Home Chat General Chat

Yet another newbie! goddamn!!

Hello all, I have recently left the Royal Marines to attend University therefore earning lots of money and eventually get big and fat and then maybe dying of some fat related problem, however. University isnt really the buzz its cut out to be (bravo on the marketing!) so im looking into taking up some kind of sport. I have decided on triathlons as alone, swimming, cycling, running can become oh so boring!



I know i am pretty much swim-fit as Marines need to be able to swim distances with weight in open water, might have to brush up on technique. Cycling will be another matter altogether and as i have previously read its the one stage that can really make or break a triathlon! have looked into a number possible bikes and have decided that something under £1000 would be best for me, so can anyone who ownes a Focus Izalco Tria tell me if its any good? or anyone with similar.

As for running i have kept my running fitness from the Marines although will have to now concentrate more on speed than endurance.



I have my sights set on the IronmanUK 70.3 next year and i'd like to do better than just complete it, is this realistic? As a University student i have more spare time than i know what to do with so this could become almost a full time occupation.



As with any sport its best to get advice before rushing headlong into novice mistakes! hence the post. Also does anyone know of a triathlon club or any randoms that train as triathleates in the Carlisle area?



Thankyou for any advice given.

Comments

  • hay i am pretty new to all this to but i have taken the advice given by the guys on this forum and it really does help!

    i joined a tri club and it was the best thing i have done you will find there are tuns of people who want to help you!

    just listern to their advice and you wont go far wrong!

    by the sound of it you are very fit the best idea is to get the swimming right and the rest will follow get a good technique so you dont use your legs to much in the swim aspecially if you want to do an ironman you will want to save your self for later!

    also just try and get out on the bike as much as you can the more you do the easier it will feel!

    hope this helps a little!
  • Thankyou, it just so happens im pretty well placed for training purposes as there is a swimming pool in Carlisle, not that I have even seen it yet!



    Plus being on the edge of the Lake District have plenty of opportunity to get out fell running, and frolicking about in random lakes.



    Thankfully the University also has a half decent gym which should help especially for this time of the year! New to road cycles+ice I'm guessing is not a very good combination!
  • if you are at univercity like me then i brought a turbo trainer sit in my room on it so cool or not!!!

    but seriously if you want to get some miles done then get one if the roads are icy!!

    it does get boring but i have found bbc iplayer really good to keep the time flying by or some motervational videos there are some on other threads!!

  • Hmm buying a turbo trainer before I've even got the bike is taking keen to the very extreem! but i know what you mean, thankyou. Managed to get a place of my own near the Uni so looking like a wierdo is no concern, plus as I have gathered you need to be a bit wierd just to take part in triathlons!

    I could do with some kind of contact in Carlisle, its always better training as a group rather than fighting with the inner bed demon!
  • yeh definatly best thing to do but probably buy a bike is the very first!!!

    hope all goes well!
  • GGGG Posts: 82
    Hi there,



    Im sure with your mental attitude and fitness levels you will enjoy the challenge triathlon will offer.



    However as far as bikes are concerned i reccomend you visit your local bike shop. They can offer you lots of advice and help. They most probably will also set you up on it too.



    They could also put you in touch with a tri club, or convince you to join them on club rides etc.



    Good luck



    G

  • Hi



    Being an ex bootneck myself i thought i'd reply.

    I must say the intake must have changed since i was in (not many potential uni types,that i can remember[:D])

    As for the bike question,i have a focus cayo,and i'm very happy with it, goes like a rocket. I'm just going to put a pair of tri bars on for racing next year. I'm toying with the idea of doing a full iroman so a totally 'aero' bike might not be needed.
  • Fair one, thats why 8 years was more than enough for me! they can ram the shit kit up their arse! To be totally honnest with you i have no idea what you just said about fitting different bars, "aero's" etc but suppose that will just take a bit of time to learn the lingo!

    Just completed my first "Brick" session, fair enough it was in the gym and consisted of 3k row, 10 mins best effort bike an 20 mins best effort run on slight incline repeated a few times. I have a swivley chair i sit on at the PC and have nearly fallen off it 3 times already! am seriously considering glueing it to my bottom for tonight as my legs clearly are not in charge of themselves!!!

    Thankyou for the tip on asking at the bike shops about going out on rides maybe i can convince a few of them to stray to the dark side and take up running and swimming too!
  • AgnessAgness Posts: 27
    wellcome,

    Pallace cycles in carlisle is a good bike shop, They have a range of Orca wetsuits in also. Border City Wheelers is a carlisle based cycling club, very frendly lot.



    The closest tri club to you is Arragons cumbrian triathlon club, actually based in penrith, they have bike rides & meet up 4 swim training thurs nights at penrith swim pool. Alot of carlisle tri ppl go there. However i have heard a rumour that Someone is starting a carlisle tri club poss next yr? Would def reccommend Arragons tho. Arragons is the bike shop in penrith ask in there re membership. Good shop also.



  • The bike you mentioned is a triathlon specific bike,basically it keeps you in a more aerodynamic position(a tucked up position) than a normal road bike. The tri bars are just clip on extentions so you can achieve a similar position when on a normal road bike. Also the frames are set up differently. Best idea would be to get some advice from a decent bike shop.

    One of the reasons i left the corps was that the powers that be were just trying to turn us into a regular pongo infantry unit, no windproofs, issue boots only etc etc[:@], and the fact that the kit was made by the lowest bidder. It was truly embarrassing when cross training with the yank marines who wanted for nothing.
  • Thankyou for the tips on local bike shops/clubs, much appreciated am off out now to ask palace bikes for a bit of advice!

    An yea i know what you mean, was sick of pongo captins in my specialisation an the fact that the corps has no top cover so were slowly being turned into pongo units. take cdo logs for exapmple. when i left you had difficulty spotting 1 bootneck on the whole camp!
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Hay Lucky marine,



    I would really look into doing some BRICK training. I am newish to this too and have like square clare all the advise on this forum is really good and esactly what you need.



    So a BRICK



    You need to cycle for a few K's then off the bike and start running for at least a K or so building up dustance as you get use to it. After the run back on the bike and do it again. The reason for this is that after the cycle your leg muscles will be relaxed and not ready to run so you will end up with JELLY LEGS. The first time I did this training I fell over.



    Good luck with training.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    So getting windproofs or not is important in the heirarchy of the armed forces then? From a confirmed civvy obviously.
  • You'd better believe it!!

    It wasnt just the fact that windproofs look better than the issue combat jacket,its down to the fact that as Marines you spend an awful lot time on operations or exercises and you need kit up to the task. The issue combat jacket is about as much use as t***s on a fish!!, its bulky, soaks water up like a sponge etc etc. Same goes for the issue boots - cheap and nasty. Not a lot of fun when yomping 30 miles over Dartmoor. So alot of the guys bought scarpa boots or similar.

    Putting it in a triathlon context its like being made to do an ironman on a

    a raleigh chopper instead of a cervelo etc, both are bikes but one is up to the task the other isnt.

    Sorry to bang on, but i hope you get my point[;)]
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    No not at all, we have all seen these news stories, & its good to hear it from some one who was there.

    So....who decides this kit is good enough when it clearly isn't?
  • The defense budget, i think the conversation goes like this:



    Forces: "we need new body armor as the kit we are using is 20 years old and not up to the task"

    Government: "hmm, ok we'll see what we can do"



    Government then issues a contract for X ammount of body armour to whoever wants to make it.



    1st contractor: We have designed state of the art armour that will protect a soldier from everything from small arms fire to blast damage and will cost 2k each.



    2nd contractor: We have used a design we have used before and can sort of protect a soldier from falling over. will cost 1k each



    Government: We have just realised that we can "mod" the old armour and keep it going for the next 10 years!



    Hence the reason i left, i get so would up sometimes!! [:@] rant ... over.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    meanwhile we spend how much on our 'nuclear deterrent', so it can rot in silos like the last lot....oooer getting a little political here.
  • Debate is good for the soul! cant remember how much time i spent "behind the wire" at fas lane guarding that lot, such a waste of time! an bloody cold too!
  • Ha ha,I'm with you on that one,spent my last two years at Commacchio[:@]

    Great runs around 205A though!
Sign In or Register to comment.