Dorney Triathlon Race Report

"Bob Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Completed my first triathlon - and it was brilliant! The organisation
by Human Race was excellent, and it was perfect weather (hot, but not
too hot).

Congrats! Let the addiction begin!

Bob Smith said:

Completed my first triathlon - and it was brilliant! The organisation
by Human Race was excellent, and it was perfect weather (hot, but not
too hot).

Swim:
The 800m swim involved swimming out and back in the lake, then
getting out and diving back in to do the same again. There was a fair
bit of kicking and flapping going on but none of it was painful as
the wetsuit gives you a bit of padding. I did the swim in 18 mins
which put me towards the back but still in the thick of things
(172/285). The suit came off ok in transition thankfully and I got on
the bike without too much trouble. Bike: The bike ride was 6 laps
around the lake (which is a rowing lake, so long and thin) of 5k to
make 30k. Going out it was with the wind, and coming back it was into
the wind, which although was fairly gentle still seemed quite hard!
My lack of experience on the bike really showed as some of the guys
with huge quads and calves were going past me like I was standing
still. The bike leg took me 1:06 which was way down in 227. Coming
off the bike in transition I could barely walk at first! As I was
cycling in my running shoes my transition was quick though. Run:
The run was 3 laps of a 2.5k course along the side of the lake.
During the first lap the top of my hamstrings were cramping, so I had
to stop briefly to stretch, then it was just a matter of running
through it. I found the run tough, especially as it was pretty hot by
then, but I was encouraged by the fact that I was passing quite a few
people (although admittedly quite a few of them were a lap ahead of
me!). I even manage to (sort of) sprint towards the end, and without
realising it managed to dip under 2 hours by 2 seconds! My run was
35:30, which I was pretty pleased with under the circumstances
(108th), and I ended up 180th overall with 1:59:58.

After a shower and post race massage (worth every penny of the £10 it
cost) I felt pretty sore, but very pleased. Looking forward to the
Olympic length next season now.

Blimey, you took a lot of scalps on the run section...

Well done. Where are you planning your first olympic distance?

--

Johnny

Bob Smith said:

Completed my first triathlon - and it was brilliant! The organisation by
Human Race was excellent, and it was perfect weather (hot, but not too hot).

Well done :-)
It sounds like a great experience.
I am too had a swimmer to contemplate triathlons, though a biathlon
might be fun.

Mary Ann

Quoted message said:

Swim:
The 800m swim involved swimming out and back in the lake, then getting out
and diving back in to do the same again. There was a fair bit of kicking
and flapping going on but none of it was painful as the wetsuit gives you
a bit of padding. I did the swim in 18 mins which put me towards the back
but still in the thick of things (172/285). The suit came off ok in
transition thankfully and I got on the bike without too much trouble.

Good swim - that's the scary bit over then!! I've never been properly
moshed in the swim start, though in training at the weekend a friend managed
not only to smack me, but also get his finger up my nostril!! That put me
off my stroke!

Quoted message said:

Bike:
The bike ride was 6 laps around the lake (which is a rowing lake, so long
and thin) of 5k to make 30k. Going out it was with the wind, and coming
back it was into the wind, which although was fairly gentle still seemed
quite hard! My lack of experience on the bike really showed as some of the
guys with huge quads and calves were going past me like I was standing
still. The bike leg took me 1:06 which was way down in 227. Coming off the
bike in transition I could barely walk at first! As I was cycling in my
running shoes my transition was quick though.

Were you on a MTB or road bike? 17mph average without proper shoes and
pedals is pretty hot stuff though. You might have dropped a few places, but
everyone has a weakness, and I guess for the you bike section was an
exercise in getting you to the......

Quoted message said:

Run:

Quoted message said:

The run was 3 laps of a 2.5k course along the side of the lake. During the
first lap the top of my hamstrings were cramping, so I had to stop briefly
to stretch, then it was just a matter of running through it. I found the
run tough, especially as it was pretty hot by then, but I was encouraged
by the fact that I was passing quite a few people (although admittedly
quite a few of them were a lap ahead of me!). I even manage to (sort of)
sprint towards the end, and without realising it managed to dip under 2
hours by 2 seconds! My run was 35:30, which I was pretty pleased with
under the circumstances (108th), and I ended up 180th overall with
1:59:58.

You couldn't have cut that finer!! It sounds like despite the troubles you
had you has a great run - and even a sprint finish! Nice one!

Quoted message said:

After a shower and post race massage (worth every penny of the £10 it
cost) I felt pretty sore, but very pleased. Looking forward to the Olympic
length next season now.

I don't think I've met anyone who's done a triathlon and then thought 'nah -
it's not for me', or 'one's enough'!

Seriously - nice race. Just think - a good winter's training on the bike
and you'll hammer your time next year and be on for a very respectable Oly.

D

Unfortunately the season's pretty much finished now but I'll definitely do a
couple next year.

"Johnny" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bob Smith said:

Completed my first triathlon - and it was brilliant! The organisation
by Human Race was excellent, and it was perfect weather (hot, but not
too hot).

Swim:
The 800m swim involved swimming out and back in the lake, then
getting out and diving back in to do the same again. There was a fair
bit of kicking and flapping going on but none of it was painful as
the wetsuit gives you a bit of padding. I did the swim in 18 mins
which put me towards the back but still in the thick of things
(172/285). The suit came off ok in transition thankfully and I got on
the bike without too much trouble. Bike: The bike ride was 6 laps
around the lake (which is a rowing lake, so long and thin) of 5k to
make 30k. Going out it was with the wind, and coming back it was into
the wind, which although was fairly gentle still seemed quite hard!
My lack of experience on the bike really showed as some of the guys
with huge quads and calves were going past me like I was standing
still. The bike leg took me 1:06 which was way down in 227. Coming
off the bike in transition I could barely walk at first! As I was
cycling in my running shoes my transition was quick though. Run:
The run was 3 laps of a 2.5k course along the side of the lake.
During the first lap the top of my hamstrings were cramping, so I had
to stop briefly to stretch, then it was just a matter of running
through it. I found the run tough, especially as it was pretty hot by
then, but I was encouraged by the fact that I was passing quite a few
people (although admittedly quite a few of them were a lap ahead of
me!). I even manage to (sort of) sprint towards the end, and without
realising it managed to dip under 2 hours by 2 seconds! My run was
35:30, which I was pretty pleased with under the circumstances
(108th), and I ended up 180th overall with 1:59:58.

After a shower and post race massage (worth every penny of the £10 it
cost) I felt pretty sore, but very pleased. Looking forward to the
Olympic length next season now.

Blimey, you took a lot of scalps on the run section...

Well done. Where are you planning your first olympic distance?

--

Johnny

Thanks. Just for info, about 8 or 9 months ago I couldn't do front crawl for
more than 1 or 2 lengths without dying (was reasonable at breast-stroke
though) but with the help of the Total Immersion book and a bit of practice
I'm able to swim continuously for pretty long distances (2k) without any
problems (although not particularly fast). Now I really enjoy swimming and
don't mind that part of the training at all.

"Mary Ann" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bob Smith said:

Completed my first triathlon - and it was brilliant! The organisation by
Human Race was excellent, and it was perfect weather (hot, but not too
hot).

Well done :-)
It sounds like a great experience.
I am too had a swimmer to contemplate triathlons, though a biathlon
might be fun.

Mary Ann

"David Hallsworth" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Swim:
The 800m swim involved swimming out and back in the lake, then getting
out and diving back in to do the same again. There was a fair bit of
kicking and flapping going on but none of it was painful as the wetsuit
gives you a bit of padding. I did the swim in 18 mins which put me
towards the back but still in the thick of things (172/285). The suit
came off ok in transition thankfully and I got on the bike without too
much trouble.

Good swim - that's the scary bit over then!! I've never been properly
moshed in the swim start, though in training at the weekend a friend
managed not only to smack me, but also get his finger up my nostril!!
That put me off my stroke!

Thanks - I was scared about it but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bike:
The bike ride was 6 laps around the lake (which is a rowing lake, so long
and thin) of 5k to make 30k. Going out it was with the wind, and coming
back it was into the wind, which although was fairly gentle still seemed
quite hard! My lack of experience on the bike really showed as some of
the guys with huge quads and calves were going past me like I was
standing still. The bike leg took me 1:06 which was way down in 227.
Coming off the bike in transition I could barely walk at first! As I was
cycling in my running shoes my transition was quick though.

Were you on a MTB or road bike? 17mph average without proper shoes and
pedals is pretty hot stuff though. You might have dropped a few places,
but everyone has a weakness, and I guess for the you bike section was an
exercise in getting you to the......

My bike is a Trek 1000 that I got a few weeks ago. Already thinking of
getting aerobars for it ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The run was 3 laps of a 2.5k course along the side of the lake. During
the first lap the top of my hamstrings were cramping, so I had to stop
briefly to stretch, then it was just a matter of running through it. I
found the run tough, especially as it was pretty hot by then, but I was
encouraged by the fact that I was passing quite a few people (although
admittedly quite a few of them were a lap ahead of me!). I even manage to
(sort of) sprint towards the end, and without realising it managed to dip
under 2 hours by 2 seconds! My run was 35:30, which I was pretty pleased
with under the circumstances (108th), and I ended up 180th overall with
1:59:58.

You couldn't have cut that finer!! It sounds like despite the troubles
you had you has a great run - and even a sprint finish! Nice one!

Thanks! Actually I wasn't even wearing a watch so I had no idea of the time,
but I like to sprint at the end of any race I do :-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

After a shower and post race massage (worth every penny of the £10 it
cost) I felt pretty sore, but very pleased. Looking forward to the
Olympic length next season now.

I don't think I've met anyone who's done a triathlon and then thought
'nah - it's not for me', or 'one's enough'!

Seriously - nice race. Just think - a good winter's training on the bike
and you'll hammer your time next year and be on for a very respectable
Oly.

D

Cheers :-)

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

"David Hallsworth" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Swim:
The 800m swim involved swimming out and back in the lake, then getting
out and diving back in to do the same again. There was a fair bit of
kicking and flapping going on but none of it was painful as the wetsuit
gives you a bit of padding. I did the swim in 18 mins which put me
towards the back but still in the thick of things (172/285). The suit
came off ok in transition thankfully and I got on the bike without too
much trouble.

Good swim - that's the scary bit over then!! I've never been properly
moshed in the swim start, though in training at the weekend a friend
managed not only to smack me, but also get his finger up my nostril!!
That put me off my stroke!

Quoted message said:

Bike:
The bike ride was 6 laps around the lake (which is a rowing lake, so long
and thin) of 5k to make 30k. Going out it was with the wind, and coming
back it was into the wind, which although was fairly gentle still seemed
quite hard! My lack of experience on the bike really showed as some of
the guys with huge quads and calves were going past me like I was
standing still. The bike leg took me 1:06 which was way down in 227.
Coming off the bike in transition I could barely walk at first! As I was
cycling in my running shoes my transition was quick though.

Were you on a MTB or road bike? 17mph average without proper shoes and
pedals is pretty hot stuff though. You might have dropped a few places,
but everyone has a weakness, and I guess for the you bike section was an
exercise in getting you to the......

Quoted message said:

Run:

Quoted message said:

The run was 3 laps of a 2.5k course along the side of the lake. During
the first lap the top of my hamstrings were cramping, so I had to stop
briefly to stretch, then it was just a matter of running through it. I
found the run tough, especially as it was pretty hot by then, but I was
encouraged by the fact that I was passing quite a few people (although
admittedly quite a few of them were a lap ahead of me!). I even manage to
(sort of) sprint towards the end, and without realising it managed to dip
under 2 hours by 2 seconds! My run was 35:30, which I was pretty pleased
with under the circumstances (108th), and I ended up 180th overall with
1:59:58.

You couldn't have cut that finer!! It sounds like despite the troubles
you had you has a great run - and even a sprint finish! Nice one!

Quoted message said:

After a shower and post race massage (worth every penny of the £10 it
cost) I felt pretty sore, but very pleased. Looking forward to the
Olympic length next season now.

I don't think I've met anyone who's done a triathlon and then thought
'nah - it's not for me', or 'one's enough'!

Seriously - nice race. Just think - a good winter's training on the bike
and you'll hammer your time next year and be on for a very respectable
Oly.

D

"Bob Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Quite a bit...a girl a bike shop was telling me with clipped shoes, all
things being equal she would have 6k per hour on a girl with just shoes.

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Lots!! Without them, you lose more than half of your pedal stroke. Without
them, you basically just push the pedal down. With them, you push down,
pull through the bottom, pull up and push over the top. I'd get these
before aerobars any day.

I'm using SPD-SLs at the minute, and you can pick up the 105 model for about
£25 (that's pedals and cleats). Unfortunately, you then have to buy some
road shoes, and these could cost anywhere up to £100 (or above!), but you
can get a decent pair for a reasonable price. They do last forever though.
Mine are in go-faster silver, which ads at least 0.00001mph average over a
12mile course!

Dave

David Hallsworth said:

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Lots!! Without them, you lose more than half of your pedal stroke. Without
them, you basically just push the pedal down. With them, you push down,
pull through the bottom, pull up and push over the top. I'd get these
before aerobars any day.

Although I don't do tri I'd echo this. The one thing to bear in mind,
Bob, is to set them fairly loosely when you first start riding and then
tighten them up once you are used to them. In cycling circles they
reckon you'll fall off, sideways, once when you forget to unlcip (not
really a problem for most racing) but after that you'll always remember.
It took me two years to forget I was using them!

Quoted message said:

I'm using SPD-SLs at the minute, and you can pick up the 105 model for about
£25 (that's pedals and cleats). Unfortunately, you then have to buy some
road shoes, and these could cost anywhere up to £100 (or above!), but you
can get a decent pair for a reasonable price. They do last forever though.
Mine are in go-faster silver, which ads at least 0.00001mph average over a
12mile course!

Don't knock it. My mate bought a new orienteering top in go faster
colours half-way through the Scottish 6-day. His latter runs were faster
than the first few!

Colin

Pat McLean said:

"Bob Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Quite a bit...a girl a bike shop was telling me with clipped shoes, all
things being equal she would have 6k per hour on a girl with just shoes.

I went from 31kph in trainers (no even toe clips) to 32kph with SPDs
(roughly equal heart rate). This is on a hybrid with flat bars and so
forth, no clip-ons. I can see that on a road bike with a steeper seat
tube angle and dropped bars/clip-ons things might vary, but I find 6kph
hard to believe. Unless you mean max speed, not average speed...

BUT I did get a massive improvement in what my feet felt like after an
hour cycling - I got rid of the sensation that I'd been gripping
something in my toes for ages. This is at least partly due to the
stiffness of the SPD shoes.

Ben

Not a completely unbiased opinion then!

"Pat McLean" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Bob Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Quite a bit...a girl a bike shop was telling me with clipped shoes, all
things being equal she would have 6k per hour on a girl with just shoes.

Well 1kph would not be worth it, as I'd probably make up that much time in
transition.

"Ben Blaukopf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Pat McLean said:

"Bob Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Quite a bit...a girl a bike shop was telling me with clipped shoes, all
things being equal she would have 6k per hour on a girl with just shoes.

I went from 31kph in trainers (no even toe clips) to 32kph with SPDs
(roughly equal heart rate). This is on a hybrid with flat bars and so
forth, no clip-ons. I can see that on a road bike with a steeper seat
tube angle and dropped bars/clip-ons things might vary, but I find 6kph
hard to believe. Unless you mean max speed, not average speed...

BUT I did get a massive improvement in what my feet felt like after an
hour cycling - I got rid of the sensation that I'd been gripping
something in my toes for ages. This is at least partly due to the
stiffness of the SPD shoes.

Ben

What's the difference with SL's? Worth having over normal SPD's? And how do
Look ones compare (presumably different selection of shoes available?)

"Colin Blackburn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David Hallsworth said:

Quoted message said:

By the way, how much speed are those spd's/look pedals/shoes worth then?

Lots!! Without them, you lose more than half of your pedal stroke.
Without them, you basically just push the pedal down. With them, you
push down, pull through the bottom, pull up and push over the top. I'd
get these before aerobars any day.

Although I don't do tri I'd echo this. The one thing to bear in mind, Bob,
is to set them fairly loosely when you first start riding and then tighten
them up once you are used to them. In cycling circles they reckon you'll
fall off, sideways, once when you forget to unlcip (not really a problem
for most racing) but after that you'll always remember. It took me two
years to forget I was using them!

Quoted message said:

I'm using SPD-SLs at the minute, and you can pick up the 105 model for
about £25 (that's pedals and cleats). Unfortunately, you then have to
buy some road shoes, and these could cost anywhere up to £100 (or
above!), but you can get a decent pair for a reasonable price. They do
last forever though. Mine are in go-faster silver, which ads at least
0.00001mph average over a 12mile course!

Don't knock it. My mate bought a new orienteering top in go faster colours
half-way through the Scottish 6-day. His latter runs were faster than the
first few!

Colin

Bob Smith said:

What's the difference with SL's? Worth having over normal SPD's? And how do
Look ones compare (presumably different selection of shoes available?)

I use bog standard SPDs but then all my bike are 'utility' rather than
racing. I want to be able to stick on any pair of cycling shoes for any
bike. SL probably means super slight, designed for racing. They will
probably be single-sided and the cleats may be, IIRC, different from
standard SPDs.

Many people swear by Look, but I've never used them. There are also a
few other systems out there, Crank Brothers, Speedplay,...?

For most clipless system you can use any cycling shoe. The cleat for
that system bolts to the bottom of the shoe which will have a standard
sole-plate. There is at least one system which doesn't use the standard
sole-plate but I can't recall which that is. For instance I have put
both Crank Bros Eggbeater cleats and SPD cleats on my Nike shoes with no
problems.

Colin

Ben Blaukopf said:

I went from 31kph in trainers (no even toe clips) to 32kph with SPDs
(roughly equal heart rate). This is on a hybrid with flat bars and so
forth, no clip-ons. I can see that on a road bike with a steeper seat
tube angle and dropped bars/clip-ons things might vary, but I find 6kph
hard to believe. Unless you mean max speed, not average speed...

BUT I did get a massive improvement in what my feet felt like after an
hour cycling - I got rid of the sensation that I'd been gripping
something in my toes for ages. This is at least partly due to the
stiffness of the SPD shoes.

What you will find is a more even distribution of effort from your legs
- clips allow pull as well as push which makes for less tired quads when
you get off the bike.

While I'm not convinced about a 6kph gain, I'd say my experience when I
shifted will have been nearer 6 than 1.

SPDs and SPD-SLs are quite different.

SPDs are more for mountain biking / hybrid bikes. The metal cleat is small
and designed to be embedded in the sole of a shoe, plus the pedals are
usually double sided for easy clipping when you are getting on and off
frequently. If you put SPD cleats on a road shoe, it sticks out and is
quite hard to walk in. I did my first 4 tris on SPD and didn't have a
problem, but.....

The SPD-SL pedals are one sided (just as easy to get into IMO). The cleat
is much larger and gives a more stable platform. The cleat itself has
rubber bits overlying the metal and is much easier to walk in. The SPD-SL
system is also lighter. I very much prefer the feel - I feel a lot more
secure in the pedal and feel like I'm putting a little more power through
them.

Some people swear by look pedals. The cleat is different (no plastic).
They also feel quite different. They have a lot more float (movement) when
you cycle, which I personally don't like, but you may. I'm sure there's no
massive difference between the two systems, or one would dominate the
market.

I'm pretty happy with the SPD-SLs, and at £25 for the 105s, it's a snip!

(How did I write that much about pedals. What the hell has happened to
me?!)

"Colin Blackburn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bob Smith said:

What's the difference with SL's? Worth having over normal SPD's? And how
do Look ones compare (presumably different selection of shoes available?)

I use bog standard SPDs but then all my bike are 'utility' rather than
racing. I want to be able to stick on any pair of cycling shoes for any
bike. SL probably means super slight, designed for racing. They will
probably be single-sided and the cleats may be, IIRC, different from
standard SPDs.

Many people swear by Look, but I've never used them. There are also a few
other systems out there, Crank Brothers, Speedplay,...?

For most clipless system you can use any cycling shoe. The cleat for that
system bolts to the bottom of the shoe which will have a standard
sole-plate. There is at least one system which doesn't use the standard
sole-plate but I can't recall which that is. For instance I have put both
Crank Bros Eggbeater cleats and SPD cleats on my Nike shoes with no
problems.

Colin

LOL, you've turned into a bike geek (a beek?) :-)

I've ordered the 105 SL's, thanks for all the advice

"David Hallsworth" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

SPDs and SPD-SLs are quite different.

SPDs are more for mountain biking / hybrid bikes. The metal cleat is
small and designed to be embedded in the sole of a shoe, plus the pedals
are usually double sided for easy clipping when you are getting on and off
frequently. If you put SPD cleats on a road shoe, it sticks out and is
quite hard to walk in. I did my first 4 tris on SPD and didn't have a
problem, but.....

The SPD-SL pedals are one sided (just as easy to get into IMO). The cleat
is much larger and gives a more stable platform. The cleat itself has
rubber bits overlying the metal and is much easier to walk in. The SPD-SL
system is also lighter. I very much prefer the feel - I feel a lot more
secure in the pedal and feel like I'm putting a little more power through
them.

Some people swear by look pedals. The cleat is different (no plastic).
They also feel quite different. They have a lot more float (movement)
when you cycle, which I personally don't like, but you may. I'm sure
there's no massive difference between the two systems, or one would
dominate the market.

I'm pretty happy with the SPD-SLs, and at £25 for the 105s, it's a snip!

(How did I write that much about pedals. What the hell has happened to
me?!)

"Colin Blackburn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bob Smith said:

What's the difference with SL's? Worth having over normal SPD's? And how
do Look ones compare (presumably different selection of shoes
available?)

I use bog standard SPDs but then all my bike are 'utility' rather than
racing. I want to be able to stick on any pair of cycling shoes for any
bike. SL probably means super slight, designed for racing. They will
probably be single-sided and the cleats may be, IIRC, different from
standard SPDs.

Many people swear by Look, but I've never used them. There are also a few
other systems out there, Crank Brothers, Speedplay,...?

For most clipless system you can use any cycling shoe. The cleat for that
system bolts to the bottom of the shoe which will have a standard
sole-plate. There is at least one system which doesn't use the standard
sole-plate but I can't recall which that is. For instance I have put both
Crank Bros Eggbeater cleats and SPD cleats on my Nike shoes with no
problems.

Colin