can do it then just do a trial session doing it all. I've not done one but some of my friends have. One said its hard doing the ride after the swim and the other joined the tri club who helped him out. He came last but lost about 3 stones with all the training which was a good achievement. Another does fell running and joined a club to do with this and also went to the Tri Club.
Good luck with it all.

piccybabes

Entered the Penzance Sprint Triathlon - my first.

Swimming and cycling are my better sports, but I hate running.

I think my problem is psychological in that I find running hard, so I don't look forward to it, so I do less of it so I find it hard...

I am trying to reprogramme my mind ( a bit like Paul Mckenna) so that I only associate good feelings with running. So far its working and when I'm getting tired I switch my brain to think of the good things ( running on the beach, doing a Rocky run up the steps, scoring tries in rugby).

Doing it each night and it's really helping. (unfortunately doesn't mean that I can miss the training though).

Indie_Kid

You need to consider your clothing too. I was looking at doing an aqualathon, which is swim and run. I was advised by friends to not wear socks when running and wear something like shorts, sports bra and a swimming costume when swimming and then just put a t-shirt over the top for running.

flissh

I've been thinking about clothes too. Good point about the sports bra, could easily get that under my swimming cossie. Think I'll leave the shorts though till I'm out of the pool.
I'm thinking of doing an olympic distance in September if the sprint tri goes well. That will be an open water swim so will probably hire/buy a wet suit.

mollymunchkin

Consider getting a tri suit to compete in. You'll lose time getting changed! Consider shoes with no socks and stretchy elasticated laces too.

fingersxed

Hi everybody

Thanks for all ur input. Lots of good advice n ideas floating round. It's great to see there's lots more people giving triathlons ago.

It's great to find others also having the same or similar ideas. I had already decided to put a sports bra on under my swimsuit. I plan to just grab some socks n trainers (trainers suitable for running in too) and a pair of shorts for the bike. T-shirt too depending on weather.

This week I plan to dog walk 3 miles everyday (this is normal)
Monday is circuits and gentle run
Tues is running club
Wed is swimming
Thurs is biking/run
Fri is run
Sat off
Sun biking

Hope everybody else is training steadily. Any ideas or suggestions gratefully received

Lizling

Make sure you get some long runs in for endurance. You're going to need to be ready for 3 miles on tired legs.

Beware energy drinks from drinks stations unless you got used to them in training. Otherwise, it seems they give a lot of people tummy trouble mid-race.

If the swim will be in open water, it will be helpful if you've practiced at least a bit in open water first. Apparently it's quite different.


I don't do tris, but a lot of my friends do and they talk about it to the point that I feel like I've done loads of them

Indie_Kid

Lizling wrote: »

Beware energy drinks from drinks stations unless you got used to them in training. Otherwise, it seems they give a lot of people tummy trouble mid-race.

Agreed. The race organisers do normally tell you before the race what brands they're having beforehand.

Depending on the training plan you're doing, you may find that either you go over the distance in training or you won't quite reach that distance.

mollymunchkin

Aldi sometimes sell tri suits which you'll need for racing in. Their running gear is good too, I've been using it for years.

Moto2

This week I plan to dog walk 3 miles everyday (this is normal)
Monday is circuits and gentle run
Tues is running club
Wed is swimming
Thurs is biking/run
Fri is run
Sat off
Sun biking

Is it a flat or hilly bike course you're doing?
It's important to train on the hills if that's you'll encounter on the day.

Whatever the course is you need to structure your training, every session must have a purpose and a goal, not just go out and ride your bike or jog. You'll be less likely to lose commitment too.
Also make every 4th week a recovery week, all easy pace stuff and maybe 3 rest days, week 3 should be the hardest.

One of my mid week sessions for this week is to help with endurance

Warm-up: 15 minutes
Ride: Cadence 95rpm+ though it can drop a little during recovery.
Zones: The efforts should be at your Threshold Heart Rate

• 5 minute effort at threshold pace, 1 minute easy spin to recover.
• 5 minutes at threshold, 1 minute easy.
• 5 minutes at threshold, 5 minutes easy.
• 3 minutes at threshold, 1 minute easy.
• Repeat 3 minutes/ 1 minute, 4 more times.
• 5 minutes easy spin to cool down, include a 5 second sprint