Your First Triathlon

What you really need to know for your first triathlon

This blog post will focus on you doing your first triathlon. As always, be sure to consult with your physician before starting your training routine. To compete and complete in a sprint triathlon, I tell all my athletes to allow for at least 12 weeks of training for your race. If you happen to be fit and have been working out on a regular basis, then 8 weeks could be enough. If you have no fitness and haven't been working out at all, I'd recommend 16 weeks to prepare for your race. You want race day to be fun! You do not want to be one of those athletes that is miserable or that maybe doesn't even finish. Allow for enough fitness preparation to reach your goals.

But first lets look at the different triathlon distances. The sport of triathlon offers a wide range of distances and here's a rundown of the different types:

Sprint (Up to 16 miles or 25.7km): This is my favorite for someone new to the sport. Distances can vary, but typically the swim portion is anywhere from 250 meters to about 0.5 miles (750m), the bike length can be 10 miles to 12.4 miles (20km) and the run is typically 3.1 miles (5km).

Olympic (Up to 32 miles or 51.5km): This race distance has a swim that's typically 1 mile (1600 meters), a 24.8 mile (40km) bike, and a 6.2 mile (10km) run.

Half Ironman (70.3 miles or 113.1km): This is the smallest long distance Ironman race. It's recommended to try several Olympic distances first and for those not ready for the full Ironman training time commitment. These races are very challenging and the different venues can make them very difficult. The distances are always the same no matter the venue. The swim is 1.2 miles (1.9km), the bike is 56 miles (90km), and run 13.1 miles (21.09km).

Ironman (140.6 miles or 226.2km): This distance is the big daddy of them all. The time commitment and length of the training block can take up to a year. This race consists of a 2.4 mile (3.8km) swim, 112 mile (180km) bike, and a 26.2 (42.2km) run.

So being a rookie triathlon athlete, chances are rather than plowing into a larger distance and all the preparation that goes with it, you'll start with the sprint distance to get your feet wet in the sport.

Triathlon Race Day Tips

Having spent the last seven years competing in triathlons. I've made plenty of mistakes, so let me give you some small details and tips that I wish someone would have told me to make my race go a lot smoother.

The Night Before

Study the course so you know what to expect. Where are the turns, uphills, downhills or flats? How many aid stations? Where are they located? Knowing all of these things will give you confidence and help you pace your race. 

Organize all your gear. Lay everything out and go through your checklist (I've provided a checklist below). Then put related items in separate bags for easier sorting.

Here are some guild examples:

Swim/morning bag. All that you'll need for the swim will be in this bag. I put extra clothing that I might need before the swim  starts.

Bike gear bag. This will be everything that you'll need on the bike course. Once you get your bike positioned in the transition area you can start to load up your bike with lube, food and drinks

Run gear bag. This bag will have all that's needed to do the run.
Put all of these bags into your transition bag that you'll bring with your bike to the transition area. 

Eat normally, don't start eating new things the night before. Stick with the foods you've usually been eating during training. Try to have some protein (chicken, fish, turkey), a little healthy fat (avocados, nuts, olives). I like to eat a lot of carbohydrates fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans two days prior to the night before. If you're like me, carbs are really hard for my stomach to digest so the night before I tend to have a light meal, just so I'm not so bloated on race day. Note: It's best to eat this way for 3 days before your event. 

Morning of the Race

Eat something. As with the previous night's meal, eat the same foods your body is used to eating, and eat at least 2 hours before the race so the food can digest. A beverage high in carbohydrates is a good alternative if you have problems with eating and digesting foods before a race. Also get some electrolytes in during the morning and leading up to the race. I stop taking any energy gels or liquids 30 minutes before the race.

Transition deadline: Make sure you know what time the transition area closes. You want to have all your gear there and set up before it does. Practice a dry run of each race transition to check your gear organization. Memorize your spot by taking note of landmarks to help find your bike.

• Keep your gear compact in transition. Put your gear on one side of your bike, do not take up space on both sides. If you just bring thing's you’ll absolutely need you won’t need that much space. Make your area neat and organized because during the race the transition area can get hectic. Put everything on a colorful towel or bright mat that you can see from a distance. Put you bike items to the front and your run gear towards the back of your space for later. Be sure to put your swim gear in your space so you can find it later after the race.
• Remember where your stuff is in transition. Practice a dry run of each race transition to check your gear organization. Practice coming into the transition area to your bike and leaving your bike to start the run. I've gotten confused in larger participant races where the transition area could be the size of a football field.
• Put your race timing chip on your left leg. Never even thought about this until race day. Having your timing chip on your right leg would allow it to get caught in the bike chain. Also put your timing chip under your wetsuit if you’re having to wear one just to ease wetsuit removal.
• Use plastic shopping bags to get your wetsuit on. So simple, but I didn't do this until my second wetsuit race. I started putting plastic bags over my feet so the tight ankle sections would slip on easier, I cut at least five long minutes of frantic struggling in my preparation time for the swim. You can do this for the arms too if you have a full wetsuit.
• You can draft in the swim. It’s legal to draft in the water. Be courteous though and don’t constantly be slapping the swimmer in front of you. The best position to be in is two feet away from the swimmer’s feet or align your head so that its next to his/her hip. This way you can ride in their bow wake.
• No headphones are allowed. The governing triathlon bodies prohibit the use of audio devices the entire race, so leave them in transition otherwise if caught you will be disqualified.
• Always pass on the left during the bike. Drafting on the bike is illegal and there must be 3 bike lengths (22ft) between you and the bike in front. If its less that 3 bike lengths, you’re in the bike drafting zone and you have 15 seconds where you must pass. Always say “on your left” when passing on the left of the person in front so they know you are there.
• Learn how to get your feet in and out of the pedals. During the race there possibly could be times you’ll have to take your shoes out of the pedals to avoid an issue. During training practice taking your feet out of your pedals and coming to a stop is a good practice. If you're using clipped pedal’s I found out that you can loosen the tension on the back of the pedal’s, so your feet come out easier. One place you can practice this is during indoor training. If you have an indoor bike trainer just keep taking one foot off the pedals and coming to a stop.
• Practice running in your bike shoes. Over time you'll get comfortable leaving your shoes attached to your bike when you're done with the bike segment. But until then, practice running or walking fast in them. There tough to walk in let alone run in and you don't want to slip and fall.
• Sunglasses are always a must, even on a cloudy day. On the bike you are going fast enough that bugs can get into your eyes or worse a piece of gravel or debris from the road.

Below is a check list for your race. Everything you’ll need for the swim, bike and run segments is here. There are also some items you may want to bring along. Double check your bags to make sure you have everything.

Check List

Swim

Tri suit or swimsuit

Wetsuit

Cap

Goggles

Antifog solution for goggles

Bodyglide (skin lubricant)

Pre-race sandals or other footwear

Towel

Spare goggles

Ear plugs

Bike

Water bottles (for frame cages) or hydration pack

Bag attached under seat or mounted on top tube

Spare tube or tubes (and/or patch kit)

Race belt (for number)

Floor pump

Tire levers

Watch or heart rate monitor with chest strap for bike

Cyclist's multi-tool (with Allen wrenches)

CO2 inflator (with cartridge) or minipump

Helmet

Sunglasses or clear eye protection

Spare sunglasses

Jersey, T-shirt or tank top

Cycling shorts

Cycling gloves

Cycling footwear

Cycling socks

Run

Running shoes

Speed (elastic) laces

Running socks

Cap or visor

Sunglasses (if different from cycling glasses)

Watch or heart rate monitor with chest strap for run

Other Items

First-aid items (blister treatment, bandages)

Medical info/emergency contact card

Prescription/over-the-counter medications

Sunscreen

Lip balm

Chamois cream

Baby wipes (for cleanups) or hand sanitizer

Race number and documents

Safety pins

Performance gels/chews/bars

Performance beverages or drink mixes

Recovery foods/drinks

Transition bag(s)

Well this post should get you on the right path for a successful race! This is my first blog post and I hope you found it useful. If you have anything that has helped you during a triathlon, feel free to put it in the comments below. I intend to create post every week, so if there's a topic you'd like me to talk about just leave it in the comments below too. Happy training!!