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So...hows your year been?

Posted this on my clubs forum as I like to see how people have done and share their highs/lows.
So.....as per subject.

Mine.....

Started training with the club after Brigg 2009 and to sum up....

Loved the swim training....swimming is easier but still need to work on technique and gain speed - approx a minute knocked off 400m time

Open water swimming....superb! Going to be a long wait until the new season.

Time trials have been a great measure of the constant improvements - some bike related, some just with increased fitness/technique.

Overall...

Superb off road duathlon around Kirmington. more of the same please!
SIS Hull 1 April - 19seconds behind my mate - felt like a victory!
Dambusters - Rubbish! Poorly sick before the event...least said the better!
Hyde Park - Highlight of the year, good event, good result achieved with good company
London Excel - promised much but lacked the buzz of Hyde Park, will return in 2010 tho!
Burringham duathlon - wobbly legs..and then some!
Isle of Mann End2End - Oh my word..........cramping just thinking about it
Brigg Sprint - Grrrrr mistakenly thinking i had a puncture I pressed on instead of checking the bike and trying to overcome a sticking brake! Good swim and run tho!
Hull2 October - hard driving rain made the event actually more enjoyable.

Anyone else?

Comments

  • Morg007Morg007 Posts: 54
    Decided to increase to 4 races this year with on a month may to august.

    Training for these went well in swim and running, but 2 bike accidents slowed me down with that side of training

    Stratford very chaotic and a slow bike but great run rescued it.... the less said about me miscounting the loops in the pool and doing a long swim the better

    Blenheim improved by 7 mins from last year including improvements in swim and bike. Run slower than last year as heat got to me... learnt more in this race about hydration and what my personal needs are than in any race after.

    Upton... a great OD tri. wetsuit optional in the river severn so gave it a try without wetsuit. Enjoyed this experience but think I will use wetsuit next season at this race as the time gained in transition was lost (and more) on the bike due to my temp being lower on bike etc

    London Docklands my main A list. Improved by 11 mins from last year but too many people in swim so lost time being stuck in amongst other swimmer (but thats racing so no complaints). Smashed my bike time from last year too so my earlyt season worries were eased and I had done some great work in the summer. Run could have been better if I'm honest and have discovered I coast too much in the run and almost feel scared to push it that bit more.

    Now just Bham half marathon to complete in October as an end of season fun run....

    overall I have defined my strengths and weakenesses more and will use the triathletes training bible this season to plan my training better
  • Had a tickety-boo year looking back at it. This was the year that I went long, and my one and only goal for the whole year was to finish IM UK within the cut-offs, and to enjoy myself in the process.

    Before 2010, I'd never ridden a road bike over 60 miles, or run more than a half marathon, so I know I needed to train, so followed the BeIronFit plan as best as I could, and in the process of training for IM, I entered a selection of 'other' events to keep my training focused. So 2010 events consisted of:

    2 x coastal trail half marathons
    2 x trail half marathons
    3 x 10 mile trail runs
    2 x 5km swims
    2 x 1500m OW swims
    1 x 160km Sportive
    1 x 190km Sportive
    1 x Sprint Tri
    2 x half IM Tri's, and
    1 x IM Tri.

    All races completed, and I learnt a lot about my physical and mental abilities, and about training, nutrition etc etc. Escaped the year relatively injury free, only a few niggles, which were dealt with properly (rest) and therefore didn't become issues. I got coaxed into doing a 10km swim in a pool, which I did, and still can't quite believe it. I've swum in pools, lakes, reservoirs, rivers and the sea. I've been in the saddle for up to 9 hours non stop.

    Would I have changed anything, probably not. In fact, subject to finally making my mind up and entering IM Wales in 2011, I'll probably follow the same path next year, but push a little, harder and faster, as finishing won't be the goal, but a quicker time will be.

    Met some fantastic people in my journey.

    Got made redundant, and found another job.

    However, 2010 still has almost three months left, and I've still got a couple of half marathons and a marathon to knock out between now and the end.
  • big4ndybig4ndy Posts: 24
    Hi folks

    My year was successful for completely different reasons to you experienced fellas.

    Following a few years of sitting on my bum doing nothing I piled the weight on. Last Christmas I pulled the bathroom scales out and saw 16st 12.

    Time for a change!

    I roped a mate into entering a sprint tri in the Scottish borders and training began.

    I finished the Sprint in 1hr 20 dead lost 2 1/2 stone and 6 inches off the love handles.

    So next year will be my 1st full year at it. So the 1hr 20 WILL be beaten and I'm going to do an Olympic too.

    Cheers
  • Good news Big4ndy, focus on your weaknesses, and hopefully the time will be bettered, but the all round fitness and weight loss is of great benefit.
  • R34PERR34PER Posts: 8
    big4ndy wrote:
    Hi folks

    My year was successful for completely different reasons to you experienced fellas.

    Following a few years of sitting on my bum doing nothing I piled the weight on. Last Christmas I pulled the bathroom scales out and saw 16st 12.

    Time for a change!

    I roped a mate into entering a sprint tri in the Scottish borders and training began.

    I finished the Sprint in 1hr 20 dead lost 2 1/2 stone and 6 inches off the love handles.

    So next year will be my 1st full year at it. So the 1hr 20 WILL be beaten and I'm going to do an Olympic too.

    Cheers
    My story is simlar. I have always been pretty active with football and mountain biking but a few injuries and the like put me out for a couple of years and i piled on some extra poundage. My mrs asked me to sign up to the warwick tri in the novice event with her so with about four weeks to go i agreed.

    I weighed in (just shy of 20 stone and didnt really lose much before the event) and got a little worried, forgot how different actual swimming is to splashing about in the pool and deided to focus on my my bike as its what i do best out of the three and swim a ouple of times a week.

    Anyway, swim killed me and i got cramp in both of my feet which stayed through the bike leg too which was a nightmare being unable to bend the toes back clipped in, in pretty rigid shoes. I think the novice was the right way to go for me since i'd probably still be finishing the sprint now

    i was kinda happy with not coming last (63rd out of 81 i think) with the worst swim and run and an ok bike (i'm sure they never took the traffic light wating time off though) but the cramp really dented my times so i signed up to do the same event in may to beat my time followed by trentham sprint in july.

    i'm still wanting to add some other events to the list too but i'm not sure which yet since i dont really know much about each event. I looked at upton but its the day before trentham and i'm already signed up for that with a few friends, is it too much to do two sprints in a weekend?

    Any event recommendations?
  • Doesn't seem right posting my novice year's results alongside those of Ironmen, but here goes..

    The last bike I owned had stabilisers, and the last time I swam a length in a pool I was wearing arm bands even so set a target of the London Triathlon at the beginning of the year. An epileptic fit back in February put pay to any open water swimming so no London tri this year. Not to worry pool swimming was still allowed.

    Training with the local swim club, and more specifically their coach, has got me from splashing my way to a maximumn of 50m before collapsing to watching youtube to improve my skulling, catch and glide (and practising it in the pool).

    Crystal Palace Sprint (1.44.49): Nervous as hell as I lined up to start my first event, but felt a lot better as I started to over take other swimmers. Could hear my father-in-law telling me to hurry up (cheeky bastard) and saw my one month old baby girl - with a "come on daddy" board as I ran out towards transition.

    Bike was good, and learnt the valuable lessons of ensuring you start in a low gear. More Importantly I learnt to count the laps correctly as I put in an extra 2.5k

    Run, running out of transition realised that the only thing that was going to stop me finishing was me - wonderful feeling as I crossed the line.

    White Oak Tri (sprint 1.54.01): beat my more experienced friend by 3 minutes. nuff said.

    London Duathlon (2.15.08): set myself a target of 2.15 and by my poncy watch (garmin 405) paced myself to come in a few minutes under. Gutted to see official time, but chuffed that was able to run a consistent time.

    End of year impresson: Loved it, and quietly pleased with how it went though need to work out how to put more training in. Bring on London Tri 2011
  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    Rubbish year (in tri terms):

    Got engaged in January, so no money for entry fees. Work paid for me to do the marketing industry triathlon in July at Dorney though, so I had at least one training goal for the year. I was training ok (though suffering with a severe lack of motivation) - then got run over while out cycling which buggered things a bit. I managed to drag myself around in 2:36 (beat the other guys in the office, which is always nice). I really struggled on the bike.

    Did a sprint in Wales which was cool. Again dragged myself around the bike course and finished in 1:20. Not happy with the time, but it was good fun.

    On the plus side. I've joined a great cycling club that means i am getting consitent milage in at the weekend and plan to do some races with them next year which should help excorcise my cycling demons.

    Next year i had planned to do a full distance, but a wedding slap bang in the middle of the year put paid to that. I think i will have a crack at Vitruvian though and then some local sprint and oly distance events with a few single discipline events thrown in for fun/training.
  • SickBoySickBoy Posts: 19
    I made my triathlon debut this year, opting for the Henley sprint tri which is where I grew up. Bike split let me down a little but since I'd only had the bike for a couple of months before the race I was pleased with the time I put in - 1:23, 51st place.

    Then managed to squeeze in the Great London Swim (28:30) as my first open water event just before my wife gave birth to our second child.

    Am now hooked on triathlon and have my sights set on an Ironman in the future (have purchased Be Iron Fit on Triumphant's reccomendation so hopefully will be able to find time to increase the distances I'm covering in training in between changing nappies)

    Have plans to do several sprints next year, Warwick, Henley, Blenheim, Stratford and Reading Olympic distance as well as the GLS again, gradually moving towards Iron distance!

    The rest of the year is going to be spent trying to stay fit and working on my bike technique & fitness so I can use the bigger gears and go a bit faster.

    No lows other than falling off the bike a lot as I learnt how to use SPD pedals :roll:
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    TRIumphant wrote:
    I got coaxed into doing a 10km swim in a pool, which I did, and still can't quite believe it.
    a 10,000M pool swim? 400 lengths, or was it a 50M pool and "only" 200 lengths?!

    Personally, I've had an up and down year. I had a great start at Chirk Sprint even taking into account a poor swim, I absolutely loved that, the bike course really suited me and I did 1.15.

    I finished with the North West Tri in Nantwich, managed 1.12.something and it went pretty much as well as could be expected.

    In between I had some issues. I've had trouble fitting in enough training with family and work. This meant I DNF'd the Trentham Big Half - though if they'd not changed from a flat bike course to a hilly one four days before I'm sure I'd have got round.

    As a result I've had a reevaluation. I've decided (for the moment) to jump off the conveyor belt that leads to Ironman races via sprint, OD and middle distance. I'm going to concentrate on quality training rather than quantity with a view to getting quicker at sprints and Olys. I will focus in particular on my swimming over the winter, as this is crap compared to my bike and run.

    Next year therefore will be probably three or so sprints and an Oly. Chirk will be one, not 100% about the others yet. I'd like to get under 1.10 if I could.

    In the meantime my tri club (Chester) has a full programme of club winter events to enjoy!
  • BexHBexH Posts: 226
    Fab fab fab, plagued with lurgies and work stress but... have completed my first Oly in a nice time and just did my first marathon this weekend (max run before was 11 miles as my training plan went awry with work and time passed me by!) but I did it so pretty chuffed. Got a few top 10 ladies placings at local smaller events too so all good. Have entered Austria 70.3 now so best get some biking and running in over the winter and avoid the lurgies eh?!
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 335
    knocked 6 mins of sprint time - now under 1.30

    first Oly - benefit of being completely last you win the booby prize - 3 sports bras

    depressing DNF at Antwerp 70.3

    first HM and managed better than expected under 2.30

    first costal trail 10k - most fun ever on a run

    used clip ins and only fell over twice

    didn't budge the weight I wanted to - yo-yo and achilles played up but still addicted :roll:
  • cw_74cw_74 Posts: 11
    Late post..... loved ths year's tri season, managed to clock a PB at Blenheim, also got a PB at the Southend Half Marathon, got the quickest run leg in my club in the Eastern Region Relay Tri (which is a big shock!) and completed x2 Half Ironman events for the first season (UK and New Forest)

    Only low was crashing on the run for the New Forest due to going way to hard on the bike and really struggling on the hills.... lesson learn't though to pace and ride my own race rather than chase a mate on the swim and bike. Also good lesson for more disciplined training after I found it hard to motivate myself at the end of the season after training all year mainly on my own

    High's were the completion of the UK Half and the experience and also winning the friendly competition between myself and a mate over 3 tri's. We scored each discipline out of 10 points (each minute off the winner and your points dropped) inc transition and then kept a total overall score for each event
    He is a much better swimmer and got max points, I scored max on the bike which is my best leg but I managed to up my run this season and pipped him at each event to come home the winner by 6 points!

    Next year I am booked up for the California 70.3 and plan to tackle the Cowman and a few other tri's and also hope to get on my works Enduro team where we race other companies to Paris for our charity of the year. Quit football this season to concentrate on tri's so fingers crossed I manage to keep injury free and grab a PB or two!

    Cheers all
  • largeadelargeade Posts: 166
    A year of firsts

    1st 100 mile sportive (Castle 100)
    1st 70.3 (Wimbleball)
    1st Middle Distance (Cowman)
    1st Marathon (Amsterdam)

    Component parts proven, IMUK next year.
  • So how you follow that.

    1st........Year of Tri

    May: 1st Tri Ever Crystal Palace. 1 hour 34 pleased to finish a little disapointed with the result.

    I will do this in around 1 hour 22 next year Minimum.

    Aug: Southhampton Fast Twitch 1 hour 17 pleased with this time beautiful bike course.

    Spent 2.5K on Carbon Porn

    Sept: 1st open water swim Royal Windsor 3.8k 1 hour 14 very pleased felt like a cruise. allbeit a very cold cruise.

    Sept Dorney Votvo Sprint Triathlon 1 Hour 21 despite stopping on bike due to leaving timing chip in T1

    this really highlighted my problem swim 13.5 minutes bike approx 35 mins run 28mins. I came off the bike in 21st position and finished the run in 44th position god dam it. the run is killing me.
    (also need to learn to get my wetsuit off faster and put my timing chip back on if it falls off

    This needs to be addressed next year I have already paced up to 8.5min/mile for 10k and need to move on.

    Joined Blackheath and Bromley Tri club to push me on the running side.

    Waiting for Antwerpe 70.3 to open up Getting married in July 2011 the week before i think :roll:

    Got back from 50k bike today comfortable ride sharp cold but beautiful in the Kent countryside.
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