The Triathlon Song
I first saw the video below over at Chuckie V’s blog. This is a pretty good summation of some of the sights you will see on race day if you are new to the sport. Enjoy!
Chuckie V’s blog, by the way, is quite excellent. It is veritable treasure trove of training knowledge, and it’s all free. He is triathlon coach, former Ironman champ, and rode with Lance Armstrong on the U.S. Postal Cycling Team. He’s also hiked the Pacific Coast Trail solo twice. So, yeah, he’s been around a bit. His ideas on nutrition are also spot on!
What to Expect on the Swim Leg of a Triathlon
If you are new to the sport of triathlon, one of your biggest concerns is probably the swim leg. Unless you were a swimmer as a youth, in high school, or collegiately, which is a good portion of the population, swimming is often the toughest obstacle to overcome for beginners. For this article, we will focus on “normal” triathlons. I consider “normal” to be 1/2 Ironmans, Olympics and Sprint races with open-water swims. An Ironman race, and especially the swim portion, is far from normal. 
So, in most normal triathlons , the swim start is staggered in waves. Waves are usually based on the age group or category in which you are racing. So, in a traditional open-water triathlon, you might start with 20, 30, or even 100 of your fellow competitors, depending on the popularity of the race. Per USAT rules, you can use a wetsuit if the water is below 78 degrees. You can use one above the 78-degree mark, but you will not be eligible for any awards.
I will go over what to look for in a wetsuit in a future post, but for now, let’s assume you either rented one from your local triathlon shop your first or you bought one. Because wetsuits make swimming easier and make you faster in the water, most people are checking the race director’s web site every five minutes in the days before the race to check with water temperature. In some races, it will be so close, the race director will announce if wetsuits will be legal or not the morning of the race, so always bring your suit just in case!
In your race packet, along with a bunch of other stuff, you will get a swim cap that is a particular color based on your wave. For whatever reason, many race directors think it’s funny to give the Clydesdales (men over 200 pounds) pink swim caps.
You will arrive at your race, set up your transition area (also another post), don your wetsuit and head down to the swim start. Don’t forget your swim cap and your goggles! When you get down to the water, you can get in to warm up a bit if you have time. Once it’s time for your wave, the race announcer will ask your group to cross over the timing mat. This enables your timing chip, which also received in your race packet. Without your chip, you will not have an official time, so make sure you have and make sure it’s attached securely to your ankle. You might even tuck it under your wetsuit for better security and less drag in the water.
As you cross the mat, you will be surrounded by several of your fellow competitors, all of whom are just as nervous as you are. I don’t care how many races you have done, or whether the race is a 1/2 Ironman or a sprint, people still get anxious on the swim because you never know just how many times you are going to get hit by a flailing arm or leg.
I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t want to sugar-coat it either. You are probably going to get swam over, or run into, or kicked in the face at least once during the race. All you can do it keep going and not let it bother you. If you are really worried about contact, I would suggest waiting a minute after your wave starts. You will still run into some folks probably, but it will be bet less hectic at the start without the good swimmers in the group battling it out for a good line.
OK, so now, after a few bumps on the start, we are off and swimming in rhythm. Another skill that is required in open-water swimming, besides actually swimming and keeping your head, is sighting. You will need to practice this in a pool by lifting your head occasionally to sight on the end of the lane.
If you have never swam in open-water before, I would highly suggest doing so before your race! It is a whole different ballgame in a big body of water, especially if it’s not in a crystal clear lake or ocean. Most lakes, depending on your area, are going to be murky, making it impossible to see more than a foot or so in front of you when your head is down. Believe me, you don’t want to experience this sensation for the first time during a race. Go to the ocean or a nearby lake and practice sighting on different objects. Sighting and swimming straight during a race is crucial, and you can even put time on people who are a bit better swimmers, but who cannot swim straight!
If you are a bi-lateral breather, which means you can breathe to either side on your swim stroke, then good for you. You have no worries about which way the buoys are set up. If you breathe strictly to one side during a race, some races will set up better for you than others. The race directors will have buoys placed in the water, usually in the shape of a rectangle or triangle. You can swim inside the buoy line, but you have to go outside of the main buoys which are bigger and on the corners. This ensures that you actually swim the entire distance of your race.
I breathe to the right side strictly during a race, so a race that goes in clockwise direction is best for me. In the races I’ve done, I would say it’s about even as far clockwise or counter-clockwise. It’s not a huge deal, as you will be able to see the buoys regardless, it’s just a bit easier to keep perspective on things as you can see them on your right when you breathe right.
That’s really about it as far as what to expect on the swim. The good news is that you are not racing in an Ironman. In these races, everyone — all 2,000-plus triathletes — starts together. Talk about frantic! Be thankful you are only swimming with 50 or so folks, not all of the race competitors!
My best advice would be to stay calm and realized that everyone around is just as nervous as you are. If you get winded or lose your goggles after getting hit in the face, there are usually boats, kayaks and canoes that you can grab onto. You can also just roll over on your back and float for awhile to regain your composure. Look for future posts on how to choose a wetsuit, some drills that will help your open water swimming, and my thoughts on training for triathlon-specific swimming.
For Beginner Triathletes, Bike Hard and Bike Often!
Ed. Note: This is a guest post from 10-time Ironman, 2-time NothingMan (self-supported Ironman) Sheila Plemich. You can keep up with her training exploits at http://crackheadfe.blogspot.com
I’m pretty sure someone told you that you need a bike. If you are going to do more than sprint triathlons, it should be a road bike—although a hybrid or MTB can get you through your first few sprints. If you have money to burn, go ahead and get that tricked out triathlon bike, but realize that “it’s not about the bike.”
It becomes pretty obvious that no matter what distance triathlon you choose to race, it’s important to be a good cyclist. There are several reasons:
- the stronger you are on the bike, the less painful it will be to run
- triathlons are heavily weighted towards time spent on the bike, so as long as you are going to be biking for most of the race, it makes sense to try and be good at it, right?
- biking is the part of a triathlon where you are going the fastest, and fast is fun, right?
So how do you get good at biking? Do you buy a bunch of lightweight parts for your bike or race wheels? No. Those things may improve your speed slightly, but once you have them and have used them for a bit, they won’t make you faster.
You get good at biking in two simple ways: bike a lot, and bike hard.
Obviously, if your race is going to include a 25-mile bike leg (an Olympic distance triathlon’s bike leg is 24.8 miles or 40K), then you want to be fit enough to ride 25 miles at a pretty good clip. Depending on how fast you ride, 25 miles might take you 1-1.5 hours. That’s not a long time. But you might want to actually ride further than that sometimes, so it makes the 25 miles seem easy (you’ve probably heard this concept applied to running and swimming, too!).
If you are very dedicated, you’d ride 25 miles maybe three or four times a week. Or, you might ride less than that, one to three times, and then ride longer (say, 40 miles) once a week. Three to four rides a week is usually plenty when it comes to building your bike fitness.
What about the hard part? Just as for swimming and running, you don’t always want to ride at the same pace. You need to have some sort of benchmark to measure what is easy vs. hard for you. Speed is not a good benchmark unless you live somewhere where it is flat, the same temperature and the same amount (or lack) of wind all the time, since hills, temperature and wind significantly impact speed.
Good benchmarks are heart rate and power—power being the gold standard. Most beginners don’t have power meters, so they use heart rate, or a combination of heart rate and perceived effort. Perceived effort is always a good measurement, since even if you do someday spring for the power meter, you will still want to stay in touch with your body’s overall sense of effort, especially at longer races like the half and full Ironmans.
Why do you need to ride hard sometimes? Because climbing hills requires more effort than flats, you might need to surge to pass someone (legally), and because when you ride hard, just like in running, you are working on raising your lactate threshold, meaning that if you do it often enough, you will be able to ride faster at a lower heart rate (or power output).
How often and for how long in each ride do you need to ride hard? When you are first starting out, you may only want or need to spend less than half of your total ride time going hard. You should always begin with a warm-up, and a good rule of thumb is 10-15 minutes for a short ride, 15-30 minutes for a ride of 1-2 hours, and 30-40 minutes for a ride of 2.5+ hours.
As you build up the amount of time you are able to ride hard, you will find it feels easier and easier or you are going faster and faster. This is where the heart rate monitor (or power meter) can really help you out by telling you precisely what you are doing. You should stay at a given level for a few weeks or prove your fitness at that level in a race before you try and go even harder.
What does hard really mean, though? “Very hard” would be as fast as you could go for 25 miles, as in a time trial. Hard would be not as hard as that, where it feels hard but you can maintain it for about 30-40 minutes easily. Below that you have basically moderate and easy, and when you warm up it should be easy building to moderate to prepare you for the hard stuff.
Just as for running and swimming, it can feel easier to push yourself in a group setting. Try and hook up with a local cycling club, which will probably have several levels of riders, or find some other folks you can ride with that are slightly faster than you. Ask around about where the killer hills are in your area. A good workout is to warm-up and then ride a hill or several hills in “repeats,” where you ride up very hard, and then take it easy going back down.
What do you do during the winter if you live in a place where outdoor riding would be dangerous or impossible? You purchase a bike trainer, which is a device where you attach your rear wheel to it and there is a resistance drum that the tire rubs against to simulate road conditions. There are many good trainers on the market, and if you can test ride one before you buy, that’s great, because depending on how strong you are, you might want a different type. If you ride indoors on a trainer, you will want a fan blowing on you because you will sweat a lot due to not creating your own wind.
There is discussion as to how time on the trainer equates to time on the road. Some people think that time on a trainer is “worth” more than time on the road. Forget about it. It is the same. Time is time! But it’s OK to spend less time during the winter months on the trainer than you would if you were riding outside, but make the time count by spending more time going hard than you normally would. You can watch TV, movies, footage of bike races, triathlons, whatever gets you going, and you can have your favorite music on.
You can also buy DVD’s called Spinervals that guide you through specific workouts. My philosophy is that if you put in a lot of hard time in the winter, then the transition to longer outdoor riding is easy. I build up to a 2.5-2.75 hour trainer ride, and once it warms up, I can easily ride 3-4 hours outdoors the very first time I go out. You don’t want to burn out mentally during the winter, so if you cut back your biking time, you can add more swimming or running, because winter is a good time to work on those skills.
It’s as simple as that—bike a lot, and bike hard!
Sheila looking quite aero!
Sheila embarked on triathlons in 2000, coming from a background of 10 years of strength training, two years of running, zero swimming and negligible biking. She completed her first Ironman (which in 1999 she said she would never do) in 2001 and has continued to do one or two a year, a few half Ironmans and sprints just to keep things entertaining. In the process, she has become a student of the sports and has adopted the triathlon lifestyle. You can find her on Facebook and on her blog at http://crackheadfe.blogspot.com.
Become a Slippery Swimmer In Three Months
If you are new to the sport of triathlon, chances are good that you haven’t swam since you were a kid. Chances may also be good that you have never done lap-swimming in a pool, ever. You liked the game of Marco Polo and diving for quarters better than swimming back and forth.
I would also be willing to bet that there were several of you good-spirited folks, like me back in the day, who signed up for your first triathlon at the first of the year. It was only after you hit the payment button that you thought about the swimming part. You perhaps have been to the pool and actually tried to swim the required 300 yards in the particular sprint race and then you promptly found yourself in a calamitous battle with the water that resulted in nothing but splashing and a big-time oxygen debt that is rapidly coming due.
Swimming is a Skill
Well, I’m here to tell you, you can improve your swimming and you can do it very rapidly. You see the human body was not designed to operate well in the water. It is not natural to us and most of us don’t have the natural gifts like Michael Phelps, like a 6-4 frame, gigantic feet, really big hands and long arms to make it come easy.
What you have to realize, however, is that swimming is mostly skill and even a person that appears completely out of shape on the outside can in fact swim laps around you. I’ve seen it time and again in the pool. Little kids leaving you in the dust in the time-trial start of a pool-based sprint triathlon can be particularly disconcerting.
Most experts, and everything I’ve read, would say that swimming is 70-75 percent technique and maybe 25-30 percent aerobic conditioning. Which basically means that you can be a really in shape runner or cyclist or a really good basketball player, but you can also be a really terrible swimmer. The good news is that you can “learn” to swim fast by teaching your body to move in the same optimal way each time you take a stroke.
Technique Is Key
There are many options out there for improving your swimming in a big hurry but none of them skip the first step of learning the proper technique. Going to the pool and swimming without focusing your technique is going to be worthless. It’s going to be hard and you are not going to get any better because of the effort.
After about two years and my first six triathlons (three sprints one year, then two sprints and an international distance the next), I was tired of coming out the water near the back of the pack. In fact, my first triathlon saw me have to stand up in the middle of my 300-yard swim huffing and puffing, wondering just what I had gotten myself into. That’s another story for another post.
During this “learning” phase, I had experimented with Total Immersion. I bought the book Triathlon Swimming Made Easy and started in with drills. I was not dedicated and I was not swimming much, so I never really improved. My technique was terrible and I was taking probably 30 strokes per 25 yards, wearing myself out before I could actually get any real practice in. Muscle memory is huge in swimming, and if you don’t swim, you will lose it, much like you would lose your golf swing when you haven’t played in five years.
Triathlon swim starts can be a bit disconcerting!
So, after a few false starts, I saw a sign for swimming lessons at the on-campus aquatic facility at Duke University, my former place of employment. It turns out the assistant swim coach there, Dawn Chuck, was offering lessons for like $125 per semester. The classes were to be during lunch.
For about the whole semester, I pretty much had one-on-one time with Dawn because nobody else apparently wanted a collegiate coach giving you valuable advice. Simply having someone watching you swim is going to help you a great deal, even if they are not former Olympic swimmers from Jamaica, like Dawn was.
In about two months of consistent swimming, like three or four sessions per week, she had me move from finishing my races in the back of the pack to the front 10 percent of the pack. She gave me lots of drills and she told me what I was doing wrong. She gave me shorter sets, 2000-2500 yards to work on drills, rather than a bunch of yardage swimming intervals.
Surprisingly, the comments were very few, but they were always major flaws that were easy to fix. It was as simple as that. She had my strokes-per-length reduced from about 25 to about 14-15 in about three months.
Lessons are Biggest Bang for Buck
So, if you really want to improve your swimming, probably the easiest thing you can do is hire someone for a few private lessons. If you can’t afford that, I suggest you at least find a friend who is a good swimmer and have them watch you and tell you what you are doing wrong. It can be something as simple as lowering your head in the water or finishing your stroke or setting your catch. Either way, whatever you think you are doing in the water is probably not what you are actually doing, so be sure to follow through with this.
If you would prefer to be a hero and do it all on your own, it can be done, but it will take much longer to become decent. I consider decent a 1:30 100-yards. In a future post, I will give my take on Total Immersion, which I tried, as well as some other thoughts on triathlon-specific swim training. Until next time, give your swim training some thought and decide the best way to approach improvement based on your specific schedule. If you can afford it, hire a coach. If you can’t afford that, at least ask some kind looking fish at the pool to watch you swim 100 yards. You will be surpised at how a simple suggestion will completely change everything for you!
Why You Don’t Need a Triathlon Specific Bike
If you are new to the sport of triathlon, probably the last thing you need to do is rush right out and buy a brand new triathlon specific bike. I have seen any number of bikes in races, especially shorter races, including mountain bikes and cruisers. Nobody is going to care what you ride in your first race. So, let’s take a look at a few of your options.
When I first got involved in the sport four (or five) years ago, I didn’t have a bike and I didn’t have any money to buy one. Thus, I started trainining for my first race by attending spin classes at my gym. You could also simply ride on the stationary bikes in your gym’s cardio room. This is not exactly like the real thing, obviously, but it will get you used to pedaling and it will build a tough rear-end that will see you through those long rides.
My Cervelo P2SL at Ironman Florida.
For my race, I borrowed a road bike from my brother-in-law. He is a big bike geek, so he had several to spare. I actually ended up buying the bike from him later, but before I bought, I wanted to make sure that triathlon was something I enjoyed and was going to stick with. I would be willing to bet that many garages have a fancy new tri bike sitting there collecting dust. Someone signed up for a race, got talked into buying a triathlon-specific bike, and never used it again after they realized how hard triathlons are!
For my first two years of training, I used a road bike with clip-on aerobars. Only after I decided I was going to stay in the sport for awhile did I go out and by my first tri bike, a Cervelo P2SL.
For now, simply borrow a bike, any kind of bike, from a friend or neighbor. After you finish that first race, you will have a better idea of what kind of time and money you want to invest in the sport. In a future post, I will discuss the benefits of a triathlon specific bike, but for now, stick with something that rolls fairly well and you will be fine!
Improve Your Running In Five Minutes
Listen up people! Believe it or not, running is a skill that can be acquired. For whatever reason, most folks think that running well involves simply putting in the time and getting in decent cardiovascular shape. Running does involve putting in time in and it does involve getting fitter cardiovascularly. A lot of new runners, or joggers, or whatever, start out with improper form that can lead quickly to injury. Unfortunately, running “naturally” for many is fighting a losing battle with gravity, meaning their body weight is back and they are landing on their heels.
Again, running is a skill that you have to practice. You need to take your running technique as seriously as your swimming stroke or your golf swing. Running well requires proper form to take advantage of gravity. It requires a proper foot strike to prevent you from braking each time you hit the ground. It also requires a much higher cadence (how many times your feet hit the ground) than you are probably used to. If you want to make yourself a better runner in about five minutes, read on.
Forward Lean
Probably the easiest thing you can do to improve your running is to lean forward from your ankles. I know that sounds impossible but hear me out. I want you to try this now. Get up out of your chair and stand with both feet directly underneath you. Now, with both feet on the ground, lean a bit forward as if you were falling. Hopefully, one of your feet moved out and planted in order to keep you from falling.
Did you feel the movement from your ankles? This is what you want. Think of running as a controlled fall where you are catching yourself with your next step. Using your core, keep your spine in alignment and prop your head directly on top. When you lean from the ankles, gravity will take over. This will require you to expend less energy to move yourself forward. Eventually, with proper form, you will find yourself running faster at a lower heart rate.
Mid-Foot Strike
If you have been running for a while, you might feel comfortable with heel-striking, which is the way most folks run. However, it is much more efficient running with your entire foot hitting the ground directly beneath your hlps. When you heel-strike, your stride is happening out in front of you. Each time your foot hits the ground, you are braking your momentum, not to mention to the fact that you are asking your knees to absorb most of the impact.
When you mid-foot strike (and you have proper posture with a forward lean as discussed above), you take advantage of momentum and gravity, rather than fighting against it. If you haven’t tried running this way before, there will definitely be a transition period, but you should notice immediately that there is less jarring, less pressure on your knees and more forward drive.
You will have less chance of injury running this way, and your speed will improve almost immediately, as you are not braking your momentum. In the initial phase, you may experience some soreness in your calves (gastrocs and soleus). This is normal, because you have not utilized these muscles in this way before. After a week or two, that will go away and you will be running better than ever, I promise.
High Cadence
It has been determined by scientific tests that the optimal cadence for most runners is between 90 and 100. This means that each foot hits the ground between 90 and 100 times per minute. I would be willing to bet that your cadence is somewhere between 70 and 80, which is what we hope to improve. A faster cadence means your feet are spending less time in contact with the ground. This means less jarring, less resistance, more speed and more efficiency.
A quick way to see where you are is by counting the number of times your right (or left) foot hits the ground per minute. An easy way to improve your cadence is with a metronome. You know, one of those things you used to see on your mom’s piano that keeps the beat? There are very small, battery-powered ones available that will enable you to set the “beep” to your preferred cadence
Depending on where your cadence currently is, set your metronome five beats higher than that. Try to run with it and see how you do. You want your foot hitting the ground every time it beeps. This will take some getting used to and will seem awkward at first. You will be out of breath because you aren’t used to moving your legs that quickly. Stick with it, however, and you will notice after a week or so that your cadence is improving and your heart rate is lower. This is good. That means you are running faster and more efficiently all while using less effort.
My Story
About four years ago, when I was starting out (and about 40 pounds overweight at 255), I bought a book titled Chi Running. It covered all of the principles mentioned above and tied it all in to Tai Chi, Eastern philosophy and the martial arts, which I thought was very cool. I started implementing the techniques immediately and saw rapid improvement. I even took a month long class from a local Chi Running instructor, which helped even more. To make a long story short, I ran my first marathon in 2005 (Chicago) in a fairly slow 4:32 (10:22/mile). I stuck with the techniques, which helped me to stay injury free, and maintained a weekly running schedule of about 15-20 miles per week at aerobic heart rates.
The next year, I ran my second marathon (Charlotte, NC) in 3:49 (8:44/mile). The following season, still using the metronome from time to time to make sure my cadence was still where I wanted it, I ran a 3:30 (8:00/mile) at Myrtle Beach. Of course I was in better shape each year from triathlon training, but I’m positive I would not be running as well without utilizing this method. Now, I’m a big guy, 6′3″ and 210 pounds. Not a runner’s build by any stretch. My knees do not bother me, nor does the iliotibial band syndrome I developed during a previous bought of running the wrong way a few years prior. I have done many triathlons, including two Ironmans, my last Ironman Florida in 2008 (11:06, fifth-place Clydesdale, 3:57 marathon).
Being as big as I am, and running as much as I do, one would think I would have more injuries than I do. Knocking on wood, I credit this to my running form and the Chi Running method. I cannot recommend this enough for people who are either new to running, or those who find the way they are running now is causing them to get injured. A similar method of running is the Pose Method.
There may be very minor differences, but the basic three principles are the same: a bit of forward lean, a mid-foot strike, and a quick cadence. So, as the title of this post suggests, you can improve you running with just a few minor changes that can be implemented on your next run. Get the Chi Running book or visit Danny Dreyer’s site to learn more about it. Check out the Pose Method site as well.
Both are excellent resources for improving as a runner. The next time you hit the trails, or pavement, or tread mill, try one of the techniques above. You will not be disappointed. Give it a good two weeks for you to really start seeing benefit. If you try a few of the ideas and they work for you, be sure to let me know.
Seven Essential Items for Your First Triathlon
Triathlon is a sport that, unfortunately, requires a lot of gear. Also, it seems that each day a manufacturer comes out with a new product that is guaranteed to make you faster, improve your cycling, your running, etc. However, there are only a few essential items that you will need in order to toe the line at your first triathlon.
1. Bike – Despite all of the advertisements and flyers from your local bike shop saying that you need a brand new tri-specific bike, all you really need is something with two wheels, pedals and handlebars. I have seen many folks on mountain or commuter bikes in shorter triathlons, so you don’t even need a road bike. Borrow a bike from a friend, check the ads on your local CraigsList, or perhaps even rent one for the day from your LBS (local bike shop).
2. Helmet – You are required to use a hard-shell helmet for triathlons or you will be disqualified. Wearing a helmet is no longer an option even on group rides really, so get used to that pineapple on top of your head. In fact, many cyclists refuse to ride with folks who are not wearing a helmet, as they don’t want to see you get hurt. You can find a suitable, inexpensive model at your local Wal-Mart or Dick’s Sporting Goods for about $30, or borrow one from a friend.
3. Running Shoes – A good pair of running shoes is essential for you to complete your training (and your race) without injury. You don’t need the flashy $100 model right off the bat, however. You can find a decent pair of shoes at Target or Wal-Mart for a song, and they will serve you well. Once you decide that this a sport you intend to stick with, you can go out and buy that new pair of Newtons for $165. Do not try to train in shoes that are not specifically designed for running. You will regret it after your first three-mile run.
4. Goggles – Find a good pair of goggles at your favorite sporting goods store. Take them out of the package and try to suction them to your eyes. If they form a seal, you have a keeper. If they don’t, keep trying until you find some that do. If the store will not allow you to try them on, find one that will. You should be able to find a suitable pair for $10-15.
5. Race Belt – If you have ever run in a 5K, you know that in running races, you pin your race number to your shirt before the race. In triathlon, however, things aren’t that easy. You swim first, so you leave your race number in transition, unless of course you wanted to wear it while swimming! On the bike leg, your bike has a number on it, so you don’t need another number then. Following the bike, when you get to your second transition to prepare for the run leg, you have a belt with your race number already attached. You just grab it, strap it to your waist, and off you go! You can buy one at any triathlon store, or even at most races at the packet pickup, for about $5.
6. Race Attire – This item isn’t necessarily essential, but some would consider it so. There are many options for clothing in a triathlon. There are suits that are designed specifically to enable you to swim, bike and run comfortably without having to change at all. They are hydro-dynamic, so there is little drag in the water. They also have a small pad in the crotch to allow some comfort on the bike. The small pad also allows you to run well without feeling like you have a diaper on (which is what a pair of regular cycling shorts would afford). Some men race in only a pair of tri shorts (or a Speedo depending on how bashful you are) and no shirt (if the weather, and the particular race, allow it). Some females run race in one-piece swim suits. You be the judge of how much comfort, convenience in transition, and how much money you are willing to spend on your race. A good tri-suit or a good pair of tri shorts and a top should last you a few seasons of racing. Look to spend $80-100 on one though.
7. Wet Suit – Depending on when and where your first race is, the swim leg might require a wet-suit, depending on your tolerance for cold water. Most folks opt for a race with a pool swim as their first, as open-water swimming presents its own set of challenges and is much different than pool swimming. So, decide on the race, then decide if you will need a wetsuit. The good news is that most triathlon shops rent them for races, so you can get one for race day for about $50. If you are gung-ho and plan to do many more triathlons, you can go buy a decent wetsuit for about $150-200. You might also check CraigsList or other classified listings in your area for a used model. The bright side is that a wetsuit will enable you to swim faster while using less energy. Most triathletes watch the water temperature closely before races to make sure that it will be wetsuit legal, as their swim times will usually be faster and require less effort.
10 Reasons to Complete Your First Triathlon
Many people think that triathlons are the ultimate test of fitness. Images of Julie Moss staggering across the finish line in the 1982 Hawaii Ironman (see the video above) have probably contributed greatly to that idea. However, there are many triathlons that cover very short distances, relatively, so almost anyone can complete one. I have seen people of all sizes and shapes out there, including one particularly motivating individual at the 2007 Ironman Coeur d’Alene, Scott Rigsby, who was a double amputee. So, if you are considering getting involved in this great sport, consider a sprint or international distance race as your first. These are races that usually take 1-3.5 hours to complete. The following are a few reasons that you should do so:
1. All of your friends will think that you are in ridiculously good shape.
2. You will save money on going out at night, because you have to be up early to train.
3. You will have done something that probably 95 percent of the world’s population has not done.
4. Bodymarking is cool.
5. Races are very family friendly. Take the kids and let them cheer you on!
6. If you sign up around the first of the year, you have a built-in New Year’s Resolution.
7. Being able to swim 500 yards or so pretty easily is especially handy when your boat is sinking.
8. You will find out exactly what it feels like to run after riding a bike.
9. You will be cheered on, even by those that pass you.
10. You will be on top of the world when you cross that finish line!
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A Guide to Starting Out in Triathlon
Triathlon: Swim, Bike, Run!
Many people consider triathlons to be one of the great tests of human endurance. A lot of sports-minded folks have seen or heard about the Ironman World Championships in Kona through the tape-delayed broadcast shown around the first week of December on NBC (the race is actually in held in October).
The Ironman, a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run, is certainly a distance that most people can’t relate to, at least at first. However, the good news is that there are several different distances of triathlons that the average person can enter and comfortably complete with only a few months of training. Read on to learn more about the sport of triathlon and the things you should know before you sign up for your first race.
Distances and terrain vary from race to race, however, there are generally four different distances of triathlons:
Sprint
- 500-800 yards of swimming (pool or lake)
- 12-15 miles of biking
- 5K, or 3.1 miles of running
International (Olympic) Distance
- 1650 yards of swimming (lake, ocean)
- 25-30 miles of biking
- 10K, or 6.2 miles of running
Half Ironman
- 1.2 miles (2,200 yards) of swimming (lake, ocean)
- 56 miles of biking
- 13.1 miles of running
Ironman
- 2.4 miles (4,400 yards) of swimming
- 112 miles of biking
- 26.2 miles of running
It’s fairly easy to see what you are getting in to with each distance. Most people opt to start out with a sprint as it offers just a taste of what you can expect from the sport. There are, however, athletes that I know personally that started with the Ironman right off the bat. This is not what I would recommend, but if you are daring, have at it. It all really depends of what kind of shape you are in now and what your experience level is with each sport.
Again, check your local rec departments or do a search on triathlons in your area. I guarantee you will find a race that is appealing in proximity, distance, and price of entry. A word to the wise though … triathlon is a growing sport and races fill up quickly. I live in North Carolina and our state triathlon series, the NCTS, opens up its races right at the first of year. So, be attentive to when your local race season starts and be prepared to sign on the dotted line when you see a race that fits your schedule and budget.
Things to Consider
1. General Fitness Level. What kind of shape are you in right now? Are you active, or have you been more watching than doing? If you are in reasonable cardiovascular shape, you can complete a sprint triathlon in as little as four months of effort, no problem. You will need to work up to about an hour’s worth of steady aerobic activity, be it walking, riding a stationary bike, elliptical machine, whatever. Just get moving and give the individual sports of swimming, biking and running a try to be sure you like them. If have run before, taken a spin class
2. Training Plans. There are many books and web sites that offer fabulous training plans that will suit any athlete looking to complete any distance or race. Many of the these are free, some you can buy memberships to, and you could even go as far as hire a coach. Depending on what your goals are, you have decision to make. How much money are you willing to throw at your new hobby? How well do you want to do in your first race? Are you racing to finish, or do you have a specific time goal in mind? All of these will factor in to what works best for you right now. I would choose a plan, follow it to the letter, and finish your first race. Once you go through the process once, you’ll be better prepared for the triathlon addiction that ensues.
3. Bike. What kind of bike will you ride? Do you have a road bike, a mountain bike, or anything with pedals? If you do, you’re ahead of the game. If you have chosen a local sprint or international distance for your first race, the bike really doesn’t matter that much. Many people complete triathlons on all sorts of bike. Do your first one and see if you like it before you go out and buy an expensive triathlon-specific bike. You can find cheap bikes all over Craigs List, eBay, etc., if you don’t have one. You can also simply borrow one from a friend and do some of your training on a stationary bike at the gym. Keep it as simple as possible for your first. You will also need a helmet. These range in price from an adequate one for $30 at Wal-Mart or a sleek $150 model at your local triathlon or bike shop.
4. Swimming. Do you have access to a swimming pool or a nearby lake that will enable you to work on your swimming? Many gyms have small pools that will suffice, as will local ponds, lakes, etc., in warmer months. Swimming is often an obstacle that scares people about triathlon. Rest assured, though, that many folks start out in triathlon without being able to swim, period. They take lessons and often quickly learn to be a more than adequate swimmer. If you haven’t done alot of swimming in your life, it’s a good idea to take some lessons, or look into one of the fabulous swimming programs like Total Immersion. Swimming is mostly technique, so getting it right the first time will pay huge dividends down the road.
5. Running. How far can you run now? Have you run previously, say, over the last five or six years? The answers to these questions will need to be assessed honestly by you. It is perfectly fine to walk in a triathlon. I have seen many elite athletes walking in short races over the years. Running comfortably across the finish line is much more fun, though, I can assure you. Be prepared to work up to about four miles of running. If you can’t cover that distance now, don’t worry. Running is something that is a skill, much more than people realize. You can learn to be a better runner in a few hours by learning about proper posture, foot strike, cadence, etc. A book that I found immensely helpful in improving my running is Chi Running, which teaches you proper form and how to run from your core.
6. Gym Membership. Do you have access to a gym with a pool and stationary bikes or spin classes? This is a great way to train for a sprint triathlon in the winter. Many clubs offer triathlon specific spin classes, swimming classes, etc. You can go to your gym and do mini-triathlons anytime. It also gives you a good sense of how riding on a bike, then running for awhile feels, all in the comfort of indoor heating! A short run on the treadmill following a spin class is an excellent workout, and you have a built-in transition area in the lockerroom. Consider a gym in your area for convenient access to equipment and possibly new training partners.
7. Training Partners. Are you peers in to the sport? If so, you are in luck. If not, you need to get out and meet some like-minded individuals. Triathlon is a lifestyle, as you will soon see, and if you surround yourself with people who excel at the sport, odds are you will, too. I would be willing to bet that there are more triathletes in your area than you thought. Do a search on tri-clubs with your city and see what you come up with.
8. Online Resources. There are several online resources which offer excellent tips, advice and other resources that will help make your first race a snap. Visit www.trinewbies.com and www.beginnertriathlete.com and check out the forums these sites offer. Many of the questions you have will be answered right there. Also, to find a race near you, visit www.trifind.com.
