Give it a TRI

[Neverfit]

Ok...so I have entered a sprint Tri in October - 11global at Suncity. As I have only been cycling, the whole swimming and even running is fairly new to me.

Started with swimming as this is my weakest discipline. Week 1 did not go well so starting with some lessons coming Saturday.

I am worried about the swimming as this is where i see I will loose the most time, and spent the most energy.

What is a decent distance to cover before I attempt a open water swim. At this stage , I do laps in an 25m indoor pool. Can do 20-30 laps with a short stop at each end.

 

Must admit I enjoy exercising more than 1 sport, keeps it interesting! Looking forward to actually not drowning and starting to enjoy the challenges.

[EmJayZA]

There is no real rule of thumb. The best suggestion I can give you is to get in open water and practice. I can't think of anywhere that will be ok to swim now with a wetsuit though. Otherwise just stick to the pool. If you have anxiety in the water, you will need to practice in open water though, or at least in a pool in a crowded lane. 

 

A sprint swim is very short, so even if you battle through it, you should be fine. You can alternate between backstroke and crawl to make it easier. Before my first Sprint, I only did one open water swim. I managed just fine. Was out of breath at the start, but managed to get through the rest with no issues. 

 

Improving swimming needs dedication though. I am in the pool 4 times a week. Gains are very quick at the start, and you will be swimming 1km sets in no time. You just need to learn to pace yourself. 

Edited August 2, 2017 by EmJayZA

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

So this weekend a pad fell off the aero bars i'm borrowing (the thread was stripped). It flew off, I turned around and by the time I arrived a car had squashed it flat. The main issue is that these aren't my bars and I need to find another piece! My LBS said it will be hard so i'm wondering f anyone has spares for this model. Secondary issue is that I don't have tri-bars for my first tri race at Bela Bela. How much slower are the drops compared to the tri position? 

 

http://i.imgur.com/0pEt9Ck.jpg

 

So these are impossible to find so it was hammered straight? again! Now for some etch primer and new paint and should be good as new! Might as well paint both. Also the thread needs a helicoil to stop it happening again!

 

http://i.imgur.com/TaSbRFQ.jpg

Edited August 4, 2017 by Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Davey_Jones]

Ok...so I have entered a sprint Tri in October - 11global at Suncity. As I have only been cycling, the whole swimming and even running is fairly new to me.

Started with swimming as this is my weakest discipline. Week 1 did not go well so starting with some lessons coming Saturday.

I am worried about the swimming as this is where i see I will loose the most time, and spent the most energy.

What is a decent distance to cover before I attempt a open water swim. At this stage , I do laps in an 25m indoor pool. Can do 20-30 laps with a short stop at each end.

 

Must admit I enjoy exercising more than 1 sport, keeps it interesting! Looking forward to actually not drowning and starting to enjoy the challenges.

Try get to a 50m pool and do some laps there.  You will be surprised how much that helps as well.  The 50m pools are also very deep so help acclimatize a little more to open water.  Try do a few drills like swimming with your eyes closed and see if you start swimming skew, then try some sigting drills where every 10th stroke or so take a quick look forward with your breath stroke.  So if you breath to the right when you start your right arm recovery your head follows your arms forward and your eyes just break the surface of the water before you look down again (think crocodile eyes) this will help you keep straight and swimming extra meters.  It takes quite a bit of practise to get your eyes out the water without dropping your legs (which applies the brakes).

 

I'll most likely also be at 11 global probably doing the sprint and the olympic

Edited August 4, 2017 by Davey_Jones

[Dullscalpel]

I am looking to rent a wetsuit for my first tri- any suggestions regarding companies that do this?

[Rocket-Boy]

I am looking to rent a wetsuit for my first tri- any suggestions regarding companies that do this?

xterra wetsuits, Terry is the guy to chat to. I think they are in CT so that should make it easier for you.

[mon-goose]

terry from xterra

 

Terry

0794824658

[gurns]

So this weekend a pad fell off the aero bars i'm borrowing (the thread was stripped). It flew off, I turned around and by the time I arrived a car had squashed it flat. The main issue is that these aren't my bars and I need to find another piece! My LBS said it will be hard so i'm wondering f anyone has spares for this model. Secondary issue is that I don't have tri-bars for my first tri race at Bela Bela. How much slower are the drops compared to the tri position? 

 

http://i.imgur.com/0pEt9Ck.jpg

I have searched high and low for that arm pad and I cannot find the one that I thought I had. Cheers

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

I have searched high and low for that arm pad and I cannot find the one that I thought I had. Cheers

Thank you so much but I have sunk man hours into it and it looks as new! Should be good for this weekend.

[Dullscalpel]

Guys, I did my first triathlon on Sunday ???? so glad to have popped that cherry! Now to get faster ????

[Rocket-Boy]

Guys, I did my first triathlon on Sunday so glad to have popped that cherry! Now to get faster

The bug bites pretty hard, its a good bug though.

[gurns]

Guys, I did my first triathlon on Sunday so glad to have popped that cherry! Now to get faster

Awesome. Well done!

How about a race report ?

[EmJayZA]

Guys, I did my first triathlon on Sunday so glad to have popped that cherry! Now to get faster

 

Congrats lady! Would love to read a race report. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by EmJayZA

[Chris_]

Guys, I did my first triathlon on Sunday so glad to have popped that cherry! Now to get faster

 

Also, how was the swim? I don't imagine that dam has much water left in it..

[Dullscalpel]

Ok, this is my first time writing a race report, so please bear with me...

 

So the MiWay Cape Ultra triathlon took place on Sunday 24 September at the Theewater Sports Club in Villiersdorp (literally just outside of Franschhoek). The dam is at 25% capacity, which was enough to swim in. On a side note: guys, when you see how empty the dams are :eek:   you understand why there are such strict restrictions.

Weather was overcast and chilly! The temp at the start of the race was 8 degrees. There was a bit of a wind, and water temp was 14 degrees... which was a horrible lie! More like -14 degrees!!!

I did the sprint, so I can only account for the sprint routes, not the 70.3 routes.

Anyway, the first race was supposed to start at 7.15. Everything ran late for some reason- the organisers didn't let us know why. The swim start was a waist deep swim start and the water was icy cold. The moment my body was submerged, every muscle in my body seized. I saw a guy tap out after 100m. The best way to describe the swim is frantic. About half of the competitors were swimming backstroke because the waves were insane. I swallowed more water than I care to remember. Once the swim was over, it was the loooooonngg trek to the transition zone- from the water to the transition zone was almost 500m! By the time I got to transition, I think I had used about 70% of my energy- just on keeping warm and battling the waves during the swim.

 

The bike leg of the race was great.The route itself was not too challenging. The hills were not too steep, but enough to make you work for it. Unfortunately, there were crosswinds when I started, and headwinds on the return. Winds aside, the ride could potentially be a very fast one.

The run route was through private farms. It wasn't a trail run and it wasn't a road run. I found that I wasn't used to running on that type of ground so my calves started cramping. The run didn't have hills per se, just a slight increase in gradient. Overall, the run route was quiet and fairly scenic.

 

The volunteers were very helpful and cheerful. Overall, it was a well organised event full of gees. My only 'issue' was that there were no distance markers on the ride or run. Maybe I am just weird and need to see them for my own sanity. Despite a few hiccups, it was a great race

[EmJayZA]

Well done! Sounds like the swim was crazy. Did you do the swim with a wetsuit? 

 

As for distances, if you have a sports watch, you will be able to tell where you are, or how far you have gone. If you are serious about tris, this should probably be your first investment. Makes my life a lot easier. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by EmJayZA