How bad were you... - Page 4 - Triathlon

Couldn't Run A Bath

12/07/2007 at 16:03

Swim - maybe two lengths without barfing.
Bike - hadn't been on one for years. A year out I'd owned one for 6 months and probably been on it little more than a dozen times. Still doing too much running.
Run - Mara PB of 2:55.

Best thing that happened to me was when Dozer knocked me off my bike and I ended up trapping my sciatic nerve in January. Didn't run for >3months and couldn't cycle for >1month as a result did waaay more swimming and biking than I would have done otherwise. Runners you have been warned.

As you were.

G-Sport

pirate

12/07/2007 at 16:07

Swimming:some racing done when i was 10\11 yrs old then nothing.

bike: no idea and no bike, now have 2 bikes and still no idea

run: had done a marathon in 4'07 venice and a couple of half maras

FerrousFerret

13/07/2007 at 13:24

12 months before my first IM, it was my first 'proper' (read more than 2 events) season of tri. I was training for the Vitruvian (6 weeks away).

Swim
had redicovered the pool some 12 months previously, happily front crawling

Bike
had bought bicycle around 12 months ago (do you sense a pattern emerging?), max distance ridden 35 miles

Run
had started running (well moving at a pace slightly quicker than walking) about 18 months ago (having packed in smoking), had just (two weeks previously) run first half marathon in 2:15

M.ister W

13/07/2007 at 14:07

12 months away from IMA I was in my first full season so I had managed a bit more distance than most.

Swimming - 18 months out I couldn't swim FC at all. 12 months out I managed 1500m very slowly.

Cycling - I've always ridden a bike but hadn't owned a road bike or cycled any distance since I was a teenager.

Running - 3:57 marathon PB.

Crash Hamster pirate

pirate

29/10/2007 at 11:17

Shameless

gingerfurball pirate

pirate

30/10/2007 at 10:54

...very interesting (and encouraging thread!) thanks for Boinging it!

First IM (and tri) will be IMLZ in May 08...currently:

Swim...had been able to do 60 lengths very slowly....currently able to do 2.5k (very slowly!!)

Bike...have done around 20 miles or so in the past until I fell off my bike in heavy traffic and scared the bejeebers out of me...haven't been on a bike for 3 years until recently...now able to do around 35 miles at around 15 mph.

Run: 3 marathons, 3 half's...shockingly slow pb of 5:13 marathon...is there any hope!!

Podro

30/10/2007 at 12:23

12 months before IMA2007:

Swimming - strictly breast and back stroke only, could also do a bit of side stroke. No front crawl unless head was completely out of water all the time.

Bike - mostly commuting to/from work - total of 26 miles max. Didn't own a road bike. Had to borrow one from my uncle until the work cycle to work scheme kicked in.

Run Marathon PB of 3:14

IMA - swim 1:41, bike 6:27 run 4:38 (shockingly bad for me) Total 13:01:07

What would I do differently? More long cycles with a run at the end. Nothing I had doe prepared me for the way my legs felt when I got off the bike.

Podro

30/10/2007 at 12:28

OO yes - the only tri I did before IMA was Ilkley tri in September 2006. 500m swim, 9 miles bike, 3 miles swim. Bit of a step up for my second tri.

mellifera

pirate

30/10/2007 at 12:54

Swim: I could breast stroke but not crawl and hadn't swum for several years. It took me weeks to be to do 50m and a long time to start feeling that I wasn't about to drown. IMDE was about 1:33; IMA was 1:18.

Bike: used a crappy old mtb for commuting (about 5miles each way) but hadn't been on a road bike before. was pretty slow at first - 12-14mph. IMDE was 6:22, IMA was 6:00 (but slightly harder course).

Run: average runner but doing it for quite a while. Marathon PB 3:36. IMDE was 4:45, IMA was 4:15 though the improvement was really because I was better on the bike rather than a better runer.

Keg-Killer (M.) A.K.A. FeKK pirate

pirate

30/10/2007 at 13:27

Swim: Couldn't swim front crawl 25 meters

Bike: Hadn't even owned a bike in 15 years much less ridden one.

Run: 3:16 marathon pb.

Crash Hamster pirate

pirate

06/01/2008 at 10:18

Boinged for Dustboy

eM.milou

pirate

06/01/2008 at 13:21

Not done a tri yet, entered Bala IM Nice 6 months before the event

Swim: er well ok held breath for 10 metres, then stood up coughed spluttered and basically looked stoopid

Bike: got a bike 2 months ago - keep falling off it and am pretty carp

Run: running 18 months - fell mainly. Done most of the lakeland races, off road mara and 2 ultra's (1 52miler) so got the long slow shuffle sorted.....just have 6 months to work on the rest!!

kittenkat

pirate

06/01/2008 at 13:29

Er - Still to prove I can do it in Nice but......

Running - up to 22 miles with predicted mara time of 3.30 (less if I was lucky) then broke ankle

swim - cr*p, never really attempted crawl, bit panic attack prone in the water

Bike - didn't have one, hadn't really been on on since a kid.

Calf

pirate

06/01/2008 at 14:29

running was ok sub 1:30 for a half mara, thou longest run I did in the year of IM was 14 miles.

Cycling pants. its was april (IMUK aug) before I managed more than 17mph average on a ride and that was only an 8 mile job.

Swimming was truly rubbish. 50m was beyond me, turned me into a huffing puffing splash making machine, Doggy paddle would have been quicker.

BryanTheSnail (M.) pirate

pirate

06/01/2008 at 14:41

Swim:- Hadn't been in a pool for ages, couldn't do a length of crawl - still can't without a wetsuit but why worry.

Bike:- Occasionally (like maybe once every 2 months, if there wasn't a 'Y' in the day, and if the sun was shining, and it was downhill with the wind behind me) commuted 2-3 miles.

Run:- You're having a laugh here aren't you! Hadn't run for about 3 years. I could just about walk to the bus stop on a good day.

I think I can safely say I wasn't prime Ironman material.

Managed to train occasionally, learnt to swim a bit better, did a couple of longish bikes, and I am now a racing snake - well not quite, but I did enough to get round.

Imeccentric pirate

pirate

06/01/2008 at 22:49

I saw Calf and can confirm he was pants , then he went and kicked the arse of my time. Harumph's unconvincely

BTS is a Leg end or is that Legend nuff respec!

Gobi

06/01/2008 at 23:49

I stopped at Half Ironman but in 2002 I think my swim time came in as 1hr 16 mins for the 1.9kms so I guess I was not just bad in the year before but bad during as well. I swam breast stroke as my crawl never improved.

Bought bike 6 months before and was good for 17mph :¬0

I was a 40 ish min 10km runner

Oh, I'm retired.

Iron Squishy

07/01/2008 at 09:14

Swim: errrr... could sort of swim breast stroke but never attempted crawl, had to learn from scratch.
Biking: Did 42 miles once many years ago on my hybrid and it nearly killed me... never owned a road bike.
Run: Did a few mara's, best was 4:27 so not brilliant.

... and I still hate cycling.

Training for this IM isn't going too well. I've got ITBS so my cycling is 30 odd miles slowly, can't seem to turbo for much over half an hour and not running too much. Swimming is going okay though!

fat buddha

07/01/2008 at 09:38

one year before IMCH 2005

July 2004

swim - about to do my first Vitruvian, done a classic Tri 1500m swim. hated pools then; hate them now. reluctant swimmer.

bike - years of MTB'ing in UK and overseas in my 40's following rugby retirement after doing some road touring in my 20's; improving road biker

run - one FLM (4:07), various halfs and 10k's...

oxymoron

pirate

07/01/2008 at 10:54

dont think i saw this thread first time round

IMCH 2005

July 2004

Swim- couldnt do one length of proper front crawl
Bike- Had never so much as sat on a road bike
Run- FLM 2004 (4.28)