Totally New

yourdeadwright

Hey guys
Myself and a friend have decided to start to train for a Tri next summer,
We have no previous experience, so just looking for tips to get started , we looked at joining a club near us but the training days/times didn't suit so we will give it a shot at training ourselves,
Any tips at all would be great,
Also what kinda gear should we be looking at buying, we don't have nikes or wet gear so it's starting from scratch

Thanks

mossym

i presume nikes is bikes, and you're not suggesting you'd only run in one brand of running shoe.

really a club makes the most sense. you'll learn the most and it would be much easier. tri training is usually about training at tough hours, trying to get room in a pool, long bikes.

where in dublin are you, lots of clubs up there and another might suit better.

if you can't swim well you might look up kurt goedels swim thread on here, would be a great place to start reading

cjt156

Regarding gear you'll need the following;
A tri suit.
Usual running gear.
Bike , Helmet.
Wetsuit (assuming your tri is in Ireland), goggles.

A trisuit is worn under the wetsuit while swimming; you then struggle out of the wetsuit like an elephant seal being tasered (if you're like me) and keep the trisuit on for the bike and run legs.
You can cycle in your running shoes but you must wear a helmet.

In time you may want to upgrade your cycle shoes/pedals, bike, trisuit, wetsuit or buy toys, talk about carbon and aero etc, but to get started I think that's the basics.

Macy0161

Probably don't need the tri suit or the wetsuit yet if it's for next year.

I started this time last year, on my own joining a gym mainly for the pool (I was already running and cycling). I thought I'd get back into the swimming I used to be able to do as a child quite quickly. Whilst I wasn't a competitive swimmer, I had my badges (as was the way when I was a child!) up over sprint distance. I couldn't finish a (50m) length of the pool I joined, despite being generally fit.

I joined a club that has beginner coached sessions in the autumn, and that was definitely the best thing I did, as I was able to do sprint distance (slowly) by the time this years tri's began to open in the new year and was confident enough to enter a few (and have finished all I entered so far, despite being back of pack for the swim). So my main thing would be to join a club for swim coaching, or look at at least some form of swim coaching, unless you're coming with a strong swim background. Also a lot (most?) clubs do open water sessions in the summer.

I'm not saying that run or cycle coaching isn't important (I did club cycle coaching and turbo sessions last year, and I'm planning on doing the clubs run coaching this winter), but swimming is the most technical aspect imo. Well that, and the aforementioned getting the bloody wetsuit off after the swim sometimes!

mossym

i would definitely wait until next may at least before buying a wetsuit, or a trisuit. open water swimming will be ending soon, and a wetsuit will sit on the shelf until may or so anyway. same with a trisuit, even if you decide to do some of the duathlons to get used to running after a bike they don't need a trisuit. get the training done on the minimum of gear before you worry about spending a lot of money, once you know you like it then spend

Macy0161

mossym wrote: »

get the training done on the minimum of gear before you worry about spending a lot of money, once you know you like it then spend

And then be prepared to keep on spending... There's always something!

Whyner

Hi OP,

I'm in the same boat as you. Have been getting a plan together for the last week or so and it goes something like this

Swimming:

Bought hat and goggles. Start swimming lessons next Monday in Terenure college. Once I get good technique I’ll move to the coached lap swimming

Bike:

I don’t have a race bike but have been putting in the perving hours on Dublin bike sites and have an idea of what I need. Budget is around 1500 for the bike alone. From what I’ve read I think an aluminium frame with Shimano 105 groupset would be a good choice. I don’t want a low entry bike which I’ll inevitably upgrade within the year. Plus a half decent bike should make it more comfortable/enjoyable. I can avail of the bike to work scheme and will be popping into a few shops in the next few days. In the meantime I’ve been on the bikes in the gym and will start spinning shortly

Run:

Haven’t bought anything here yet either but plan on getting new runners. I have been running in the gym the last few weeks and have signed up for the Rathfarnham 5k. Start running in the park this week. I actually have a GPS watch so will be using that to record the data. I do the same when I run in the gym, just enter it into a spreadsheet. Same for cross-trainer, rowing and bike. Gym is beside work

Luckily the swimming and running isn’t expensive cause the bike gear certainly is

That’s phase 1.

Phase 2 is to join a tri-club, probably Belpark

I’d appreciate any advice on the bike from the regulars here.

Nice wan

Ceepo

Whyner wrote: »

Hi OP,

I'm in the same boat as you. Have been getting a plan together for the last week or so and it goes something like this

Swimming:

Bought hat and goggles. Start swimming lessons next Monday in Terenure college. Once I get good technique I’ll move to the coached lap swimming

Bike:

I don’t have a race bike but have been putting in the perving hours on Dublin bike sites and have an idea of what I need. Budget is around 1500 for the bike alone. From what I’ve read I think an aluminium frame with Shimano 105 groupset would be a good choice. I don’t want a low entry bike which I’ll inevitably upgrade within the year. Plus a half decent bike should make it more comfortable/enjoyable. I can avail of the bike to work scheme and will be popping into a few shops in the next few days. In the meantime I’ve been on the bikes in the gym and will start spinning shortly

Run:

Haven’t bought anything here yet either but plan on getting new runners. I have been running in the gym the last few weeks and have signed up for the Rathfarnham 5k. Start running in the park this week. I actually have a GPS watch so will be using that to record the data. I do the same when I run in the gym, just enter it into a spreadsheet. Same for cross-trainer, rowing and bike. Gym is beside work

Luckily the swimming and running isn’t expensive cause the bike gear certainly is

That’s phase 1.

Phase 2 is to join a tri-club, probably Belpark

I’d appreciate any advice on the bike from the regulars here.

Nice wan

You will get a far better bike for that buget than Aluminium and 105. There are plenty of decent carbon bikes to got for that kinda money.
Here is just one of them.

Top Drawer GiantFor Sale in Dublin - DoneDeal.ie
https://www.donedeal.ie/bicycles-for-sale/top-drawer-giant/13218135.

Best of luck with the hunt

Whyner

I was thinking that but then I can't avail of the tax scheme. Bike can't be second hand

So do you reckon I could get better value in a second hand bike v new bike with tax scheme?

I thought for my budget that Id only get low quality carbon fibre

Ceepo

Whyner wrote: »

I was thinking that but then I can't avail of the tax scheme. Bike can't be second hand

So do you reckon I could get better value in a second hand bike v new bike with tax scheme?

I thought for my budget that Id only get low quality carbon fibre

I never had any dealing with this bike store, maybe just maybe that would do the BTW scheme on a 2nd hand bikes,definitely worth asking.

My own personal view would be to go a good 2nd hand bikes as opposed to a new bike that if you stay at triathlons you will probably upgrade in a year or 2.
I have only ever bought 1 new bike,all the rest were 2nd hand. I picked up a Sworks sl3 with Ltd Sram red group set for 1400 a few weeks ago. In my opinion that's a far better deal that getting a bike in the BTW scheme.
Of course that's my opinion, other people may differ.

Macy0161

If you do want bike to work, you won't have to go much above the limit for a top end aluminium and 105. €1500 should get you carbon with decent components. Regardless of new, second hand, aluminium or carbon, it won't be long before another bike is fluttering it's eyelashes at you anyway!

griffin100

Whyner wrote: »

Bike:

I don’t have a race bike but have been putting in the perving hours on Dublin bike sites and have an idea of what I need. Budget is around 1500 for the bike alone. From what I’ve read I think an aluminium frame with Shimano 105 groupset would be a good choice. I don’t want a low entry bike which I’ll inevitably upgrade within the year. Plus a half decent bike should make it more comfortable/enjoyable. I can avail of the bike to work scheme and will be popping into a few shops in the next few days. In the meantime I’ve been on the bikes in the gym and will start spinning shortly

Before you go shelling out €1,500 on a bike be sure that you're going to use it. No reason why you shouldn't but if for example your swimming is not going as well as it could or should (I'm not sure what level you are at now) this might put you off tri's. There a lot of carbon fiber clothes hangers out there due to the BTW scheme

Whyner

Ceepo wrote: »

I never had any dealing with this bike store, maybe just maybe that would do the BTW scheme on a 2nd hand bikes,definitely worth asking.

My own personal view would be to go a good 2nd hand bikes as opposed to a new bike that if you stay at triathlons you will probably upgrade in a year or 2.
I have only ever bought 1 new bike,all the rest were 2nd hand. I picked up a Sworks sl3 with Ltd Sram red group set for 1400 a few weeks ago. In my opinion that's a far better deal that getting a bike in the BTW scheme.
Of course that's my opinion, other people may differ.

Did think of that. Reckon that bike is too small for me but I'm nearby so will call in and get the ball rolling

phil

So, here's my 2c as someone who's about 3-4 months in to his tri journey who just completed a Sprint triathlon (King of Greystones) on the August bank holiday and is about to do his second on Saturday.

I started doing a few runs back in May with a view to doing a 5k. Got sick in the two weeks leading up to the event and basically half walked the 5k course. So that was the low base I was coming from. In June few of us decided to try a triathlon so I decided to just commit to it and figure out what I would need to do afterwards. The distances independently for a sprint didn't sound too difficult, but obviously putting them all together on the day is a different story :-)

I think the most important thing you need to figure out is your training. If I were you, personally, I'd make sure you have the time for the training schedule before shelling out on anything. My swim, running and cycle fitness were extremely poor and I had put on a few pounds over the last couple of years, but I did used to train heavily for football and basketball so there's vague memories of being fit in my muscles. They just needed some reminding. I didn't however, ever do a lot of sustained endurance training, so this was new, and is still something I need to put more work in to (miles on the bike, miles in my legs and laps in the pool)

I had to make some lifestyle / day to day changes firstly to accommodate this new "hobby".

1. Commute to work now happens on the bike. I do extended cycles (read: 20-50k) 3 times a week and I built up to that from a 10k each way commute from Stillorgan to the city centre to getting to the point where 10k wasn't enough for me to do anything.
2. I do pool sessions 3-4 times a week, mostly focussed on distance and endurance right now. I'm planning to spend the winter months working on technique but I'm about a 2:00/100m swimmer at the moment with about 16k done in the pool in the last few months. I could barely do a length of a 25m pool when I was starting, so I literally started from zero fitness. I built that up reasonably quickly over 2-3 weeks to 200-300m and something clicked at some point to let me do 700m straight.
3. I haven't done a lot of open water sessions, but have about 4-5 sessions done out in Seapoint. The buoys mark the distance and there's plenty of swimmers there on the weekends and some lifeguards. I know people will advocate for getting to sea more often but it's a little awkward for me, but I would definitely make sure you get a few sessions in before your first tri.
4. My first tri was a sprint. It was a great intro. If you're building up to an Olympic, I would strongly suggest doing a sprint first as it's a great introduction and helps you get introduced to things like transition (I screwed up my T2 in King of Greystones)
5. Things I bought for the first tri - proper triathlon wetsuit (300 euros in Base2Race), Cube Attain SL (Aluminimum bike with a Shimano 105 groupset), Bike clips, goggles, swim hat (for training). Things I've bought since: GPS watch, cadence sensor for bike, new runners (got fitted down in Amphibian King in Bray). I didn't buy a trisuit and I'm going to go again on Saturday without one. I put shorts underneath the wetsuit and t-shirt and head off on the bike with that. It's probably not the most comfortable way to do it, but it worked for me and I've been trying to spread out the spending after the big splurges on the wetsuit and bike.
6. I've logged everything on Strava. It's a brilliant way to keep a training diary and because a tri club doesn't suit me at the moment (have a young child at home and schedule is difficult) it's great motivation. There's a few of us training independently. I've been using some of the runners in work to go out for runs and some of the cyclists to go out for cycling training which has been fantastic also. I'd join a tri club in a heartbeat though if I thought I could commit to their timed trainings. I have a few people I know who got in to cycling and running that I didn't even realise until I started getting their Strava updates. I found it a great motivator though to see my triathlete training partners doing swims and bikes which would get me off the couch and in to the pool after a long day.
7. My first sprint tri allowed me to assess where I was relative to other athletes. Every triathlon race is different and particularly on the swim side where the sea can have stronger or weaker currents & tides, you can't compare your times in the pool or on independent runs. Often times the run & bike distances don't look to be perfectly spaced either. I was top third in the bike, bottom third in the run and middle of the pack on the swim and screwed up one of the transitions so it was easy to see where I need to focus my energy. Use your relative placing in the pack as to where you're stronger/weaker.
8. For someone in his early thirties with a history of fitness but who was completely unfit before I started, 8-12 weeks was more than enough to complete a sprint tri and get hooked. Committing to a race quickly was a great way to push me on without doing 6 months of base cycling and running. In hindsight the timing was perfect for me as I got a couple of small sprint tri's in now and I'll use that as motivation over the winter to get a proper running & cycling base for next year. If your swim is weaker, try a try-a-tri race which typically have 200-250m swims instead. Get your first race in as quickly as possible IMHO. It's a great motivator.
10. Altogether I was training 5-8 times a week for 8-12 weeks, one of the biggest wins for me was making part of my training routine part of my daily activity (commute) and that allowed me to commit to parts of that more easily. I find myself now extending my commute because 10k isn't long enough
11. Build distance and miles slowly over the course of a few weeks. I was upping my long cycles by 5k a week and I built up on the running side by adding a kilometre to my runs every week up to 10k.
12. Diet and sleep. Sleep is pretty regular with a young child thankfully but really needed to make sure I was refuelling myself properly after long sessions.

I'm still a complete novice at this, but I feel like I'm in a good position fitness wise for this weekend and I wouldn't change a lot about what I did above in retrospect. I'm sure someone more experienced may argue otherwise

Kurt_Godel

Whyner wrote: »

Hi OP,

I'm in the same boat as you. Have been getting a plan together for the last week or so and it goes something like this

Swimming:

Bought hat and goggles. Start swimming lessons next Monday in Terenure college. Once I get good technique I’ll move to the coached lap swimming

Bike:

I don’t have a race bike but have been putting in the perving hours on Dublin bike sites and have an idea of what I need. Budget is around 1500 for the bike alone. From what I’ve read I think an aluminium frame with Shimano 105 groupset would be a good choice. I don’t want a low entry bike which I’ll inevitably upgrade within the year. Plus a half decent bike should make it more comfortable/enjoyable. I can avail of the bike to work scheme and will be popping into a few shops in the next few days. In the meantime I’ve been on the bikes in the gym and will start spinning shortly

Run:

Haven’t bought anything here yet either but plan on getting new runners. I have been running in the gym the last few weeks and have signed up for the Rathfarnham 5k. Start running in the park this week. I actually have a GPS watch so will be using that to record the data. I do the same when I run in the gym, just enter it into a spreadsheet. Same for cross-trainer, rowing and bike. Gym is beside work

Luckily the swimming and running isn’t expensive cause the bike gear certainly is

That’s phase 1.

Phase 2 is to join a tri-club, probably Belpark

I’d appreciate any advice on the bike from the regulars here.

Nice wan

This is the best thought out plan I've seen from any beginner. You will do well if you continue along these lines. Swimming in particular seems well planned, since its the biggest hurdle for a lot of newbie triathletes. So well done on the plan so far!

We were all beginners at some stage, and everyone had to decide between $ and $$ (before spending $$$ or $$$...$$$!). Swim and run are determined by hard work; bike is determined by hard work but also refined by better bikes/wheels/tyres/saddle. If you like this sport you'll find ways to spend on a better bike down the line... so perhaps don't get caught up on what €1,500 might buy you on the BTW scheme just right now (BTW is a one-shot every 5 years and it might be better spent in a years time... just food for thought!). If you have any bike right now, adding a set of clip-on aero bars might suit better than forking out for a bike that you'll upgrade in a years time anyway (or the clothes horse option).

Otherwise if you want to pull the trigger on a bike, advice above on second-hand is spot on, especially so at this tail end of the season. If you put you height/size up here, I'm sure you'd have a few offers of decent second-hand bikes from lads looking to upgrade for next year themselves.

Macy0161

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Swim and run are determined by hard work; bike is determined by hard work but also refined by better bikes/wheels/tyres/saddle. If you like this sport you'll find ways to spend on a better bike down the line... so perhaps don't get caught up on what €1,500 might buy you on the BTW scheme just right now (BTW is a one-shot every 5 years and it might be better spent in a years time... just food for thought!).

Yeah, I'm definitely in this boat - bike to work purchase is nice, relaxed geometry, great for long spins/ sportives, but kinda wish I'd gotten a racier geometry now, or even kept my bike to work powder dry for a TT bike. Not that my swim and run (or even transitions) really justify a tt bike, but still...