How Hard Would this Be?

Time to talk tri!  Clip on bars?  I had a word with my LBS (at least they were when I bought the bike) they stock Profile and mentioned the legacy range among others.  Any good?  One position or 3?  Is it worth buying the bottle to go with them? 

Neoprene swim hats.  Can I just order one or is it something I should really try on first- my open water swim sessions start Saturday week.

Profile do a good range of clip on bars so you won't go far wrong with them. 3 position just offers more variety of setup.

Style - your call really.  I like S shaped ones and have the T2 Plus versions, rather than bullhorn type.

Neoprene caps - much like a very thick swim cap - perhaps worth a try before buying as not everyone gets on with a chinstrap. I've never bothered and just use 2 thickish latex ones when the water's very cold.

Do tri bars tend to be like saddles where you either get on with them or you don't?  I had a look at the T2's on Wiggle, the T'3 dips down and then comes up=what's the idea behind that FB?

I've got a couple of swim hats so if I get through the first week it's only going to get warmer I suppose so I'll try that first FB.  They put the start off a week on account of the temp still being a bit low.

to an extent tribars are a bit like saddles - you have to try a pair and see how you get on with them.

I used to have the bullhorn type but found that I wasn't using the up part of it and preferred to have my hands on the flat section - just found that more comfy.  I decided to swap and had 2 choices really - completely flat or S shape - and decided on S shape as a compromise.  happy so far.  I also have thumbshifters btw.

Thanks for that FB, perhaps they'll let me sit on a few bikes and see how the bars feel.

Dont get Tribars and saddles mixed up, could cause problems

Indeed.  LBS were very helpful.  Didn't have a large range but stuck a second hand set of profile legacy bars on the bike and said try those for a few weeks and see what suits.  No charge.  They'll order in what ever I feel I need after that. Result.

Started open water swimming on Saturday and found it less tiring than the pool?  Is that normal?  Also my legs are much higher in the water which means I'm kicking out of the water but I think I've got round this by kicking with the lower leg when I'm on my side, if that makes sense?  I suspect that's what I'm supposed to be doing.

Two swim hats were fine FB.  The water was just under 15c which didn't seem all that cold.  When I got out people were standing around shaking.....I suspect I have more fat than I thought.

Questio.  If I don't go the route of the med cert for a tri in France what sort of affiliation would I need in order to start the race?

JB - don't sweat about the kick in a wetsuit - just let the legs float behind you (they'll be supported by the wetsuit) and just flutter kick from time to time for balance.   a lot of people struggle with kicking in wetsuit as you don't have as much flexibility than without so the easiest solution is just to focus on the upper body and stroke.  works for a lot of us.

but yes, you will find OW less tiring in many ways due to the extra flotation of the wettie and the fact you don't need to faff with walls getting in the way so you relax more.

BTF membership will cover you medically for racing in France provided the French race is affiliated to French Tri (http://www.fftri.com/) - there's a reciprocal agreement for this across European Triathlon.  you just need to show them your BTF card at registration and of course when you enter, tick the relevant box.

Thanks FB I'll look into it I didn't enter myself so no idea what was on the entry form.

Right!  I can manage 3 swims a week and one is open water in a lake.  Pool swims can be up to 90 mins.  My 3.8 comes up on August 25th how can I bestmake use of the time?

50*100m FC on 10sec rest?

Seriously what are you worreid about endurance, speed, drowning?

Lake - if 400m laps then just do as many as you can with a 30-sec rest at the end of each. That is the endurance leg sorted out.

Pool: swimming drills and then various sets including no-ones favorite at the top.

m..eface, The lake laps are 950m, I managed 3 laps in 1.18 last Saturday on my second ow swim, not incredible but I'm fairly confident based on that that I can manage 3.8k inside the 2hr cut off.

However.  The 10k swim has a 3.5hr cut off, that's about 6mins per k faster than I swim now.  I'm thinking maybe consolidate the lake swims and aim to be doing 5-6 laps by the end of July and I will be fine for my long course in Aug, but I need to be working to get faster for the 10k.

That leaves 2 pool swims per week so rather than just swim up and down for 60-90mins I'd like to do something structured to get faster.  10k cut off pace is around 1.20 for 3.8k. So starting on June 10th-what sets and how do I progress them between then and the end of Aug?

Thanks