u/Am_i_idiot

Videos of my freestyle:

•	Side view (above water): https://youtu.be/oh2RG5i\_KZo  
•	Side view (underwater): https://youtu.be/n1U6ISHeEQY  
•	Front view (underwater): https://youtu.be/WaXKM788Zx0

Hey all, first-time triathlete here looking for some honest advice.

Where I’m at:
• 3 months of swimming, 3x per week, zero skipped sessions
• Cycling and running are in decent shape
• Hitting a wall at 50–75m non-stop in the pool — have to grab the wall and catch my breath
• Arms and legs feel fine — it’s purely a breathing/gassed-out issue
• First sprint distance triathlon in 45 days with a 500m swim

Right now the idea of swimming 500m continuously feels impossible, and I’m starting to get nervous.
What I’d love your input on:

1.	Is 500m continuous realistic in 45 days from where I am, or should I plan to breaststroke/backstroke parts of it?

2.	For those who started as adult swimmers and finished a tri: when did swimming finally click for you? What was the breakthrough — a drill, a cue, a mindset shift?

3.	45-day plan: if you were in my shoes, how would you structure the swim training? More distance, more drills, open water sessions, longer pool sessions?

4.	Race day tactics: pacing, breathing patterns, sighting, wetsuit (allowed/not), what to do if I panic in open water?  

Videos attached for anyone willing to give technique feedback too — brutal honesty welcome. I’d rather hear hard truths now than fall apart on race day.
Thanks in advance — really appreciate any wisdom from people who’ve been through their first one.

Hey all,

hoping for some honest assessments here because I’m genuinely not sure how bad this is.
I noticed damage on my Van Rysel RCR-F (Shimano 105 R7100 12-speed) and I’m trying to figure out if it’s something I can ride on or if it’s a hard stop.

I dropped the bike while carrying it downstairs and since I was in a hurry, I tried to engage the chainring, turn the pedal, and apply some force.

Photos attached.

The complicating factor: I have a race next weekend that I’ve been training months for. Entry is paid, travel is booked. Part of me wants to send it. The smarter part of me knows carbon failures at speed end badly.

Looking for honest opinions:

1. How bad does this actually look to experienced eyes?
2. Is this a “tap test and monitor” situation, or a “do not ride under any circumstances” situation?
3. If you were me — would you race next weekend, race on a backup/rental, or just skip it?
4. I’ll take it to a shop this week regardless, but want to mentally prepare for the answer. Not trying to be reckless, just trying to figure out how reckless this would actually be.
5. Thanks in advance