Home Chat General Chat

I have an itch !!!!

Hi Everyone



I have been speaking to Loonytoon (Ian) about this - am getting a urge to go a bit longer (as some of you have have mentioned similar I thought I would stick this on)



I have found a little race up north in the Lake District - The Helvellyn Tri - looks interesting (with a slight slant to the vertical) but nothing am sure we couldnt cope with given its at the end of the season.



Anyhow its up in the Lakes (beautiful area - your other half would love it) its a bit mad but hey this is a traithlon forum after all ...... check out the website http://www.trihard.co.uk/



I am after going - it looks fun !!!!



phil (madnurse) [:D]
«1

Comments

  • jazdogjazdog Posts: 223
    Hi Mad!



    Looks great... I've only been training for sprint distance tho... I'll definitely give it a go next year...



    I'd say go for it... the level of training you've been doing you should be able to cope no bother... the bike up to Kirkstone Pass in'll be tough! Only other thing would be your shin splints on the run (esp downhill)!



    Jaz
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    Hi JAz - am not looking at acheiving anything other than a finish on the helvellyn tri as it will be my 6th race and work are trying to con me into doing the snowdownia marathon some 4 weeks later ... oh well mad by name ......





    phil (madnurse) [:)]
  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    Mad one, if my physio goes well and I get plenty of swimming in towards the end of August I would be up for trying that. That however is not a definate (hence when I don't do it no-one can say I whimped out).
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    Can I just point out that madnurse never talked to me about this...he mentioned a half distance on the flat..





    Mad you should change you name to "fookingnutternurse"



    Pretty sure my other half is working that weekend if she aint I am sure I can arrange a "holiday"

  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    god loon you are soo picky !!!!!!!!!!



    its just like a walk in the park ......



    madnurse [:D]
  • JasonBJasonB Posts: 303
    I think that is brilliant. I feel myself itching to get some more triathlons on my books, but am having to pull back the reins to stop myself.



    I am fir enought to do something like that, but my times are pants at the minute. So holding back to next year before I presonally attempt these sort of things.



    Good luck in it though.

  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    yeah the lake district national park ;)
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    Hi Jason - dont be letting times hold you back - each & every tri you undertake will be an experience you can draw upon for the next - your fitness & technique wil improve as you go - the competition of tri is afterall against yourself



    phil
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    Jason, I second that... If I worried about times from the weekend I'd quit now....



    I expect to get faster at the next race because now I know where I can push and where to hold off...



    As long as your races are spaced apart then I think you will okay...

  • DOtriHarderDOtriHarder Posts: 307
    Mad you should change you name to "fookingnutternurse"


    I agree!



    1 mile swim in a freezing lake then a 38mile vertical bike ride followed by an 8 mile run that is even steeper[:@]

    david
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    Your confidence in my mental state is well received - can i take it from your comments that you as well as Loon will be coming along to Helvellyn then ????



    mad
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    Dunno is the simple answer to that...but at this stage I don't see why not...it will be decent end of season injury fest that will be allow 3months of post season recovery



    Though I Quite fancy the nortwest tri relay 2 weeks later (need to find a runner)...
  • DOtriHarderDOtriHarder Posts: 307
    Phil

    You can tell us all about it, Looking at last years results it seems the average time is around 31/2 hours, i think this year i will just go to the Isle of Wight the following weekend and do their little 500/20/5 instead.



    The picture of hoards of people walking up a hill pushing their bikes sort of puts me off, it's hard enough running uphill without having to push a bike[&:]

    David
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    when the date of the relay (what distance) ???
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    David,



    I have walked the 8 miles up helvellyn...its okay as a walk nice and jolly...running will probably be different but still do able except the tracks will me mountain paths and some grass tracks etc rather than even tarmac or grass...



    as for the bike... "the struggle" is a piece of road I won't drive down or up through choice in my car let alone a bike...its the hardest way to Kirkstone pass and will hurt ... gearing as the web site suggests will be a major issue I suspect ... as you will need small gears for "the struggle" but on the downhill back bike nasty gears will be the order of the day to get the speed up .... i will ask my cycling mate's advice on this as I know he has climbed it a few times(once with a broken wrist) and get back to you.



    I reads like a course that will kill you for the first half(distance) then let you recover in the second half...i'd estimate that the climb will probably account for 3/4 of the total time...



    Swimming - the same as any cold lake for a mile cold and wet ;)



    hope that helped

  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    17th Sept (only a week later than helvellyn)



    500m swim 20km bike 5km run



    http://www.fun2tri.co.uk/northwest-new/index.htm



    basically my mate who got me the bike fancies a relay - as he can't swim/with 3 kids doesn't have time to learn) but can get fit on the bike (turbos etc) and was asking me about relays in sept - that one seems plausable but he needs to clear it with his missus etc...

  • DOtriHarderDOtriHarder Posts: 307
    Now there i might be able to help you Loon, how far is the run and is it vertical[:D]

    David
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    how odd am doing my 1st tri at nantwich in a few weeks - & is only down the road from me - if work dont mind me taking another day (if i need) & david decides otherwise I will do it for you



    phil
  • DOtriHarderDOtriHarder Posts: 307
    Looks like you get to do it Phil, i thought it was going to be 24th i would have been free but 17th i will be in IOW

    David
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    Guys cheers I will let you know closer if its game on...



    David, I thought it was the 24th 2...ooops sorry about that may mean I bin the Helvellyn hell

  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    Reference the timew issue mentioned earlier-- it is better to do that type of tri when your times are rubbish as you have an excuse (if you need one) for a slow time the more tris you do the more the times will count and pressure will mount to perform. Anyway who cares how long it takes its the finishing that counts.
  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    Loon - if you having 2nd thoughts about helvellyn am looking to do a few recce's maybe do the bike & the run morning & afternoon or over a weekend and will let you know just how much it tickled. Uness of course you think it might be too easy and were really loking for something to tax you a little more......



    either way no pressure be good to meet maybe for a beer or 2 after London .. the tri in hel is purely meant as wind down after our first season



    madnurse (phil) [8D]
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    haha yeah think it will be easy...



    Spoke to my mate last night he is up for the north west relay...he'll do the bike and if you are still game we'll split the swim and run depending on how this will produce the fastest time...



    Also asked him about the Helvellyn bike course..."90% of people won't ride the struggle..." The gearing he mentioned he did it in wont be possible for me 48/21 at this pace he basically said that he was almost stalling in the dead spot..we will need much less



    I will be dragging the missus up to the lakes for a recce I will leave he in the golden rule and once I am done it will only take 2 or 3 beers to catch up..



    definately up for a few beers after London...



  • madnursemadnurse Posts: 782
    am thinking my mtb might be an option
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    nah...get a smaller chainring (36) to get you up the hills and stick with fat one on the way down...



    I am guessing your bike will have summat like a 46/54 with 11-25 on the free wheel...gonna upgrade my from a 36/48 to 48/52 and probably change the cassette to 11-23(only have 7 gears) but will (if I do it) change to a 36/52 -> 11-28



    wow...a load stats what this means ffor speed etc can be found here Bicycle Gear Inch & Shifting Pattern Calculator



    I suspect that your mtb will be in the order of 36/48 and 11-28..you probably wont gain climbing ability on your mtb that can't be had from the tweaks (plus will lose some cos of rolling resistance) above but will on you road bike reap the benifits on the down hills...





  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    Thats all a bit technical loony do you actually use that as a guide.
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    sorta - as I dont have a cadence sensor on the bike all I can go off is speed in a gear... I can't remember then all but I use(d) it to pick the right gear for a few speed to make sure I am around the 85-90rpm mark when I am training...hopefully my legs will get used to it and I wont need it...or I'll get a cadence sensor
  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    I have an old Catseye speedo off my MTB so it doesn't have cadence on it and I know that I ride way under the cadence that I should hence burning my legs out in big gears I'll see if I can getmy head round those charts. I'll buy a cadence monitor next season maybe.
  • loonytoonloonytoon Posts: 673
    a cat eye computer with a cadence sensor is top of my christmas list



    if you don't know the number of teeth on your bike have fun counting em ;)

  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    I might sound stupid but I did that last week only to find towards the end that they are actually written on the sides of each cog. Doh !!
Sign In or Register to comment.