Any sage-like advice for Triathlon newbies?
maggiet
Posts: 3
in General Chat
Hi all
Well, I've taken the plunge and started triathlon training.... I can run quite well, swim very badly and haven't even got onto moving bike yet - agh!
Do any of you triathlon gurus have any advice for a complete novice? What I mean is, is there anything you wished someone had told you right at the beginning...?
Thanking you...
Maggie
Well, I've taken the plunge and started triathlon training.... I can run quite well, swim very badly and haven't even got onto moving bike yet - agh!
Do any of you triathlon gurus have any advice for a complete novice? What I mean is, is there anything you wished someone had told you right at the beginning...?
Thanking you...
Maggie
0
Comments
Have fun!!
Go for it - I'm definitely doing it again.
sage advice from an open forum is abit like asking 'has anybody dropped this twenty pound note' in a busy pub on a saturday night.Triathlon is a huge exercise in finding out what other people do and see if it works for you and not getting too despondent if it goes slightly awry,the best races are those that start to go wrong but you hold it together until you cross the finish line.
I will try not too bore you with drivel but my advice is;.
do not be afraid to ask a question,or if you turn up at a race without some kit the chances are that someone will have a spare,be it goggles ,an inner tube or a bike.
Do not be put off my men who have legs that are shaved smoother than yours,
wear and use what you want and not what you feel has been dictated because ''it is the derigeur'' to use.
Smile ,it is amazing the number of serious faced competitors you see.
Relax and enjoy.
points I found were: easy club runs will turn into a fast sprint by the end.
social club rides generally finish as a king of the mountains competition,the fast lane in the pool at a masters session is a no go area due to the embarressment factor of being smoked by the 11 year old daughter of the session coach.
What the above taught me was that Triathlon is all about pace and it is not the fastest who wins but the most consistent one who crosses the finish line first.
Funny enough, they also both commented on how it was a bit lonely out on the course. Maybe they expected to be in the thick of a race, but as a novice the only time you'll see somebody else is usually when one of the later starters (i.e a faster wave) comes flying past you...
But, the whole point is to get fit, lose weight, enjoy your training, and push yourself on the day so that when you cross the line you know you could not have gone 1 second faster. Then you'll realise why my bit of advice I wish I had been given is:
"This is going to hurt like hell, but you will become addicted!"
Other than that, practise open water swimming and practices transitions - both T1 with the wetsuit change and T2 with the bike to run brick sessions to get your muscles attuned to the changeover. There's no easier 3 minutes to save than the ones you spending faffing about in transition in the first few races (all the other saved minutes require far too many exhausting training sessions...)
Good luck.
Training never gets easier, it just gets faster.
Ask questions, talk to fellow triathletes and raed the forum threads, theres a lot of wisdom out there!
Also, I understand from previous forum posts that in order to go fast all such kit must be red in colour and, if possible shaved and rubbed with a potato.
Brilliant advice from you all. It seems to me one of the reasons this is such a growing sport is the support of seasoned athletes happy to help and encourage folk like me...
I'll keep glued to the forum for good advice, and speak up if I need a hand...
Happy swimming/cycling/running all...!
Maggie