CHI TRI members story – Guy
18 October 2024
When did you join CHI TRI?
2014 (might have been 2013)
Any race / nick names?
None as far as I am aware. Having two older brothers has meant being called most things except my actual name – one not politically correct these days either, so you can call me what you want without offending me.
How did your triathlon journey begin – and where are you now on that journey?
An ex-member suggested it on a night out and having always ridden I thought I would give it a go. I also believed I could swim from what i recalled from my school days but soon realised they only taught me to avoid drowning and hence it was back to the very basics for me. Whilst I have only ever swam once a week, I have stuck at it over the years and would now say I can hold my own in the pool (at least doing front crawl). The journey never really ends it just takes many different pathways and fellow members will inspire you to tackle different event types etc but for me it is all about the mental and physical well being regardless of the races and distances you want to aim for.
What was your best event and your worst event – and what were the learnings?
BEST EVENT: It has to be the Ironbourne Long Distance Triathlon I completed in 2022. I never set out to complete this distance when I joined the club but it soon sat niggling the back of my mind as something I would like to achieve and put my name to some day.
Main learning/s: Just sign up and don’t over think it. I wasted a good 5-7 years mentally thinking it is a ridiculous set of distances to put together and yet now in hindsight it was no where near as hard as I had built it up to be. Clearly you can’t just turn up to these events but once you are in to the swing of triathlon you don’t need to put that much more time in to your training week(s) to achieve the unachievable. Consistency is the key.
WORST EVENT: Until this season I would have probably said I have not had a bad event, but now I have two 🙁 I have never DNF’d but at this years club champs, a foot injury nearly caused me to. I finished, albeit with a slower pace then intended, and would say that it was mentally the toughest day out/race I have ever had. Secondly, at the end of season sprint event, my googles pretty much leaked from the start leaving me having to swim with my head out of the water and recording a really disappointing time.
Main learning/s: Ensure you clean the fairy liquid from you googles thoroughly and get in the water for a test swim prior to race start. Complacency for sure a.k.a a rookie error.
What are your triathlon goals for this year?
Not sure yet but will no doubt compete in the local events, club champs, and end of season team sprint as it is great being at a race day with fellow members. Plus there is always kudos at the next swim session when you rock up with a race t-shirt or some form of race paraphernalia. If being totally honest though, I just love running out on the trails with my dog so will settle for that once my foot is better. Oh yet, off to smash some mountain routes in the the Pyrenees as well !
Favourite CHI TRI session?
I have religiously swam with the club as that is the one session I am able to commit to. With work and a busy family life, you do what you can fit in but I really relish the odd opportunity to join in on a Sunday ride when I can – not really a cake man but it does make for good fuel.
What 3 tips would you give?
- Be consistent with your training.
- Don’t over think it, you will be surprised what you body can physically do.
- Enjoy the races – the hard graft has been done in training.
What would be your 10-15 tracks listing for a SPIN bike or run session?
- Without naming tracks per say I would state the obvious and picked tracks according to the session planned. For example 100+ bpm for a high cadence session or 60 rpm for high gear low cadence strength work session. Hopefully the lead will sort all this out for you though, so just remember a towel for all the sweat!
- If Zwifting, then watching Netflix helps to take the monotony away.
- On the run, any 90s Hip Hop from artist like Biggie Smalls and 2Pac mixed in with some Arctic Moneys and the Kings of Leon works for me. Volume up on a tempo run if you want to ignore your booming heart rate and heavy breathing.
- Listening to music out on your bike is a big no no for me – you need all your senses to keep safe, so it simply is not worth it.
If you would like to find more about becoming a member of CHI TRI click here, or go big and join today…
Chichester Triathlon Club
To train. To race. Together.