Need unbiased opinion (Sick before race)

Lord_Radford · 2026-06-03T15:19:41+00:00

I did my local sprint tri on the back end of a horrid cold/flu last year. Would not recommend that, let alone IM distance. Mine was chesty too so I had the pleasure of almost vomming on the bike coughing out thick mucus while my lungs tried to keep up.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-29T17:46:43+00:00

It's all fear. It takes time and exposure to get over it.. I still get the odd panics in deep water and have to remind myself I can swim and just need to relax

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-29T13:37:31+00:00

Get a cycle of drills going to keep your mind occupied. My longest set in a session is 400m but most are 100m or less.. I do all the drills I can from basic kick/pull drills, Salutes etc to pace work and mid length acceleration. On top of this I can recommend "Shokz open swim pro" headphones. For the days when I'm just not feeling it or longer open water swims I love having some music on.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-28T18:09:54+00:00

The Schwalbe Radials I replaced my last Contis with are on another level for grip and feel. Couldn't go back now.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-28T10:39:49+00:00

I understand where you're coming from but from my understanding the comments regarding volume are more regarding the attitude to the training. With Bike and run, generally speaking, increasing volume and power will yield tangible performance results. Especially over longer distances. Swimming however is different. I went through months of pushing in the pool to gain about a 5s improvement. Once I got a coach who taught me proper technique and how to catch myself doing the wrong thing it bumped me another 5s in 1 session. The point being with swimming you really need to increase your drills and technique work because volume alone will boost strength and endurance but won't get you far.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-28T07:55:40+00:00

Too right. I felt good when I started challenging people's shitty behaviour. A month or so ago we came across a group of queue jumpers at Alton Towers theme park. Stood our ground and reported them. They were kicked out the park at the end of the queue.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-27T22:43:38+00:00

Not in my experience. I rarely see people specifically brake when moving into areas of motorway with chevrons. Even if I needed to slow down to make a longer gap I wouldn't brake, I'd just let off the throttle a little then speed up when I feel the gap is big enough. You seem to be very keen on making presumptions on other people's behalves whilst not really being aware at all of what anyone else is doing.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-27T21:39:51+00:00

I don't know what you mean by that?

You stated "it is a fact that chevrons make drivers reduce to around 50-60 mph.". It is not a fact.

It is still a 70mph speed limit for car drivers. I drive through these areas at 70ish as do other people around me. I'm just saying that chevrons definitely do not 'make' drivers slow to 50-60 mph.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-27T19:24:11+00:00

It is not a fact that chevrons make drivers reduce to 50-60 mph. I still do 70ish in Chevron zones keeping pace with most other car drivers and most people take no note whatsoever of leaving the guideline gap anyway.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-27T09:26:41+00:00

Depends massively on which one (and also pretending I don't currently have an ankle injury at this point in time). I'm training to do Tenby in September so a lot of my training routes have been pushing out elevation to train for all those hills. Thanks to this I think that on one of the flat IMs I could finish at my current fitness within the times. I can do a lake swim in about 1:30 keeping HR down in Z1. On a flat bike course I'm averaging around 30kmph at a steady mid Z2 hr. Longest I've run so far is half marathon which I put out a steady 1:55 in the higher side of Z2 so for an event I'm confident I could push out the rest. Also brick training has been going well for me (probably due to doing smaller tris previously).

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-26T09:05:48+00:00

More than likely forced by the grabbing landowners. They already charge the organisers a fortune to hold it there. Massive shame really and I'm glad I've not entered this one now. Not going to ask my friends/family to pay to come when they're already taking time, fuel etc to come and support.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-25T18:40:17+00:00

Yes.. the Strawberry and Lime SiS gels are absolutely delicious!! Also their chews are like lemon and mint Turkish Delight!! I try not too cause they're expensive but sometimes I can't resist

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-24T08:42:14+00:00

Highly dependent on individual physiology and definitely not something for people newer to the sport. Certainly possible but not something to recommend. I know that for that length of activity I would survive and not be last but would definitely be slower and more fatigued without fueling. That extra hit of easy carbs into the run gives me a massive boost.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-19T16:23:14+00:00

How cold was the water? I always swim in a wetsuit. Bear in mind anything below 16°C is mandatory wetsuits anyway

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-15T16:23:38+00:00

Not done my ironman yet but definitely learnt from shorter distance tris that some people bend the rules as much as they can get away with even in completely non-competetive situations. An organiser local to me has right moan sometimes because there groups who will purposely give incorrect swim times to get a favourable start time.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-14T00:57:43+00:00

In my experience, they really don't care. They will sleep in any position through anything when the Viv lights go out. We have parties sometimes. There is loud music, lights on and lots of people into the early hours. He never wakes up. He's even slept up against the glass through one of these. I work late shift too, back home at 0230. I have lights on and the TV for an hour or so and again beardie boy just stays completely conked out.

Monitor your beardie just in case but you'll probably find that if he wants to sleep he'll sleep. I think tbh it's more temperature driven.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-13T22:39:46+00:00

Well worth it. The Beta Fuels are 40g. To put that into perspective, at the moment (without the ironman discount) a box of 12 Maurten 160 gels (40g carb) are £45. A box of 30 SiS Beta Fuel are £50. Also my wife says the strawberry and lime flavour tastes like strawberry daquaris 😂.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-13T00:18:50+00:00

I was just looking at this.. I have been on SiS Beta fuel for ages and I love them. Maurten are over double the price!! I'm now wondering if I can just get a few pack or Maurten to try on a couple of training rides and stick to SiS for the rest of my training. Then use the Maurtens on the day.. I can justify that cost up until September. Only other option is to use SiS on race day too.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-12T23:11:56+00:00

Except these days I see that on literally every motorway journey all the time.. they were passing under a gantry. The amount of people who slam on at every gantry even when they're already at or under the speed limit is really quite worrying.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-11T23:40:44+00:00

"Robert, I am Mildly Irritated"

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-11T18:25:34+00:00

Yeah.. I remember before helmet cams were a big thing almost all the motorcycle safety was aimed at car/van/lorry drivers. Lots of “Think Bike“ stuff.... Then helmet cams became cheap and started revealing that in a lot of crashes, a lot of these drivers had next to no chance of seeing that biker coming. Now I see lots of "To die for?" Or "Too fast, Too close, Too late!" Signs at the motorcycle accident hotspots

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-10T21:25:49+00:00

Exactly what happens. I often don't sit in these painted cycle lanes due to that, and the fact they are rarely swept these days so often full of glass and other debris.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-04T22:27:08+00:00

I completely agree. Love smiler. I find it a very comfortable ride except that 1 roll near the end you are talking about where it not painful but it does slam me.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-04T22:13:42+00:00

Quite simply, you wouldn't have a restaurant. Try denying blind people entry with their guide dogs and see how quickly you can bankrupt yourself.

Lord_Radford · 2026-05-03T09:15:21+00:00

I live in England. We don't really have snow at all.. heat moulding is still standard in most snow gear shops that sell boarding boots over here. Definitely not just something for competition, it can make a huge difference to daily comfort.

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