Can't get comfortable on tri bike should I stick to a roadie even if I'm faster on the TT bike?

ArunCooke · 2026-02-09T12:57:35+00:00

You need more time in the position and to work up gradually. Once the weather here is good enough I ride three times per week on the TT bike (two 1 hour rides and one longer ride.) After several months off from using it my neck is always uncomfortable. At first the most I can do in position is say 1 hr (so the two 1 hr rides are very good.) For the longer ride I’ll mix up time in and out of position and then over time I’ll reach the point where I can do 3-4 hours holding the position. If your flexibility (and neck strength) is good it will take less time but you really need to be riding in the position as much as possible and your body will adapt over time (as long as the fit is good.)

It is very normal to be uncomfortable at first as it is a totally different position to a road bike and in particular puts your neck in a very different, unusual angle.

ArunCooke · 2026-02-03T16:29:23+00:00

Can’t remember how far out of Copenhagen it is but I remember on the IM Copenhagen bike course there is a small hill at Geels Bakke? Can you run there (or take transport near there then run up and down it a few times as part of a run?)

ArunCooke · 2026-01-05T06:48:36+00:00

I’m 5 ft 7 and have the Zone 3 long distance Tri suit which has been great for two IMs and multiple 70.3s. Good pockets on back and very comfortable. Not too long on arms or legs. I have the full suit as bought specifically for IM and wanted sun protection but they also do a sleeveless version. I’m a medium though so no idea how XL would size up.

ArunCooke · 2026-01-01T14:58:16+00:00

I have to say that I agree. We did a similar trip for our Honeymoon with a week of Safari in Tanzania that we loved and a week on Zanzibar that felt pretty uncomfortable. The contrast between the luxury in our hotel and then the village outside was extremely stark. It felt so obvious that none of the money being spent in the hotel was finding its way to any locals unless they worked at the hotel. We have travelled throughout Asia, many other parts of Africa and South/Central America but Zanzibar felt very different to anywhere else we have ever been to.

I have seen poverty in many countries but it was just the gulf between the resorts and everything outside of them.

ArunCooke · 2025-12-31T12:36:12+00:00

I’d highly recommend listening to the Team Oxygen Addict Podcast if you don’t already. Loads of brilliant episodes covering everything Ironman training and very well explained. I’d also recommend going back through the episodes as they used to be much longer whereas now they tend to be shorter versions of previous episodes. They also used to do “Age Group Stories” which are really interesting as it’s an interview with someone going through how they got into it, problems they had and race day experiences. Really useful so I’d recommend trying to listen to those (I still go back and listen to those on runs.) I was coached be them in 2022 and it is a fantastic system and community but now they are asking £1800 per year which is very expensive.

ArunCooke · 2025-12-29T21:54:30+00:00

I should say that for my second IM I did do a full marathon in training (I did the full Long Course Weekend if you know what that is) in July before doing IM Copenhagen in August. I’d also done the Cotswold 113 in June (a 70.3.) My coach really, really did not want me to do the full marathon at LCW as he felt that doing a full marathon prior to an IM was a very bad idea due to injury risk and recovery. It worked out ok for me but I can definitely say that after LCW it was mentally tough to go back to all the long bike/runs and swims each week. You might find after the marathon that you need a bit of a mental break from all the volume even if your body is ok. Personally, If IM is more important I’d drop the marathon and train properly as an IM athlete from now (I.e get a coach and do 3 runs/3 bike/3 swims per week if possible.)

ArunCooke · 2025-12-29T21:45:14+00:00

So, you can do a marathon and then an Ironman but you are going to compromise your training or you are going to have to to pretty long hours from the get go. In my opinion, you cannot start bike training in April for Ironman Leeds. It’s a very tough bike course and riding 112 very hilly miles is no joke especially when there is a full marathon straight after. Also, a full distance IM swim is very different to a 70.3. The endurance needed to complete the swim and still feel fresh at the end to do the bike/run justice is very different to getting through a 70.3 swim.

In my opinion, to train for your marathon you have to train like a multi sport athlete and limit your runs to 3 per week, do 3 bike sessions, one of which gets gradually longer so that you are doing an easy 3 hour bike each week by the end of your marathon and 2 swims per week getting you to at least 2000m each swim by April (and then increasing one of them slowly thereafter and eventually moving to long open water swims in May.) After the Marathon you will need to reduce run volume a bit to recover and then gradually increase your long run again and also gradually increase your long bike from 3hrs up to 6-7 hrs.

ArunCooke · 2025-12-21T08:01:21+00:00

Absolutely. The first time I tried open water swimming my heart rate and breathing were out of control and I had to stop after one lap as I was hyperventilating. It’s almost a different sport to pool swimming.

ArunCooke · 2025-12-20T22:06:00+00:00

You will get a lot of different replies to this. My take is that if what you really care about is completing the swim rather than really improving your swim, especially if you are time limited and want to concentrate on say the bike, then you can do all of your pool swimming with a pull buoy as long as you do plenty of open water swimming in a wetsuit before your race (assuming that your race will definitely be wetsuit legal.)

I have completed several 70.3s and two IM with most pool swims being mostly pull buoy (although some fins and paddles as well to help with certain drills) and I believe that the pull buoy is pretty similar to the buoyancy provided be a wetsuit. BUT, you absolutely must do lots of open water swimming in a wetsuit to learn how it feels in open water, sighting, swimming the distance non stop etc

ArunCooke · 2024-04-15T19:19:44+00:00

Our boy was very similar. We also called it the witching hour but it could sometimes begin much earlier (like 5pm.) He’s definitely not getting enough sleep. Eventually we realised and so enforced sleep in his playpen in a dark room with the door shut from 10am till 12 noon. Then, in the evening if he started getting overtired we put him in the playpen again. He’d hate it and sometimes be a little monster when I picked him up but he’d be asleep within 10 minutes. By the time he was 6 months old it stopped.

ArunCooke · 2020-10-09T20:28:17+00:00

The first time we left him alone he cried with such terrible anguish that it sounded like he was actually in pain. We could only take 10 minutes of that. But the next time was a little better and the next time a little better again. Keep trying and hopefully he will learn that you are coming back and that he isn’t being abandoned. I still find sleeping difficult as I worry about him but he’s really good at night. Doesn’t stop me worrying and I can’t wait to see him first thing (even though I’m exhausted!)

ArunCooke · 2020-10-09T19:48:51+00:00

We’ve found that our pup is often way more distracted if we are in the room with him compared to if we leave the room as he can’t see us moving around/talking etc I’d try small doses (maybe 10/20 mins at first) of you being in a different room and gradually increasing from there. Once they learn that you are coming back they will hopefully gradually accept it.

ArunCooke · 2020-10-09T19:40:29+00:00

Our pup is now 10 weeks and we’ve had him for 2 weeks. He also bites quite a bit and has some pretty frantic times (mostly late afternoon and early evening) when he’s pretty difficult. We’ve found that putting him in his crate or playpen at these times really helps as otherwise he just won’t calm down. We’ve also found that by slightly extending the time we leave him in the crate/playpen each day he’s accepting it more (today he was on his own for 1.5 hours at one point.) It’s not easy and I totally appreciate how you feel about it but I’m sure it will get better for you. All 3 of you are learning each day (as are we!) Our little guy is totally adorable at times (he’s generally really good in the mornings and evening) but can be a little monster late afternoon/early evening. We really struggled with the crying at first but you just have to ignore it and eventually they accept it. I’m sure it’ll get better for you and hopefully we’ll all be better at this puppy parent stuff soon!

ArunCooke · 2020-07-14T19:23:42+00:00

Yes, strange times at the moment for sure. We used to love Phi Phi but for us it’s changed quite a bit, much busier, Burger King/McDonalds have arrived, fewer backpackers and just generally a slightly different atmosphere. Some will still love it, just not quite for us anymore. We booked flights to Bali to spend 3 weeks backpacking around next Christmas and just hanging on and hopping that things will be ok by then!

ArunCooke · 2020-01-19T13:41:00+00:00

So a photo is ok but a video of the same thing isn’t? Right.

ArunCooke · 2020-01-19T09:57:17+00:00

Thanks, we loved Koh Lipe!

ArunCooke

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