davem

You are clearly not trying hard enough on your swim sets.

Plenty of dirt and tar roads to do at least a 10km brick. Go out the back, keep right onto a dirt road which then swings left, just keep going down the hill. When you hit the end, turn left. When you get to 5km, turn round and retrace steps. The run back up the hill is long and will make you tough.

That picture quite clearly indicates that the payment method of credit card is attracting a fee which is in contravention of Mastercard and Visa rules. They will have a seriously difficult time trying to talk their way out of that. If the amount was a separate line item included in the transaction total before the payment page and not directly next to both the card logos, they may have got away with it.

A few questions for the wetsuit specialists. I have a Blue Seventy Helix which has loyally served me for five years. When I started as a skinny runt, it fitted perfectly. Now as a slightly less skinny runt, it feels tighter round the shoulders. I have also always felt hindered in the shoulder area. My shoulders fatigue far quicker in the suit than in the pool. I concentrate on making sure the wetsuit is as high possible so that my arms naturally extend forwards when horizontal. It feels the best that the suit can. My questions: Do the less budget wetsuits have different 'feel' / resistance in the shoulders. What makes them different? Panel structure / material etc? Sleeveless seems a better bet for resistance but you lose insulation in colder waters. Do the arms have any other benefits? Buoyancy is not an issue.

Doing my first off road duathlon this Sunday. Getting very excited. Have only ridden my MTB 4 times. Did 36km on the Spruit/Alberts Farm and up to the Water Tower on Sat. It felt like at least 120km on the road. It is damn tough but lots of fun. Hopefully Blue Hills is not too technical. Anyone with prior knowledge of the course?

Did you fall on your head? After a marathon to start, 180km of cycling, you would like me to swim 3.8km (most likely in the dark)? Eish, you may get ten entrants for that event. Half would need rescuing. Pumping adrenalin is your friend. Cold muscles - warm up properly, it is free. Cold water - we have wetsuits now (not free). The risks in triathlon have nothing to do with the sport per se. They have all to do with: Undetected genetic conditions which rear their head at the wrong time. Know your family history. Know your own health. Ill prepared athletes. Insufficient preparation including practicing the scenarios of an open water swim. No wetsuit. No warm up. Sick athletes. Racing while ill is just a bad idea. Machismo. The sport has become about pain caves, tri hard or die trying type attitudes (sorry simhen), PBs and water starts that would scare a testicle grabbing Samoan rugby player. All these risks can be well managed by becoming proficient in the technical aspects of the sport. It is not just about how fit and strong you are.

What complete bollocks. Unhealthy people die. Healthy people die. Unhealthy people die on average younger. At my first Ironman, aged 40, I was beaten by a 70 year old! Embarrassing, yes, completely frigging awesome too. I hope at 70 I can beat some cheeky little 40 year old!

I am a little cynical when it comes to coaches for age groupers. Most of the workouts are cut and paste and to be quite honest doing your first 70.3, you are not trying to hone your body to peak at 100.00% of your potential. You are not likely to be fussy over seconds or even minutes. If you are aiming for the pointy end of the race then a coach is essential to beat you into submission and drain every fraction of a percent from your body. There are free programs in every Tri mag and all over the internet. Read them and understand what each set achieves. Build up a program yourself by understanding what each session is trying to achieve: base, endurance, strength and speed. Understand the effect each session has on your body and how long it takes for your body to recover. This will enable you to pace yourself without burning out. HRM with TE and EPOC are really useful. Don't leave out your weaknesses. Do sessions that are enjoyable. A mountain bike ride with mates might not be as perfect as a tempo ride on the road, but it is most of the way there and is good for the soul. If you miss out on a session, it is gone. Don't try and make it up. Don't feel guilty (my personal biggest challenge). The secret is to find a routine that works for you in order to build your own program. You know what is weak in your own skills set and improve it. Discipline in sticking to your routine is your first victory. Training with others is a major motivator to comply with your routine. Somehow you share the pain and pleasure. Talk to people in the swimming pool! I am always amazed at how guys swim on and on without chatting to other people. It makes the time go quicker and you do put in more effort. If you don't feel like doing a session, commit to do the first small bit, say 20 lengths of a swim set. If you are still not in the mood, get out and go home. Most times you will finish the set. Hope this helps. Most importantly enjoy the journey because race day is just too short.

I think it was I who was the OP. Had lots of suggestions from the forum but the reality was that I already had the bug. In the end just took everything the chemist gave me. It didn't stop the head cold but probably helped hasten the passage.

Sort of implicates those who did not test positive but are up with the proven dopers. You don't actually want to be on this list if you want to maintain the image of racing clean.

Whether it is right or wrong, it has always been forcefully and consistently applied by WESA. Does this fall under the ambit of the Consumer Protection Act? As the supply/service has not yet been rendered, is it possible to exit the contract. Is it possible for WESA to contract out of the CPA? Or am I barking up the wrong tree.

What a great idea!

Why dilute two great events by having on the same weekend? Is the market really that big?

Please post more history, stats and stories. I am planning on doing the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon next year. You just got me all excited again. It is too big a challenge to resist.

Probably spent 45 minutes with me. Was mid week so pretty quiet in the shop. I havent spent much in the shop other than on the shoes I have bought. It is still worth the money to get the right shoe.

No. Part of his service. He videoed me in several pairs of shoes on the treadmill and compared the various angles on the screen. It was quite obvious which shoes worked the best on my design reject feet.

ummm, am i a real ironman?

Mike at SBR is your man!

I think some of those fines have been pretty weighty. Enough to significantly move share price. Telkom is trying to get out of a recommended multi billion fine. The health minister is actually trying to limit the price of medicine. The pharmacies are complaining because they are making too little. Your point is the wrong way round.

Just noticed. I used to have one. Must disappeared in the blackhole with all our threads.

Share a van with a big furry cat? If you try and cuddle....

One of the advantages of ADH is that you ride a road bike which you can hire for not very much for the week. The bikes they rent are better spec than my current road bike.

Can a single store business with a single owner really be involved in price fixing? Have no doubt on the distributor side, but the little guy is more a passenger who basically charges RRP.

If they doubled the tax on cigarettes, how far would it go towards paying for eTolls?

Haha. The big attraction is that I want to be able to say I raced up Alpe d'Huez clean. Something not many TDFers have done. The water is 15 deg. Wetsuit compulsory. (per the website). 2.2km swim, 115km bike, 22km run (dirt roads, not really trail run).