Train For A Tri
Sunday 7th June: IT'S ALL OVER!!!!
They came, they saw, they conquered! When I think back to the very first briefing at the Hub Club at the beginning of March, I remember the look of 'Oh MY GOD what have I let myself in for?' on all their faces. Some were already athletes in one of the three tri disciplines, others were new to sport and fitness. But they were all pretty nervous and had no idea whether they would get through the first fortnight, let alone complete the tri itself. But now when I look a them, I can't help but think over the last 3 months watching their fitness improve and their confidence grow week on week. It just goes to show that mental strength and endurance is just as important as the physical side - and these people have it in buckets.
Just one sad note - a few of the original TFATs didn't make it to Helston due to injuries and illnesses - none sustained via our programme I hasten to add!! It's a real pity they were unable to see it through, but we all hope they are able to continue with their triathlon aspirations soon.
I'm sure that all at Tri-Logic will agree that it's been a pleasure to coach these athletes, and it will be even more a pleasure to welcome many of them as members of the club as they seem to have been bitten by the triathlon bug! What is sure is that we have not yet seen the best of them. What will their next challenges be?!
For Helston Triathlon Review and Results and more photos click here.
Friday 29th May: 1 week to go!!
Instead of the usual Tuesday swim this week, we staged a trial 'mini triathlon' at Helston Sports Centre so the athletes could benefit from the experience before the big event itself. Even though we weren't timing it, we were surprised at how nervous they all were! What are they going to be like on the day? Well, hopefully now they know what to expect they will cope with ease. This next week will be plain sailing - tapering so that they have plenty of energy for race day - we just can't wait!
Monday 18th May: 3 weeks to go
Confidence in the swim discipline has really been increased this week due to the 400m sets completed. And those run sessions on the dunes and coastal routes are clearly having the desired affect, as all our TFATs completed a challenging 6 mile multi-terrain run around Helston. The Sunday rides are also increasing in mileage and difficulty: all the TFATs are now regularly able to cycle 20 - 30 miles.
Wednesday 29 April: 5.5 weeks to go
Just over a month to the big event and our TFATs are still going strong. We have all been impressed with the level of enthusiasm and commitment that these athletes have thrown themselves into the training programme. Inevitably there have been one or two fall by the wayside, but on the whole it looks likely we'll be putting in a great team to Helston. Confidence has grown wholesale, and progress continues to be made in leaps and bounds. Great going guys!
Wednesday 22 April: 6.5 weeks to go
Over the halfway mark now, and the TFATs are all showing great signs of improvement. All the athletes are now capable of completing the distances in each discipline, which is an achievement in itself. Last Friday we substituted the usual run session with some transition training, which demonstrated the 'lead legs' feeling after T2 very well. Sunday's mountain bike ride was a welcome change to the usual road ride (thanks to Barrie for the route and wife Carol for the homemade cakes, mmm) but was still valuable training. And yesterday's swim session kicked off with a timed 400m swim, to give the crew an idea what swim time to put on their entry forms. All in all, a busy couple of weeks, and it wont get any easier!
Tuesday 7 April: 8 weeks to go
Well, we are now over a month into the programme, and we are amazed that there hasn't been any discernible 'drop-off' rate to numbers of new athletes attending training sessions, so we are assuming we are doing something right! Last Sunday saw a great race (An Resek Hellys) organised by TLCs own Ceri Harvey and marshalled in the main by TLC members - including some of the new TFAT athletes who had a ringside seat to watch the race. This coming Sunday is the PZ tri, and one or two of the newbies will be taking the plunge - good luck!
Monday 23rd March 2009: 10 weeks to go
Tuesday's coached swim session proved just as popular at the later time of 9 o'clock, and it certainly alleviated the Swimfit session beforehand. Some good work happening there. We have started to extend the distance on the Friday run now; Group 1 are up to 2.5 miles continuous running (way to go!) and the speedier TFAT athletes are now running a base of 5 miles. Sunday rides are still going strong, and it wont be long before everyone can achieve the distance required (16.5 miles).
Monday 16th March 2009: 11 weeks to go
What a week! Our 25 recruits have been put through their paces with the first swim, bike and run sessions, plus fitness tests in running and cycling. Tuesday's Swimfit class was so popular, it overwhelmed the pool and coaches so we have decided to move it to a later time of 9pm so that the usual Swimfit regulars will not be affected. Thursday saw the first of the fitness tests, held by special dispensation (thanks Kay!) at At Your Pace, Helston. Friday was the first proper run session, which was a timed mile loop. The second fitness test took place on Saturday on a turbo trainer at Cycle Logic, Helston (cheers Steve!). The tests will be performed later on in the programme (as will the timed mile run) to be used for comparison purposes. Sunday's ride from Praze ended off the week. Phew, I need a rest just after typing all that.
Saturday 7th March 2009: 12 weeks to go
IT'S STARTED!!! We have had a great uptake on our brand new training programme Train-For-A-Tri (TFAT for short). We would have been happy with about 10 newbies, but we were astounded to see 25 people completely new to triathlon turn up at the briefing last night. A real mix of people from different backgrounds, runners, swimmers, cyclists and some with little previous sports or fitness experience. For sure, some will find it easier than others, but our aim is to ensure all those 25 will get through the training and even more importantly complete the Helston Tri on 7th June - exactly 3 months time! Watch this space for regular updates on the recruits' progress.
TFAT - What is it?
Train For A Tri is Tri-Logic Cornwall's project to encourage more people into the sport of triathlon. It consists of a 12-week training schedule designed to prepare for the Helston Triathlon on 7th June 2009.
The Event
Helston Triathlon is what is known as a 'sprint' event as the distances in each of the 3 disciplines are relatively short and are very popular with novice triathletes.
Helston Triathlon consists of 400m pool swim, a 16.5 mile bike ride and a 3.5 mile run. Entry forms will be available during March on this website.
If you would like to know more about our TFAT programme, please contact us on trilogiccornwall@yahoo.co.uk.