'First Time Triathlete' - The Novice Thread

Bambaata

Ive used both Seal XP's and Kaiman's from Aquasphere and neither have fogged on me. I always go for the clear lens too. I cant comment on the use of mirrored ones im afraid.

kerinsp

Hi all,

You all had great times there in valentia. I did the NAC one (my first) yesterday. According to the time chip thingy I got:
time = 1:32:11
swim = 18:13
T1 = 2:18 (took me ages to get my socks on)
cycle = 46:40
T2 = 1:30
Run = 23:40

I had a great time and found it tough but there is room for improvement. I got held up a couple of times in the swim, nothing major and I ran the last 1k in hailstones with a show lace open. I couldn't understand how people were passing me so easily on the bike! Should you horse it along in the hard gears as best you can or pedal faster in an easier gear? Would a better bike help at all? I have a road bike with tiny tyres.

Is there any other tri suitable for beginers coming up in the next few months? (I think I am too late to register for athy)

Paul

liamo

MCOS wrote: »

What causes the fogging? (other than temperature)
How do you look after your goggles? Do you dry them after a swim etc...?
Has anyone had goggles that never fogged or leaked?
Do they have a shelf life?

Thank you

My (layman's) understanding of what causes fogging? Temperature and moisture. Moisture between the goggle lens and your face + cold lens (from the water) = condensation.

I have the Aqua-Sphere Eagles also. Initially they didn't fog but after some use the fogging started and just got worse from there until I started using anti-fog spray. Since I started using anti-fog spray I haven't had any fogging issues. I believe it's simply a mild detergent solution and you can roll your own if you wish but I just pay the few Euro for a little bottle that lasts months.

I swapped out the clear lenses for the shaded ones. The shaded lenses don't give me any bother in the pool and they help on a bright outdoor swim.

I always rinse my goggles (and cap and swim-trunks) after a pool swim.
I don't know if it's strictly necessary but I can't imagine all that chlorine can be good for them.

As for shelf-life, I've just bought a new pair of Aqua-Sphere Eagles after about a year of use. (3-4 pool swims per week). They're starting to get a little leaky now and I constantly have to tighten the straps. I can't complain, a year of regular and comfortable use is pretty good value.


Regards,

Liam

messed_up

kerinsp wrote: »

Hi all,

You all had great times there in valentia. I did the NAC one (my first) yesterday. According to the time chip thingy I got:
time = 1:32:11
swim = 18:13
T1 = 2:18 (took me ages to get my socks on)
cycle = 46:40
T2 = 1:30
Run = 23:40

I had a great time and found it tough but there is room for improvement. I got held up a couple of times in the swim, nothing major and I ran the last 1k in hailstones with a show lace open. I couldn't understand how people were passing me so easily on the bike! Should you horse it along in the hard gears as best you can or pedal faster in an easier gear? Would a better bike help at all? I have a road bike with tiny tyres.

Is there any other tri suitable for beginers coming up in the next few months? (I think I am too late to register for athy)

Paul

Hi Paul,

Was at the NAC too - managed to get withing a couple of hundred metres before the hailstones attacked, but had a blast. Well organised and a fun course.

Think its too late for Athy but I believe that the Rock Triathlon is a god one for beginners on the 6th of June- shallow 500M sea swim and a 16/8k bike/run leg. Thinking about doing it myself - www.setantatri.com for details

Stark

Had my first tri at the NAC too. Overall time 1:18 which I was reasonably happy with. Was disappointed with the swim though, as I did slower racing than I would training. Think the lack of a warmup got to me, was struggling for the first few lengths before I warmed up. Messed up most of the turns as well, didn't get much of a kickoff from the wall. Lost about 20 places in the overall results due to the swim. Put it down to first time in a swim race I suppose.

interested

MCOS wrote: »

Whats the purpose of mirrored goggles? Do they help swimming towards the sunlight? If not do you need shaded goggles for sunny days?

What causes the fogging? (other than temperature)
How do you look after your goggles? Do you dry them after a swim etc...?
Has anyone had goggles that never fogged or leaked?
Do they have a shelf life?

Thank you

purpose of mirrored goggles: to make you look cooler 'sall I can think of
The 'smokey' or dark lenses help swimming into the sun - some tri's start early in the morning and there can be sections into sunshine (when we get some here) which makes buoys very hard to spot - smokey lenses work better than clear lenses in these conditions imho.

hmm ... why goggles fog ? diff in temperature that your body (eye sockets) is generating and the water ?? tis my guess anyhow. I never bought into the anti-fog goggles to be honest. Typically I spit in em, wiggle it about with a thumb, rinse it with sea water during the warm up - as long as theres a good seal around your eye socket and you're not giving yourself a headache with the straps - all should be fine.

Goggle care: I use a few different pairs of goggles all the time - to ensure that if a strap breaks or I loose a pair Im not all stressed if Ive to race in a different pair. If I think of it Ill clear the lenses inside and out of as grime as I can get at from time to time ... lenses can get scratched pretty easily so might be useful to store them in something similar to the cleaning clothes supplied with bike or running shades. I mentioned previously that it can be wise to check the nose piece and straps for ware and tear so that you can grab a back up pair - preferably before standing on a boom in athy or at the start of a any race.

Leaking / Fogging goggles: I use goggles with no rims so once the strap is tight enough there's generally no leaks at all ... unless a strap is too loose or breaks. IMHO, nearly all goggles will fog a little - if the lenses are in good nick it should still be possible to get on with the swim though. Ive had to stop to spot a turn or small buoy but never to clear fogged goggles.

Goggle shelf life: hmm ... straps break and may be hard to get replacements - can be most cost effective to buy new goggles. I guess if the lenses are really scratched up from whatever else is in your swim bag or they've been stood on in T1 they're worth replacing ... personal choice but if you're buying the latest and greatest carbon widget for the bike then a set of new goggles for ... I dont know 20 euro's once or twice a season shouldnt been too much

Hope this helps

Genghis

I take a different approach to goggles. Instead of spending €20.00-€30.00 on a pair (like I used to) I now buy goggles in places like Aldi and Tesco. Cheap, functional and not the end of the world if you lose them. If I see them in stock I buy 4-5 pairs.

I find if I manage to get 4-5 months use in pools, sea and rivers before losing them or them breaking they need to be replaced.

tagoona

Hi Genghis,
I think many cheap pairs to be a false economy. I bought a pair of speedo futura ice for about 25E maybe 2 years ago.
The quality , comfort and fit of them means I spend less time fiddling with them everytime I get in the water. I also find the seal around the eyes is better.
Also different goggles fit differently around the nose (some brands tend to rub and cut the bridge of my nose).

But as with everything else, whatever works for you is best!

tunney

tagoona wrote: »

Hi Genghis,
I think many cheap pairs to be a false economy. I bought a pair of speedo futura ice for about 25E maybe 2 years ago.
The quality , comfort and fit of them means I spend less time fiddling with them everytime I get in the water. I also find the seal around the eyes is better.
Also different goggles fit differently around the nose (some brands tend to rub and cut the bridge of my nose).

But as with everything else, whatever works for you is best!

Goggles only last for 6 months. Then the seals and the rest get eaten away by the chlorine.

Genghis

tagoona wrote: »

Hi Genghis,
I think many cheap pairs to be a false economy. I bought a pair of speedo futura ice for about 25E maybe 2 years ago.
The quality , comfort and fit of them means I spend less time fiddling with them everytime I get in the water. I also find the seal around the eyes is better.
Also different goggles fit differently around the nose (some brands tend to rub and cut the bridge of my nose).

But as with everything else, whatever works for you is best!

I'm sure your Futura Ice are as good as you say, but I don't find the problems you allude to with the cheaper goggles. Fit is always good, seal is always good and aside from the first wear, adjustment is minimal.

The worst experience I ever had with goggles was actually having bought an expensive pair of 'diver style' goggles that started to let in about 300m into a 1,500m lake swim (one eye) and about 1,200m in (both eyes) - naturally these problems had not been apparent in testing / training of same.

I did everything I could to adjust mid-swim and contemplated on more than one occassion withdrawing from the race, but in the end chose to swim practically blind. Funny thing was I came out of the lake at the same time as a club-mate who'd normally be 2 mins up on me. I guess the inner rage at the failure of the expensive goggles translated into extra power in the water!

recharge

Hi all, ive being intrested in doing a trinow for awhile and recently got my new bike and started to adjust my training to doing a triathlon.

Im sorry if this sounds stupid but when your new you generally are stupid to the way of things!!! How do ye measure a 750m sea swim?? is it just guessing or is there some trick to it that i didnt cop on to yet??

On a aside note this is a excellent forum and ive learned alot from reading thease pages, i was always put off doing a tri because i wouldnt know what to do or how but this forum has answered alot of questions and spurred me on. Fairplay to all

Stark

If you start and finish at landmark points, you can use www.gmap-pedometer.com or www.mapmytri.com to measure out the distance. For example, I was able to mark out the distance between the bathing shelters at Bull Wall.

hunnymonster

gps is another option byt most people just swim for a bit longer than it takes them to do 750m in the pool and guestimate that this will be correct. very few triathlon swims in Ireland are acurately measured.

recharge

Ok thanks for the info, ill just guesstimate and hopefor the best

MaxPower89

I have a quick question about transition from bike to run. The legs become quite cramped and stiff, and they only loosen out after 1.5 k or so. question is is it worth it maybe doing like 10-15 seconds stretching before running? or is it just a case of just running it out?

Also is the only way to prepare to just alternate between the two? to just get used to it.

thanks.

Highway_To_Hell

MaxPower89 wrote: »

I have a quick question about transition from bike to run. The legs become quite cramped and stiff, and they only loosen out after 1.5 k or so. question is is it worth it maybe doing like 10-15 seconds stretching before running? or is it just a case of just running it out?

Also is the only way to prepare to just alternate between the two? to just get used to it.

thanks.

Bike to run is always a killer for me as well, only way to get good at this is proper brick sessions (I don't do enough of this myself) but if I am going for shorter bike sessions 60-90 mins I will wear my tri shorts and have my runners ready to go, still need to get my bike put away and get back out the door without my wife nabbing me to do one just one quick favour befor I head out again.

The duathlons run in the Phoenix park each month are also good brick session.

tunney

If the bike to run is a killer then either you have gone way too hard on the bike or you just simply aren't bike fit.

MaxPower89

tunney wrote: »

If the bike to run is a killer then either you have gone way too hard on the bike or you just simply aren't bike fit.

so its simply a case of more time in the saddle? makes sense. should i be doing leg weights etc. with this?

does everyone wear socks for the run part of a tri(sprint)? or is this a waste of time to get onto wet feet?

mloc123

Are there any hard rules on what you can have in your transition area? I have seen people with plastic boxes for keeping their stuff organised but read somewhere that some events may not allow them? At the last wheelworx duathlon bags were not allowed either.

tunney

mloc123 wrote: »

Are there any hard rules on what you can have in your transition area? I have seen people with plastic boxes for keeping their stuff organised but read somewhere that some events may not allow them? At the last wheelworx duathlon bags were not allowed either.

Ideally you wouldn't have anything in transition as it will get in other peoples way.

Highway_To_Hell

tunney wrote: »

If the bike to run is a killer then either you have gone way too hard on the bike or you just simply aren't bike fit.

"killer" is probably a bit strong. but I live on top of a hill so I would usually push it hard for the last few mins of my bike session and then I also don't get enough time in the saddle.

mloc123

tunney wrote: »

Ideally you wouldn't have anything in transition as it will get in other peoples way.

Whats the best thing to do with the wetsuit? Just through it on the bike rack and onto the bike in T2?

MrCreosote

tunney wrote: »

If the bike to run is a killer then either you have gone way too hard on the bike or you just simply aren't bike fit.

Have to say I'd agree with this. I did lots of bike training last summer. Made some difference to the bike time, but definitely made the run a lot faster- closer to my normal 10k time. The feeling at the start of the run was always unpleasant but it seemed to fade a lot quicker.

Some people say to really spin the legs and stretch out the hamstrings/calves on the last km or so of the bike.

Genghis

MrCreosote wrote: »

Some people say to really spin the legs and stretch out the hamstrings/calves on the last km or so of the bike.

I find this works for me - go to an easy gear and increase your cadence for the last km. Its not always possible, depending on the course, and you may lose a few seconds if you are spinning faster than you normally do, but it certainly wakes up the legs for the run.

tunney

MrCreosote wrote: »

Have to say I'd agree with this. I did lots of bike training last summer. Made some difference to the bike time, but definitely made the run a lot faster- closer to my normal 10k time. The feeling at the start of the run was always unpleasant but it seemed to fade a lot quicker.

Some people say to really spin the legs and stretch out the hamstrings/calves on the last km or so of the bike.

The "really sping the legs" etc etc - all that does is let the legs recover if you've overcooked the bike and aren't bike fit. If you have paced it correctly and are bike fit you'll be racing to the dismount line and running well from the start.

mloc123

http://www.youtube.com/user/GatoradeUK

Some interesting videos here for other noobs.. ignore all the product placement.

new2triathlon

Hi-first time posting on this thread. Have got so much advice and questions answers from reading thread religiously!! Tri-Athy sprint will only be my 2nd triathlon- and the first which I've done with a winters training behind me. Originally Posted by tunney If the bike to run is a killer then either you have gone way too hard on the bike or you just simply aren't bike fit. I have been consistent with bike training sessions all winter-and have brought in some speed work in last few weeks, so think I am bike fit! But how do you pace yourself to make sure you don't go too hard. What is the percentage effort to put in for sprint triathlon on bike? 85-90%? I don't ever train with heart rate monitor.

tagoona

Hi New2Triathlon,
Your effort should depend on your training and what you want to achieve.
If you want to finish, then just go with what you're comfortable with.
If you want to improve, go hell for leather, holding back maybe coming into T2 to get the heart rate down and make sure you're good for the run.
Brick session would help with the bike to run sections.

I don't use a HRM either, but try to go by the cycle computer and how I'm feeling on the day(whether you got enough sleep the night before and have the energy to push on).

MrCreosote

tunney wrote: »

The "really sping the legs" etc etc - all that does is let the legs recover if you've overcooked the bike and aren't bike fit. If you have paced it correctly and are bike fit you'll be racing to the dismount line and running well from the start.

Agree with that- never seems to do too much for me. But still can be worth a try. Sometimes hard to know how the cycle pacing has gone until you're close to the end, assuming not using HRMs and so on.

kennyb3

im sure there is stuff on bikes somewhere in the middle of this thread but its hugely long. have about €600 to spend. Thinking of a giant defy 4 (€550) or an fcr 4 (€499). is one better than the other? ie should i spend the extra €50 for the racing bars?

any other bikes to consider at this price?