Advice For A Newbie

[e3xtc]

Hello,

I was looking at doing the Moehau off road triathlon as a change to just doing miles on my roadie.
Seeing as I have never done a tri before, I had a couple of questions you fine folks might be able to answer:

1) Wetsuit; is it a necessity? Seeing as it is my first I don't really want to go and buy one, I have a 3mm/2mm suit for surfing - could/should I use this?
2) When training for the run, seeing as it is offroad, should I be aiming to run more miles on the road than I would be expecting to run offroad to cater for higher difficulty with offroad running? I will try to log some miles offroad - but am expecting the majority to be done on road

Cheers for the help people

Troy

[Trail]

Just try running in zig zags on the road

Seriously though, road running will get you the general fitness, but off-road running uses a bunch more of your stabilizing and changing direction muscles that do not get trained by road running. Get running off the roads if you do want to train for an off-road run.

[e3xtc]

Thanks Trail for the feedback; looks like I will be hunting out some tracks then...

Still very interested to hear peoples thoughts on whether the wet suit thing is the go or if I should just wing it for my first one?

[Paddy220]

Hey, I've seen lots of people at events like xterra etc using surfing wetsuits, some of my mates have with varying degrees of success. I think it depends on how thick your wetsuit is, and how flexible it is around the arms/shoulders. My old winter steamer was rubbish for swimming in, I got a tri-specific wetsuit in 1998 for Ironman which was heaps better, and I got a new tri wetsuit for IMNZ in 2008, which was heaps better than the one ten years old (not surprisingly). I guess the designs move on pretty quickly?

I would have a go in your wetsuit, in similar open water conditions if possible and see how you go, see how restrictive it feels. There's also some events over the summer where you can hire a tri wetsuit for the event, and if you buy after they knock the hire price off. Or just go into a shop and try some on, to see how they compare. Like I say, i was really surprised when I made the switch, and again how much better they feel nowadays, but it is a big investment for a single event.

Concur with the advice about running off road. Together with more stability required, it can also be hard to get into a rythmn off road, whereas on road you can just "spin" like on a bike (if you see what I mean). I guess hill work on road might help, but you can't beat the real thing (as I found to my cost at the Motu Challenge this year).

Good luck with it though, and stick at it.

[e3xtc]

nice one; thanks Paddy. Solid advice there.

Sounds like I just need to get out in amongst it and give it a try!

Thanks again!

[David7]

Definetly invest in a swim specific wetsuit...did the Mt Mauganui half in a surfing one, and it hurt for weeks afterwards, and I was left so far behind due to arm movement restriction that it was a very frustrating day, its no fun being so far at the back with the over 60's at the end of the first leg! and if its more than 1 lap the quick guys will swim right over you and push you down to the bottom, seriously. I was unlucky enough to be in Dean Kents way, theres lots of jellyfish down that deep.

If you are more than 15 minutes behind out of the water you'll never catch up and it will be a really bad day. also, make sure you do some training in the wetsuit its quite a different feeling, and learn to swim looking ahead every 5 strokes, otherwise you'll zigzag all the way...its so much easier to be in a group, and you'll never keep up in a surfing suit. just to give you an idea, i was pretty fit, and could do the 2.1 km in the pool in about 30 -35 mins, on the day in my surfing wetsuit 1.05 hrs, not pretty, and i ran into a few boats!

good luck..

David

[e3xtc]

great stuff thanks for the feedback; although now I am worrying a wee bit now

Am not too fussed about not being up the front, as it will be my first outting so not expecting to be competitive...but it does concern me the pain that you encountered

What would be worse; swimming with a surfing wetsuit or no wetsuit at all?

What ever happened to just jumping in the water with nothing but your budgy smugglers

[tricks121]

Have you ever noticed what happens to the budgie when you jump in FREEZING water ...

Wetsuit, more bouyancy etc, I much prefer the security of having one on as well with flalling arms hands and nasty nails, it saves your skin! teehee

Off road running, very different. you don't have tree roots and random pot holes that you have to navigate .. oh no wait, New Zealand foot paths and roads, of course, you do, my mistake!

Where are you based, I might be able to assist with finding trails if you haven't already done so.

Good luck!

[e3xtc]

am based in Titirangi, Auckland. So there are heaps of trails within stones throw...although if you are familiar with some decent ones then yell out and I will look at giving them a nudge...usually I can't be bothered driving anywhere , so I end up running out the driveway, up the road and then along a "pipe line" for about 5km and then back home to give a round trip of mixed terrain of 11km.

Must get out and into the wetsuit though....pronto