Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Widget
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Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby Widget » Tue Dec 22, 2015 11:53 pm

hi guys,

I recently registered for my 1st big triathlon.. Husky Long Course 2016 :O ... now need to start doing some shopping to get my remaining gear.

Was wondering if anyone had any tips / pointers etc.. on the course, training for this particular Tri, specific gear I might need for a long tri?

I heard this course is hard.. or at least the bike part?

So far my shopping list consists of..

1- Wetsuit
2- Tri Suit (&/or pants+top)
3. CO2 Inflator + canisters
4. Clip on aero bars (I only have a road bike)
5. Speed type laces for runners
6. New runners
7. Multi-tool kit (though may not need, have some tools)
8. Considering a bike computer, like the gamin edge (just a 2nd hand unit.. 500/510 or something)

Anything else I might need?

As for training.. I've been swimming over the last year, 2x per week (Swim Squads, usually about 1.8 - 2.5km total per session).. I think I'll be ok for the swim.. though never done an ocean water swim before. I have registered for the Cole Classic 2km swim which I think is before the Husky, so Ill see how I go with that.

Running, I've been doing maybe 30km per week.. wanting to up it to a bit more. Currently long runs are 17km

Riding.. this is where I lack. Went for a ride on Sunday night, about 42km (flat), averaged about 25-27km/h speed. There's a course I'd like to do, it runs for 62km, a good part of that is riding up Putty Road (nsw)... not sure if there's any other hilly places near me, will check.

Any tips of any kind would be super. :)

Thanks :)

speedywheels
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby speedywheels » Wed Dec 23, 2015 8:08 am

I think you need to do a few 1K or 1.5K ocean swims. Search for NSW Ocean Swims, maybe the Cole Classic. The jostling at the start and the rough water can be very tough and can knock the wind out of your sails. If you have not done any triathlons at all you could think of doing a little club triathlon,maybe 400/15/4 to get used to transitions.

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JdM
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby JdM » Wed Dec 23, 2015 9:35 am

Well then, you've really jumped into the deep end haven't you :mrgreen:

As far as your shopping list goes, pretty much everything is worth getting. It comes down to how much you have to spend. The bike maintenance items are probably a priority and new runners if your current ones are worn out are a no-brainer. Speed laces will save you maybe 20 seconds in T2, but they are about $10. Wet suits on the other hand can be incredibly expensive depending on the model (I haven't got one) - You don't really need one for a February event as the water shouldn't be too cold, but it does tend to make you swim faster the weaker you are in the water.

You'll need some sort of bag to carry it all in and in race nutrition - You've got to test your food and drink out in training at race intensity numerous times. Believe me it's no fun running for over an hour feeling like you're about to vomit!

On the training side of things, so point, although a lot depends on if you are training for a goal time or just to finish.

- Definitely do some open water swims beforehand. It's a pretty rude shock if conditions aren't ideal trying to get out to the first turn marker with everyone trying to kick and elbow you in the head. From my experience in the last year of trying to hone this skill, paddle work in the pool for strength is also very helpful. Open water requires a lot more physical grit than banging out laps in a pool. If you're swimming squad that's probably the best thing, although twice a week isn't really enough to get anywhere near your potential. Maybe try and sneak another session in if you can.

- Cole Classic is 2 weeks before Husky yes (might see you there, I'm doing the 2km as well). That will be a good tester to see if you can do the distance.

- Running: 30km a week isn't much and the general rule of thumb is your longest run shouldn't be much more than 30% of your weekly mileage. Running is the easiest discipline to fit training sessions in, so I'd suggest upping your mileage by adding in some additional shorter (20-30 mins) runs each week where you can.

- Lastly the bike: In any distance of triathlon this is the majority of the race, so it really should be where the majority of your training hours go. If you're badly underdone for the bike, not only will your bike leg tough and slow, but you'll really really pay for it out of T2 when you have to run. Have you run a half marathon before? It's no joke on fresh legs, so I can only imagine it in a triathlon (I'm not a long course guy).

I'd suggest a least one 3 hour ride a week with a couple of shorter ones where you can. When you get closer to race day it's good to go for some practice runs straight off the bike just to get familiar with the dead legged feeling you'll have on the day when starting out too.

Edit: Here's the Strava segment for a lap of the bike course: https://www.strava.com/segments/1015650" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Looks nasty!
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Gunlock
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby Gunlock » Wed Dec 23, 2015 10:33 am

JdM wrote: Edit: Here's the Strava segment for a lap of the bike course: https://www.strava.com/segments/1015650" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Looks nasty!
That is a nasty bike leg.

I did my first sprint tri this year and i skipped any ocean swims beforehand and just did all my swimming in the pool. On the day the water wasnt too bad but it was still so much harder than the pool. I also had no practice at how to look up to spot the swim exit on the way back in so ended up doing an extra 10% detour :oops:

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MattyK
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby MattyK » Wed Dec 23, 2015 1:20 pm

I'm going to be doing one next year (shorter though; corporate tri). So have been thinking of basically the same stuff.

If you're going for clip ons, just putting clip on bars and not changing anything else will squash your nuts. You might want to look at getting a bike fit, maybe a zero offset (or forward) seatpost and maybe a different saddle. Maybe a MTB stem (upside down) to get your position lower, if you are flexible enough.

If getting a bike garmin, get one of these QR adaptor wrist mounts so you can use it on the run too. Otherwise get a Garmin run watch and record your ride with that too (it will just be harder to see on the bike).

Widget
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby Widget » Wed Dec 23, 2015 4:41 pm

Thanks guys :)

Problem with practicing Open water is.. there's no open water where I am.. so would have to travel some distance :/ .. though will certainly consider it.

Ill certainly start riding more often.. when this rain finishes :/. How hard should I do my longer rides? Just an easy even pace ? Race pace ? Hard on / easy off ?

That segment doesn't look very nice :( ... is there 3x laps of that ?

I'll hopefully be doing shorter tris before Husky.. there's a couple of smaller sprint tri that local club(s) have. I've only done 1x Duathlon in the past.. quite short.. 2.5km run - 20km ride - 5km run ... and I certainly felt the legs after the ride lol..

With the Swim squad, we do a fair bit of paddle / pull / kick work. Short distance sprinting, pyramids etc.. quite fun but huffy-puffy which I like. We also every now n then do Drills, somtimes these include sighting/spotting ever 10 strokes, we look ahead for the bouy.

Ill definitely check out a new seatpost that's more forward.. didn't know you could get them for road bikes. Was only considering clip-ons as when i start getting more into Tri's, Ill look at maybe getting a TT bike and having proper aero stuff then.

With Garmin, I already have the Garmin 310XT.. it's been good and will probably be fine for riding too, but will keep an eye out for a decent deal. Have been watching facebook sites like 'Triathlon Marketplace' for anything that pops up.

Same with the wetsuit, they are quite expensive and was mainly considering one as I hear they're good for bouyancy/speed ... so will keep an eye out for maybe a decent 2nd hand one for maybe <$100

Thanks again, much appreciated :)

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JdM
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby JdM » Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:18 pm

Bit of a break over Christmas so I missed the additional replies in the thread.
Widget wrote:Problem with practicing Open water is.. there's no open water where I am.. so would have to travel some distance :/ .. though will certainly consider it.
Fair enough. Swimming in the ocean is vastly different and can be pretty nasty depending on conditions - See how you go at the Cole Classic, but not much you can do if you have no open water nearby!
Widget wrote:Ill certainly start riding more often.. when this rain finishes :/. How hard should I do my longer rides? Just an easy even pace ? Race pace ? Hard on / easy off ?
Depends on how fit you are, how much base you have, etc. Given the course is hilly, you should probably find a route or a loop that can simulate it a bit. Maybe for the next few weeks just ride steady and clock the kms in the legs. As you get closer to race day add in some 20 minute efforts at around what you think will be race intensity. Its worth doing a short run off the bike again at race intensity after these sorts of rides to get a feel for what your legs are going to be like and test out nutrition as well.
Widget wrote:That segment doesn't look very nice :( ... is there 3x laps of that ?
Yes. Tough bike course. Get some hill training in.
Widget wrote:Same with the wetsuit, they are quite expensive and was mainly considering one as I hear they're good for bouyancy/speed ... so will keep an eye out for maybe a decent 2nd hand one for maybe <$100
Just make sure it fits well and you test it out before race day.
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JdM
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby JdM » Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:33 pm

How'd it go Widget?
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Widget
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby Widget » Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:26 pm

Hi there, terribly sorry for late reply :/

Well.. 1st Triathlon, technically I finished within cut off.. though slow, I kinda knew I wouldn't perform great. A little disappointed as all we got was a finishing towel, no medal for Husky :( .. I like my medals lol.

Swim - Have done better. I did the Cole Classic 2km open water swim (no wetsuit, just jammers/shorts) at I think 40minutes (I think I did it quicker as I stood on the beach looking for my Zoggs .. waves took them from me only a short distance from the shore :( .. but at Husky, with wetsuit, I did it in around 45minutes .. thought I would have done better due to extra float..

Bike - Bike I did better than I expected, not great, but averaged similar speeds to what I did on flat roads. Had to stop a couple times, the bolts securing the seat to the seat post kept coming loose and causing seat to flop about. (used blue loctite when I got home)

Run - Knackered. Walked a little, drank everything at the stations, walk > ran to all stations.. half way through I got a bit more energy to maintain slight jog. Finished

All up, wasn't too bad, except my car leaking all it's oil via pin hole sized hole in oil filter.

Next time I do a half IM distance, Ill certainly have to prepare myself a heck of a lot better. Even though I felt I could do each leg.. doing them back-to-back was tough.

Thanks for all the feedback / suggestions from everyone, much appreciated :)

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MattyK
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Re: Sooo.. I just registered for Husky...

Postby MattyK » Wed Oct 12, 2016 10:00 am

Good on you!

I've been wanting to do some more tris this seaon after getting my first taste last year, but my body has just decided to turn 41 and start falling apart (knees mostly). Running any distance above about 100m starts hurting...

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