I’m a 44 (soon 45) year old, male, who swam competitively when young (to club standard but not county). I did some masters swimming in my 20s (not quick at all for age but I have reasonable technique compared to average person), and then gave that up and became a MAMIL and did loads of social cycling with friends (albeit quite intense). I then stopped that and did a load of running (not in a club).
So I’m a social athlete. My 1500m swim time is around 25 mins, 10km run around 42 mins (did a 1:32 half) and 40km flat ride on bike is around 1 HR 10 mins (riding on roads with traffic. Never done a time trial).
I’m thinking of giving a triathlon a go. I don’t want to spend silly amounts. I’m happy with my normal road bike (Enigma Evade). What would I need to buy? Simply a Tri suit?
I have a Garmin 935 watch and 530 edge cycle computer. I use Garmin Connect and Strava. But neither offer amazing swim analysis of my pool swims. Garmin connect on web at least gives me splits of each length (app doesn’t though) but it’s still a bit basic. Had a look at Training Peaks which doesn’t seem to offer analysis by length (unless I manually press the lap button each length and I don’t want to do that when tumble turning).
What website or software do people use for swim analysis?
First off, Welcome to Slowtwitch! You will find a lot of good info on this forum.
Specifically what are you looking for in a swim analysis? For my longer swims, 400s and above, I will look at splits only on GC. Especially on 1500’s, I will also look at each 500 to get a more macro view of whether I’m descending each 500, staying steady or fatiguing. Beyond that, I look to my masters coach.
There are a plethora of better swimmers than me who should weigh in though.
Gear: to get started, if you have running and cycling kit all you need is a Tri suit and a budget wetsuit if your tris are in UK open water (guessing you are In uk due to use of phrase MAMIL) I would also highly recommend joining a club if you have a local one. Triathlon gets expensive but it doesn’t have to.
I could rejoin my Master’s Club. But to be honest, I prefer doing my own thing. I’m doing this for enjoyment and to keep a reasonable level of fitness.
I just am a bit of a data junkie and enjoy looking at splits etc and working out if I start to drop off, whether I maintain a consistent pace etc. None of this analysis makes me go quicker. I just find it interesting
Analysis for cycling and running is pretty good (smashrun also excellent for running). Swim seems to be a bit underserved on data analysis
I get that a tri-suit allows you to wear the same gear for all 3 legs but is the pad noticeable during the run?
Wondering if an alternative is to wear jammers on swim, put cycling shorts over top for bike leg and pull on cycling Jersey, then whip off cycling shorts and put running shorts on for run so it would be less restrictive
I get this would add maybe 30 seconds to overall time but if run more comfortable I might make up time?
I get that a tri-suit allows you to wear the same gear for all 3 legs but is the pad noticeable during the run?
Wondering if an alternative is to wear jammers on swim, put cycling shorts over top for bike leg and pull on cycling Jersey, then whip off cycling shorts and put running shorts on for run so it would be less restrictive
I get this would add maybe 30 seconds to overall time but if run more comfortable I might make up time?
Or are trisuits really comfortable for run?
As starting out, thought I’d ask before I buy.
Not a stupid question. Would only be stupid if you thought it but didn’t ask it.
Tri suits get the job done and comfortably. I’ve never noticed the pad in training or racing.
For trisuits, a one piece is going to be better for swimming, and less restrictive at the waist (kinda like bib shorts). A two-piece is better for pit stops. I use a 2psc for most races since all my races are wetsuit legal. For tri shorts I’m partial to De Soto and Castelli, YMMV.
The pad in a trisuit is minimal compared to cycling shorts and really isn’t noticeable. Having the pad there also means you don’t have a center seam (that most jammers have) rubbing you on the bike/run.
Lots of quality brands out there (De Soto, Zoot, Santini, Pearl Izumi, Castelli, etc. etc.). Just avoid the cheap suits off amazon/.ebay (ex. Sparx, Zimco, etc.); IME they have good construction, but poor seam placement and pads (not really made by/for athletes) and chafe badly.
In a 2 piece suit do you still wear the top under the wetsuit or just put it on post swim? Former saves a few seconds in transition In guess. Latter might be less restrictive during swim
And I guess with latter approach you don’t really need a tri-top? Can just put on a cycling top (which would double as running top)?
No watch on the market offers real swim analysis.
Form Goggles
Phlex Swim
Triton Wear
FINIS tracking goggles…
Triton wear is probably the most advanced of the lot.
I have used Phlex… software is great. The hardware hasn’t been reliable. I’m trying out Tritonwear starting in the next week.
Bo - I am shocked that you would bother with any “swim analysis” software!!! I mean, you count your strokes, right??? And you can feel it in your muscles when you’re slowing down, right??? Plus just a glance at the pace clock, or a cheap Timex Ironman watch, will tell you whether you’re slowing or not with certainty. So, I’m just surprised that a swimmer of your pedigree would even think about using any of this tech stuff.
In a 2 piece suit do you still wear the top under the wetsuit or just put it on post swim? Former saves a few seconds in transition In guess. Latter might be less restrictive during swim
And I guess with latter approach you don’t really need a tri-top? Can just put on a cycling top (which would double as running top)?
The tri top goes under the wetsuit. This saves time in T1, and doesn’t really add to the shoulder restriction considering you already have a couple of mm of neoprene on (compared to a thin layer of spandex).
Traditionally, cycling tops have not worked well for tris. Until recently they were fitted, but not second skin tight and flapped in the wind (a tri suit is really a skinsuit). Cycling tops also had high cut armholes that chafed when running (not designed for swinging your arms). Modern cycling tops are now much closer in fit to skinsuits (ex. Castelli aero race ) and might work.
Personally, I race in Under Armour HeatGear sleeveless tops. Stretchy, thin, cool well, widely available, and $25USD.
A less well suited cycling jersey (looser fit, wrinkles, more drag):
In a 2 piece suit do you still wear the top under the wetsuit or just put it on post swim? Former saves a few seconds in transition In guess. Latter might be less restrictive during swim
Yes, you wear top under the wetsuit. Trying to put on a top after the swim is an un-fun adventure fueled by frustration. You won’t even notice any restriction (assuming you have an appropriately fitting top). The goal is to do as little extra work as possible in transition.
You can check out Triton Wear. They keep updating their analytics. You can look at turn times, time underwater, so you can look at your actual swim speed between the turns, etc.
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