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london tri

hi all i was going to dothe london tri this year but i think it is a bit to much for me in my first year of competing,i am still struggling wiht the front crawl,so i was thinking i may alternate between crawl and brest stroke,is that ok or do you look a fool.

cheers iain

Comments

  • Hi Iain, I did the London triatlon last year, mixed olympic race, and this was my first triathlon ever. At this stage last year I could no way complete the full swim distance with any stroke. However it is a long time until August and I found that with a bit of training and forcing myself up and down the pool using just crawl that I could eventually manage the distance. In fact on the day I did it quicker than I ever achieved in the pool (about 33mins). I do think that the wet suit helps a lot.



    Back to your question about looking silly doing breast strokes, believe me people where finishing using breast stroke/doggy paddle/whatever got them to the finish and in my eye none of them looked stupid.



    You have got plenty of time and its amazing what you can achieve in this time.
  • yeah youve got plenty of time to train and to improve your swim



    i would also advise you to join your local tri club as this will help with the training and you will get loads of good advise too
  • Hi



    I'm looking at doing london but not sure which group to enter( age group, mens open or mixed open). I'm aiming for about 2:45 for olympic.



    Can anyone give me some advice?

  • rpopper65rpopper65 Posts: 171
    Iain, nobody looks stupid when they do their best and nobody feels stupid when they cross the finish line.



    Sicknote, I'm not sure it matters which section you enter. I've done the age group (men's olympic 40-44, the mid-lifers) for the past couple of years and it's a good crowd. Looking at the overall race times, the age groups were faster than the more open groups (men's Olympic or mixed Olympic), and your targeted time of 2:45 would put you in good company - if you like jostling in the swim pack and generally being swept along by the rush of the event.



    I don't know, maybe the age group matters if you are trying to rank or qualify for something. I'm not sure about any of those things.
  • Iain - no worries. 7 months is more than enough time to get up to speed on the swimming. This time last year I could barely swim 4 lengths without stopping. Last May I did a sprint triathlon and alternated between crawl and breaststroke, and by August I managed to do the full 1500 crawl without stopping in the London triathlon (31mins). Noone looks stupid - the other competitors are way too busy trying to keep going, and the spectators are just filled with awe that anyone is swimming that far in any stroke at all (I was one of them 2 yrs ago!).



    Sicknote - I did the 30-34 age group last year and a friend did the mixed group. The only difference is slight speed and competitiveness. The open group is marginally slower (and hence better for your morale - you'll beat more people), but it's also the only way to compete against any friends who are older or younger. I'm going to do the open group this year so that I feel as if I'm going faster even if I'm not! However, if you want to measure yourself against your age group then go for the age option.

  • AlgarniAlgarni Posts: 46
    Iain



    I agree with all the others. You have got loads of time to improve your technique and stamina in front crawl. When I did London tri 3 years ago I couldn't make it 1500m open water without doing breast stroke at least once (and i considered myself to be a great swimmer).



    It doesn't matter what you look like in the water because once you complete it you will have forgotten about all this fuss and be thinking about the next time you can enter!!



    Go hard and enjoy Iain!!!
  • nickbnickb Posts: 13
    ...Just do it mate, the London Tri is one of the biggest and has more first timers than any other Tri so trust me never worry about looking / feeling silly. I personally have far more respect for people who aren't confident in the swim specifically but still give it a go than the wannabe Pro who smashes over anyone / everyone to get some open water.



    Triathlon is the best sport in the world (in my opinion) so give it a go - trust me you'll love it and you'll be faster than you think !
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