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Aug 2008
7:55am, 13 Aug 2008
1,283 posts
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Finders
You go to the edge of the pool 10mins before your start time then they give you a coloured cap to wear. They motion you forward to the edge and you drop yourself in (usually at the deep end) then you just watch the wave counters and they give you an indication that you can start. The next bit is difficult - you swim like a crazy dude trying not to let the kicks, scratches and bangs on the head drown you and then when you are 2 lengths away from finishing, your lane wave counter will drop a sign under the surface of the water saying "2 laps to go" and then you do the 2 laps and pull yourself out. Drop your hat on the floor and run towards the exit....watch out for slippery floor. In most cases you shout your number at the marshals standing outside the exit door and they'll take your swim split time for you....then on your way to transition. SWIM COMPLETE 
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Aug 2008
8:10am, 13 Aug 2008
566 posts
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parkbench
Is it like family day during the summer holidays, then ?
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Aug 2008
8:16am, 13 Aug 2008
1,023 posts
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Woffy
I am doing my third sprint tri in just over a weeks time, in the last ones I was the only eejit there without a wetsuit and with a normal handlebar bike, surprisingly enough I didn't finish in the prizes but had fun.
Saturday 23rd swim in Tramore beach therefore open water (the sea), 20km cycle with a normal non-racing bike and then 6km run on the beach. Will probably nearly kill me as I have done little or no training (do not even own a bike) but it is great fun. Fetch, I stay near the back for the swimming, keeps me out of trouble, when it spreads out I then up my pace.
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Aug 2008
8:27am, 13 Aug 2008
5,712 posts
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Jen J
In very vague terms, from someone who is about to start cycling and swimming for the first time, what sort of speeds are comparable with running?
Say, running a 10 minute mile? For that standard/effort, how long would a mile take on a bike and say 400m swimming?
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Aug 2008
8:39am, 13 Aug 2008
1,284 posts
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Finders
Jen - i run 9min 30sec miles in the run section of the tri and i do 400m pool sprints in 8mins 40sec (ish). I did my first open water sprint tri in June and fluffed it due to a pulled muscle in my back. Did the actual swim in 9mins 40secs - very slow for me! I then do the 20k bike in about 45mins average which is a slow average of about 15mph, altho now i have my new bike my average speed has gone up to 17.5MPH.
So about 3.5min miles on the bike i think for me.
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Aug 2008
8:44am, 13 Aug 2008
1,285 posts
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Finders
Its quite diff to compare swimming/cycling effort with running effort as swimming front crawl uses about 270 kilojoules per minute compared with under 80 kilojoules for running.
I use the swim as a warm up, using front crawl as its easier on the legs and saves them for the bike (in my opinion the most important part of a tri due to the fact that its the longest section in distance and time and quite technical) My problem is that i find the bike hard and so my legs are buggered for the 'wobble' at the end. This is why my training is bike focused really.
It really is dependent on your strengths and weaknesses.
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Aug 2008
8:49am, 13 Aug 2008
455 posts
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Somebody
I'd agree with Finders - it depends on your own strengths. I swim 400m in 7mins 50 secs, but my run is VERY slow. It would also depend on your bike, the terrain etc. Most pools are flat(!) and the same length, so your swim time in a pool probably won't change that much from pool to pool, but your bike and run times will vary. Open water swimming is another matter - your time would depend on whether there's a current, wind and so on.
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Aug 2008
8:57am, 13 Aug 2008
1,526 posts
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Jason1969
Hollywoof! got it wrong!
220 is nothing to do with maximum heart rate, it's about timing.
2 hours 20 minutes was the ideal time to complete an Olympic Triathlon, based on "good" times for each event, ie 1 hour for 40k on the bike. I can't remember the other two, but I think it's 40min for the run, leaving 20 min for the swim which seems awfully long, so there must be transition times taken into account, too.
There are now plenty of athletes finishing in under 2 hours, no, though.
For the tri I'm organising in a few weeks, I've had estimated swim times of anything from 5 to 15 min for a 400m swim
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Aug 2008
8:59am, 13 Aug 2008
5,714 posts
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Jen J
no that's very helpful, thanks. I am a complete beginner at this and although I was aware that swimming would be slower and cycling would be faster than running, I really had no idea at all what they may be.
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Aug 2008
9:10am, 13 Aug 2008
490 posts
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Too Much Water
400m time trials are a common way of measuring swimming improvement - it's worth doing one of these every month to see how you're faring.
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