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What got you started on Tri?

why did you start doing this moronic sport?



I got started when i was asked to do the swim for a 3 person team. My boss had found out i got a silver medal swimming in school. So I worked for currys and they paid for us to go down so long as we got sponsors.



I like it right away, big crowds of people cheering on total strangers. Seemingly impossible distances and a lot of very attractive women in skin tight tri suits (any guy who denys that appeal is a liar). then i got in the water and realised that although i was fit, everyone else was fit in a different way and i was soon on my own at the back doing a side stroke (i couldnt breathe in crawl and a neck injury stops me doing breast stroke). I nearly quit but...what can i say, im too dumb to quit and kept swimming, everyone cheered when i came out of the water half dead. felt really good especially knowing everyone thought id quit and i somehow managed to make it.

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Comments

  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Um, I suspect this isn't going to be an unusual way into the sport, i got drunk with a friend of mine who did lots of tri's in the past and in a moment of madness agreed to do a sprint with him. He has since moved back to the US due to work and I am left wondering what i was thinking. That said, I am bloody glad that I am doing it and cannot wait for my first tri which is in...about 7 weeks now.
  • BlurredgirlBlurredgirl Posts: 292
    See the latest 220 for why I got started. If you don't have the mag - the summary is a lot of illness, a lot of morphine, too much time on my hands and a sparkling sea.



    Not quite as easy peasy as I first thought in those post-op blurry days, but 5 triathlons on, I am still obsessed.



    blurredgirl
  • I did a sprint event that my former cycle club ran way back in 2004.



    I didn't really get back into it till much later and after being off the bike for about four years.



    For one reason and another I just happened to be in Taupo, New Zealand staying with friends in 2003 & 2005 when Ironman came to town. I volenteered as a helper joining the course team setting out and taking in the 6 tons of cones and barrieres for the bike and run courses. We did longer days than the athletes but also got to see a lot of the action. My friends threatened to enter me for the following year but they didn't.



    I took the plunge in Ironman New Zealand 2007 after reacqainting myself with my bike back in the UK.



    From zero to Ironman in 6 months, yes you can.



    I loved it so much I went back and did it all again in 2008.
  • BopomofoBopomofo Posts: 980
    A combination of "Wouldn't it be cool to be able to boast about doing THAT!" and the dreaded "How hard can it be?" saw me line up on the start line of my first super-sprint. I will also admit to having always thought that any athlete is cool, especially anybody who can do a half or full marathon, 10km, long bike race or indeed our beloved triathlon.



    I was already a regular swimmer, easily capable of the 440m distance required, and thought the 20km bike and 5km run would be a just like my gym sessions, where my weekly 'aerobic' workout was 40mins bike and 20mins treadmill. The other 2 gym sessions per week were just weight training.



    I thought it would be easy.... slick tyres on my MTB, vaseline around the speedos and some talc in my socks and I was away.



    6th of 90 overall for the swim split 440m in 6:22. [8D]

    84th of 90 for the entire event. [&:]



    I crossed the line a sweating exhausted mess, but it took about 2 weeks to come down off my Tri-High! With so much room for improvement (I like a challenge) I was addicted. [:D]



  • meakiemeakie Posts: 124
    Blurred girl was that about you that write up?! I read that, much kudos chick! [:)]



  • meakiemeakie Posts: 124
    my reason for wanting to do tri!



    2008 I trained for the Great north run and the Great north swim. I ran 3 times a week and swam twice.

    I hadnt ran much before in fact last yr was my first real year of running. I had always been a good swimmer but still had some coaching for the open water aspect.

    I fancied the idea of open water swimming, so entered the first ever Great North swim last september, 1 mile open water in lake windemere with over 2000 other people (not all at the same time!) A few weeks later I was doing the Great north run with 51999 other people too.

    I thought hell I love open water swimming now, fell in love with my tri wetsuit and had really got hooked on running- joined Doncaster Athletics club after the half marathon and carried on from there. After the run and swim I fancied a go at triathlon. Just needed to work the Bike part in, thought it would be a while tho til I could train for one, but then one day about 2 months ago i thought stuff it, I am just gonna register for one and see how i go!



    31 days and counting til Triathlon no 1



    [:D]
  • FlavadaveFlavadave Posts: 749
    Hitting mid thirties, wasting countless amounts on gym membership but never going, and having vague recollections of actually enjoying swimming as a youngster. Then the inevitable drunken conversation and a challenge was placed for the London Tri (sprint). I've since signed up for 2 more and the standard distance in Bala. Oops.



    To be honest even though I've not done an event yet, I think I love this goddam sport. Well, I'm in love with the idea if nothing else.



    Funny story... Did an 8mile run (Kingston Breakfast run) last Sunday and after about 2 miles my guts were churning up and I was wishing I'd got there on time to make use of the facilities. I was trying to sneakily let out a bit of the pressure so to speak when I got caught. Two guys behind heard me let rip and gave me a more than a decent amount heckling. Fair enough. I graciously let them past only to catch them about 4miles later. Tried to give them a wide berth so they wouldn't see my in the crowd but I get about 5yards past and hear "SO YOU GOT YOUR SECOND WIND THEN MATE?"



    I nearly had to stop from laughing so much.



    I'm already thinking about next years season and I spend waaaay too much time checking this site when I should be working.
  • meakiemeakie Posts: 124
    Flavadave wrote:
    Two guys behind heard me let rip and gave me a more than a decent amount heckling. Fair enough. I graciously let them past only to catch them about 4miles later. Tried to give them a wide berth so they wouldn't see my in the crowd but I get about 5yards past and hear "SO YOU GOT YOUR SECOND WIND THEN MATE?"



    I nearly had to stop from laughing so much.







    hahah, nice one dude :-)

    Funny story
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    Flavadave wrote:




    Funny story... Did an 8mile run (Kingston Breakfast run) last Sunday and after about 2 miles my guts were churning up and I was wishing I'd got there on time to make use of the facilities. I was trying to sneakily let out a bit of the pressure so to speak when I got caught.



    I'd have worried it was more than the pressure that would get out...[:'(]
  • SwizzlenapSwizzlenap Posts: 160
    I always liked bikes and loved watching Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly in the Tour de France in my teens and like Bopomofo think any kind of athlete, particularly endurance athletes, are cool. I, however, was very un-sporty. Apart from a bit of cycling didn't do anything else. I quit smoking at 30 after getting out of breath walking up the stairs to my flat and as something to aim for signed up for the Nike 10k. Discovered I really like running. I actually have no idea how the plan to do Tri came to me but I seemed to wake up one day about a month ago with the fully decided notion that I'd train for a Triathlon. I have since become slightly obsessed with the idea and am trying to sort out kit, time and a plan to get going. Haven't decided on a first Tri yet but it won't be long.
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    I did a sprint last year for Charidee. I got hooked from there.
  • pacman2102pacman2102 Posts: 247
    I have been told by my mates for ages that I should try on (get it) as I have a swimming an drunning background and should be good . So last year I entered a sprint after about 3 months training. Got back in the pool after 20 years in anger (used to swim internationally) and it was like a duck to water. Well to cut a long story short in my first tri I was 6th out of the water and did the 750m in just over 9 minutes, and then out on the bike did ok and did the run.



    I ended up doing 4 tri last year and ended up in the top ten in my age group at the nationals. So this season my second have decided to really go for it and have a winter of training. But need to increase my bike speed



    so to cut it shortdown to my mates and know my new mates at the tri club
  • clarkey30clarkey30 Posts: 270
    I used to play football and after spending 6 months out with a cruciate tear and a further 2 months getting fit only to suffer a blood clot in my shin in my first game back, i get fed up with not being able to walk for two days after a game or train in the week i decided to quit and take up triathlons as a few friends did them!



    So i purchased a new bike and subsequently fell off on the maiden ride breaking my arm!!!!!!! My lucj seems to have changed somewhat since...



    I did the windsor Olympic in 2007 then did several more last year, im moving up to 70.3 this year but cant quite get motivated to train at the minute with a bit of a hip pproblem.
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    I did my one and only tri 3 years ago because my (then) partner wanted to. Completely rubbish at swimming, virtually no training in anything other than cycling and an 'athena' bodyshape that made the run leg labourious to say the least. Last out of the pool on the swim, made up a few places on the cycle and lost them all again on the run! Came 4th from last and although I enjoyed it decided that I was too crap to carry on the sport. Then last year I did a complete rupture of my achilles tendon and due to a series of cock-ups by doctors it was left to heal itself as by the time they did the MRI scan to see what had happened it was already sticking itself back to whatever body part it could get on to! After a year I was tenatively thinking about doing a little light jogging to see how it went when my son announced that he was going to take up triathlon and why didn't I do it too?? I asked advice from various official bodies who told me I was mad and so I decided to take up the challenge. The first thing I had to do was teach myelf to swim frontcrawl with my face in the water! I devoured every bit of info on the net and persisted until I can now crawl at a steady pace for a mile (108 lengths of our pool). I have been training for two months now, although running only in the last month or so, increasing the load gradually and always listening to my leg if it starts to complain too much and so far so good. I know that if it goes again I will be in big trouble as there is not enough good tendon left to fix but I am being sensible and I can feel the strength growing all the time.



    Sometimes bloody mindedness is all it takes-and someone to tell you you can't!
  • pacman2102pacman2102 Posts: 247
    you sounds as mad as the rest of us that do tri, I hope you are giving your son a run for his money.



    But remember to listen to your body, if it says stop due to pain. then stop as you may be putting yourself back if you get injured.



    Have you any tri races planned for this year
  • CPT333CPT333 Posts: 56
    Ok so im officially outing myself!. I am the proud offspring of Cheryl6162!!!. Pacman2102 i can confirm she is indeed giving me a run for my money but fortunately i am also her trainer so if she gets too good then ill just steer her in the wrong direction! mwahahah!!!

    I got into triathlon the same way as mum 3 years ago in a super sprint and did terrible so gave up. January this year entered a duathlon and have been hooked since.Already signed up for the UK IRONMAN 70.3 and London olympic!. Am i mad???
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    Don't worry, I am very careful and do not train through leg pain-every other pain yes, leg pain no!



    I have the same tri as I did three years ago booked, which is the Try a Tri on 10th May. Little sprint; 250m swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run. Should be a comfortable distance for me and although I won't set any records I hope to give a fair account of myself. The results Triathlon club do a few through the season so I intend to do as many as I can as well as anything else that looks interesting. I suspect that my forte will be over olympic distance in time as I take a while to get going but once I do I can trundle along ok rather than have a great turn of speed over shorter distances. My son is doing Wimbleball 70.3 in June-can't see me ever doing that though!
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    Ahhhh, my little boy and my raison d'etre!
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Years of nagging from a friend who shall remain nameless had no effect, then said friend started a Tri club, needed help, members etc & lo there I was running around the streets in me underwear, never loked back since.
  • pacman2102pacman2102 Posts: 247
    Glad to see your mum is giving you a run for your money. Seems like you are both really getting into tri, it very addictive you know



    Your mum seems a good egg , wish mine was as active as your and also seem like she is good for a laugh
  • pacman2102pacman2102 Posts: 247
    you are doing well and remember your son as a few years on you
  • BexHBexH Posts: 226
    Hi Cheryl,



    Is that the Canford School Aquathlon that you were talking about in relation to smileys on the other thread? I'm meant to be doing that for my first ever event. Am doing some 10k run thing this Saturday too- heavens knows why I agreed to that! Just recognised the beachfront in your son's pic and put two and two together that you must be very local to me!
  • CPT333CPT333 Posts: 56
    Hey BexH yeah we are at wareham and we will both be doing the Canford aquathlon series. That was the Bournemouth Bay Run Half marathon on sunday.Nice day for it thats for sure.See you there!
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    I know but I must admit we do challenge each other although I always lose! Just need to get my 15 year old daughter into it now. She is an excellent but disinterested runner. She won her age group in the Race for Life two years on the trot and came third overall the last time she did it but just doesn't want to be bothered with it now. She has her horse and thats all that interests her at the moment but maybe one day.....
  • BexHBexH Posts: 226
    Hiya, yeah my mate did the half marathon on Sunday. He's the one who has encouraged me to enter the 10k on Saturday. He has done an Ironman in the past so I feel he could be waiting for me after the finish for some time ha ha. I will debate as to whether or not to do the smiley thing...
  • pacman2102pacman2102 Posts: 247
    at least she is interested in something at that age they tend to not interested in anything
  • BexHBexH Posts: 226
    Oooh, what horses have you got Cheryl? I'm going to get myself over to my friends this weekend and take her ditzy chestnut warmblood mare out this weekend as it has been far too long and she keeps nagging me to ride it for her! I do miss it but tri training has somewhat taken over...
  • Cheryl6162Cheryl6162 Posts: 356
    Where's Saturdays 10K then? Not that I can do it as I'm working but didn't realise there was another one. Quite keen after doing the BB10K last Sunday to do another. Are you a Bournemouth lass?
  • BexHBexH Posts: 226
    It starts at Boscombe Pier- some Rotary Club thing. Apparently has a big hill at the end [:(]. Yes I am just outside Bournemouth!
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    Sorry to interrupt,but as the thread moves off on a tangent,I was introduced to Triathlon through a Magnum P.I. episode in 1981,and also reading about an Ironman race featuring a couple of bike riders that I had heard of,it took me a couple of years before I started racing as races were few and far between back then.
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