Home Chat General Chat

another tri newbie

Hi guys,

I'm totally new to triathlon and need some help, advice, guidance on the best way forward.

For starters: How should I structure my training?

I'm entering my first race in May (a sprint).

I'm fairly fit - run 10k in 42 mins, do regular biking, but as yet no swimming.

How should I start?

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Start swimming. The rest may take care of itself & will fall into some kind of routine.
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Any advice on how often I should swim?

    And are there any good training plans I can access?

    Thanks
  • hay been swimming for years depending on how long you can train for at time really...

    should start off with getting a base line for were you are at say 500m or 1000m to see how fast you can go at the beggining!

    if you google training programs for swimming then there are some good sugestions. i would do a few 50m sets then do a few 100m sets on freestlye.

    hope this was a little usefull!!

  • GHarvGHarv Posts: 456
    I did my first sprint with 400m pool swim in may last year.



    I started first by doing the distance breaststroke which i could do fine.



    Then gradually brought in 1 then 2 then 3 etc. lengths front crawl until i could do the distance crawl.



    From there began upping distance, joined the tri club swimming sessions - was at the back and couldn't keep up, kept going began keeping up and got one of the coaches to help me with technique.



    Now i'm at least mid pack at the sessions.



    I swim at least once a week preferably 2. 1 hour at the swim club then another session mid week for half hour 40 mins.



    I try to train with 2 swims, 2 runs and 2 bikes.



    Whilst i aint the fastest it fir around me and i'm definatley getting faster.



    G
  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Hi jac,

    is that sprint tri open water or pool swim?

    If it is open water,you should defo get some OW practise.



    One other hint: swimming=80%technique+20%fitness!!!
  • You'll do fine with run times like that![8D]
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Thanks guys.

    It's a pool swim - which I'm quite relieved about!

    I'm going to get some coaching then on technique and try and do at least two swims a week.
  • As everyone else as said, you should start swimming.



    I swim 4 or 5 times a week, and the improvement you can make in the swim is really impressive. A lot of people say there is not much time to be made up in the swim, but I'm of the opinion it's free time for less effort. I reckon that I've cut 3 minutes off a 400m swim in the last 6 months (though I haven't run the clock since September, i know I'm faster as i catch people in the pool that used to fly past me), and I now coast through it rather than being knackered. If that's not a good idea, I don't know what is.



    I'm fortunate in that I can get a lunchtime swim in (3 time a week), I do an evening Tri class and try to get a swim in on Saturday night so I don't have to watch the X-Factor.



    I can see that when I am plateau my times on swimming, i will cut out a session or two, but for the moment as I'm getting better, I'm still going to swim a lot.
  • agent_tiagent_ti Posts: 306
    another option would be to join your local tri club who should do some sort of coached swim sessions, which you will be amazed at how quickly to learn to swim efficiently and stop splashing around like i used to!
  • Best advice is get some tips on technique. You can either do this yourself (buy the total immersion book and DVD) or get a swim coach to help you. Plenty out there, either ask at your local pool or if you live near london give www.swimfortri.com a go. I did their weekend course and it was a revelation.



    Worst thing you can do is just to try and increase your distance at the moment. All you'll do is reinforce bad habits such as too much kicking, which will leave you exhausted for the bike and swim. Great if you can run a 10k in 42mins, but if you've got nothing left in the tank then you won't manage it.



    Also try www.swimplan.com they do great workouts for beginners up to advanced and really keep the interest going. Temptation is to skip the drills as you may find yourself feeling like an idiot when other guys are banging out the lengths but trust me, it's the best way forward. If you concentrate on technique over the winter then the distance will come. You've got plenty of time, so really make it count. When you're coming out of the water feeling fresh for you bike, you'll appreciate the effort you put in. Good luck!
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Thanks for that guys.

    I've found out that my pool does do tri swimming sessions, so I'm going to look out the coach and sort out a session or two.

    Looking forward to getting stuck in.

    As far as the bike's concerned, do you split into endurance and interval sessions?
Sign In or Register to comment.