NOVICE ADVICE
written by Pete Daulby
(in 2003)
The trouble with Novice articles
that you read in magazines is that they are written
by experts who were novices when they were a toddler
and have been awesome athletes ever since. Most advice
to novices is just do what the pros do, only for less
time and slower. Most serious athletes have forgotten
that when they say 'do this fast and then do this slow',
all you're thinking is that you have one speed - a jog;
2 miles later, its time for another beer.
Well let me write to you as someone
who has completed their first year in Triathlon and
about to start a second, hopefully faster, season. I've
read all there is to read on Triathlon technique. Some
of it has been great, some of it has been totally unrealistic
for a struggling reformed couch potato like myself.
You want to do Triathlon - you want to do your first
Olympic - read on.
Swim
Where was I? Two years ago
I couldn't do more than 2 lengths front crawl. I would
often see people in the other lanes swimming forever
and I did wonder how they did it. I resigned myself
to the fact that they must be built different to me,
because even though I thought I was fairly strong, my
muscles did not want to work for more than a minute
in the pool!
Where am I now? I'm now
doing 12 x 100m on 1 min 45 secs (that is to say swimming
100m in around 1:40 with 5 secs rest). I've completed
3 Olympic distances and most of my sessions are now
just short of 2000m.
How did I get there? I started
by swimming one length crawl, 2 lengths breaststroke
and kept going. The first few times I tried I kept it
up for about 20 mins. Then I increased it to 2 lengths
crawl and 2 lengths breaststroke. Eventually it became
3 and 1. Then I started to swim 4 lengths crawl with
a short rest then another 4 and so on. I soon started
to realise that although my arms were hurting it was
a burn that I could go through. I found it quite scary
to be in the middle of the pool with tired arms but
eventually I gained more confidence and started to let
the water support me. Let's face it as long as you get
a breath regularly, you are not going to drown. Eventually
it became 6, then 8 then 10. The first time I swam a
mile front crawl was really something and I guess it
took me about 4 months swimming twice a week before
I could do it.
I want to encourage you to swim
regularly and just go for it. Try and get through that
burn. Of course, you have to think about technique too.
I read several articles and started to do some drills
like 'catch up'. This is where you keep your hands out
in front and only stroke one arm at a time. It is pretty
difficult but you'll get the hang of it. Also, most
importantly, talk to the guys who look good and get
them to look at your stroke. If your bum is going side
to side its no wonder your getting tired quickly as
you are making more drag. Think of yourself as having
to reach out as far as you can with each stroke and
try straightening your body. You should be rotating
your hips as much as 45 degrees each way as you lift
each arm out of the water. If you look at the pros they
don't turn their head to breathe at all, the rotation
is enough.
Bike
Where was I? I've only ever
had a mountain bike that I've used to go to work and
back. As I've lived on married quarters and messes all
of my service career, that hasn't been far. I got my
first road bike about 2 years ago. Wow - it was so much
faster, it scared me half to death! I'm not sure but
prior to getting my road bike I don't think I'd cycled
more than about 4 miles for certainly 10 years or so.
Where am I now? Well, now
I've even got clip in shoes, I must be good! Well not
that good, I still fall over at traffic lights! I can
cycle at a steady 20mph now for about 40K. I'm happy
with that but I think I can go faster.
How did I get there? Miles,
miles, miles. I'm not sure anybody reads cycling articles
in Triathlon mags do they? We all know what we've got
to do on the bike, we've got to keep our knees in, reduce
our drag and cycle like crazy. My main advice here is
to hook up with other cyclists. Once you've done a few
rides and stretched your distance out a bit, you can
fool yourself into thinking that you're the fastest
on the road. It is not until you are left standing on
a hill that you realise you ought to get on your bike
more often! Get out and do some races too. Also, make
sure you get one of the elite guys to look at your bike
set up. I only discovered after doing nearly half a
season last year that my bike set up was terrible. I
guess I had it a bit like my Granny has hers. Raise
your saddle and get low!
Running
Where was I? Well, 3 years
ago I had never run more than 4 miles and on the few
occasions that I did run that far it hurt - oh boy did
it hurt. I always hated running! It's still my weakest
discipline by far, but I am improving!
Where am I now? As I said,
running is still my weakest part of Triathlon. I've
now completed a couple of half-marathons sub 1hr 45mins
though and numerous 10Ks, all under 50mins. My 10K runs
in my Olympic Triathlons have been about 54 mins. Not
great but I'm just pleased to be able to do the distance!
My most important achievement is that I know enjoy running
and here's why:
How did I get there? Treading
the miles down the side of the River Yeo in Somerset
on gorgeous spring days is wonderful. I vary my routes
and I vary my pace - even to a walk sometimes. The important
advice here is a lesson learnt for me. Don't time all
your runs. I started by running a 5-mile circuit and
always running the same circuit so I could see if my
running was getting any faster - sound familiar? Leave
the watch at home! If you leave the watch at home, it
doesn't matter if you cut a corner or go around the
block one more time or stop for a minute to admire the
deer in the field. I've recently raised my enjoyment
a great deal by not clock watching. Having said that,
there are sessions where you need a watch - the hard
ones, the ones where you push yourself. But these shouldn't
be the majority. When you are starting out, in the same
way that I've encouraged you to build your swimming
up, you can run a mile, walk half a mile, run a mile….etc.
Don't be afraid of walking - the short walks can be
a real time of pleasure and it'll push you harder when
you are running. It is also great for the mind knowing
that you can stop occasionally. It all adds to a pleasant
experience rather than the circuit of pain run that
you are so used to! Again when running, it is great
to have people to run with, but, make sure you choose
people to run with who are slower than you as well as
those that are faster. And don't let your pride get
the better of you and turn a slow session into a race
to the death!
My PB is 2hrs 32 mins for an Olympic
Tri - I aim to break 2hrs 30 this season - wish me well!
You can get there too - even if you don't believe me
now. Start training, start focusing and stay motivated
by being sensible with your training.
Have a great season
Pete
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