So in January 2012 i decided to join my local tri club, Celtic Tri. Initially i didn't make that many training sessions but the club facebook page was such a great resource and a great way of getting to know people that it was worth joining just for that! My first season in tri was a bit haphazard in that i had a rough plan in my head but there was no specific progression, i just tried to keep to 2/3 sessions on each discipline, with the sessions including threshold work, speed work, or just longer sessions. Part way through my season i got a heart rate monitor and started to use this for turbo sessions but as i had no set plan i didn't make club sessions regularly.
What i did do was have an 8 weeks of swim coaching with Kevin Pullin, who put me through my paces, did specific drills and speed/threshold work. After completing this i was able to join his swim triathlon squad which meant swimming regularly with others, and having someone to push you outside your comfort zone. It also meant learning to swim in choppy waters and being close to others with bumps and knocks a plenty. However, i was finding that the late nights were affecting my early morning training sessions the next day, and that on a sunday evening after a heavy weekend of training i was just too shattered to make swim squad. I finally quit the squad at the end of the season when i started my MSc and had to re-assess my whole training week to optimise time. However, i had gone from zero to finishing 6 triathlons without drowning, and even doing pretty well in some of my races - more of that later!
What i found though during my races was having the support from club team-mates, and being recognised because of the celtic tri kit, was enough to get extra cheers which certainly lifts you during races. In my first race i was able to calm my nerves by having club mates to talk to, and then in the home straight i had mates shout at me that someone was countering my sprint which meant i kicked again, and left her in my wake ;)
The atmosphere at races is electric, and having a ready made group of people to chat to before, and after the races, and even high 5 during the races, brings a warm feeling inside. The banter after the races is immense too...the feel good factor running on full whack! I would recommend anyone finding a local tri club and joining, even if its just to have people to bounce ideas off, have a friendly face at a race, etc. Celtic tri is brilliant in that all sessions are coached (other than bike rides which are arranged between members), meaning you get dedicated support and coaching for only the cost of covering the venue. The helpfulness of everyone is second to none, and its amazing how many people i now know just from being in the club. What does take some getting used to though is people friending you on facebook, that you haver never met, purely because you're in the same club. Additionally, at races, the number of people who have said to me "hi hayley, how are you", when i have had no idea who they are, just shows how active i must be on Facebook! just wish i knew who some of them were as they are pretty fit!
No comments:
Post a Comment