Tips for Tri Newbies

**** This document was compiled by Jessi Hayden-Spear based on a question she asked to the forum in 2006 and all the answers she received. Thanks Jessi! *****


Question 1:
A friend of mine told me to take my feet out of my shoes as I'm coming into T2. So when I hop off my bike do I just run next to it in my socks? Do you then bring 2 pairs of socks, one for running and one for biking?

Answer 1a: Don't bother doing this. More experienced triathletes may do this to shave a few seconds off their time, but I would not worry about it. Most people unclip from their bike in their shoes, run in them, then change shoes when they get to their spot. It is easier to run in socks that your bike shoes, but I worry about cutting my feet on rocks, etc. I guess it depends on the surface (road vs grass). Plus you're not running very far, usually. For me, I would only take my shoes off if I were skilled enough to take my feet out of them while I'm coasting into the transition area and can just jump off my bike, leaving the shoes on the pedals. But try whatever you think will work for you. This is the race to do it! And practice at home first!

Answer 1b: I WAS WAY TOO BUSY NAVIGATING TO THE TRANSITION AREA TO WORRY ABOUT TAKING MY FEET OUT OF MY SHOES. IF YOU CAN DO THIS - GREAT! JUST RUN IN YOUR SOCKS AND DON'T WASTE TIME CHANGING INTO FRESH SOCKS FOR THE RUN.

Answer 1c: I HAVE BEEN COMPETING FOR 3-4 SEASONS NOW AND HAVE YET TO LEAVE MY SHOES CLIPPED IN - I JUST CLIP OUT AND RUN IN MY SHOES (BUT BIKING IS NOT MY STRONG LEG SO I ALWAYS FEEL INTIMIDATED TRYING SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW AND ACROBATIC ON THE BIKE). SOME TRIATHLETE (ESPECIALLY FOR THE SHORTER RACES) GO BAREFOOT - JUST MAKE SURE YOU PUT BODY GLIDE ON YOUR FEET SO YOU DON'T GET BLISTERS. MORE OF A PROBLEM WITH RUNNING THAN BIKING. SOME PUT SOCKS ON ONLY FOR THE RUN - IT'S EASIER TO PUT ON SOCKS IF YOUR FEET ARE DAMP. AND IF YOU ARE USING SOCKS, DEFINITELY SET THEM UP IN TRANSITION SO YOU CAN POP INTO THEM QUICKLY - ROLL THEM DOWN A BIT SO THEY ARE READY TO BE PUT ON QUICKLY, AND MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T USING REALLY TIGHT SOCKS.

Answer 1d: I wouldn't recommend doing that, although, I didn't switch shoes from the bike to the run. But it only takes a second to take off your shoes, it would take you more time to change into another pair of socks. Also, you may step on something while running in your socks, then you would be in pain for the run.

Answer 1e: It's so exciting between each stage that the more that's on auto-pilot the better. Forget the socks. You can do anything shorter distance without socks. You feel way-cool like a real triathlete without socks. Forget about coming out of your shoes unless you are aiming to win and are a great bike handler. You'll be focused on finding your stuff, and getting your heart rate down a bit, on getting your running shoes on (and in my case, getting past the annoying man who kept passing me on the bike and then slowing way down until I passed him yet again - he seen to think that he had to prove that he could get ahead of a woman, but couldn't maintain it, and he did this just coming into T2 Ugh!)... That slipping out of your shoes stuff is for next year's races.


Question 2:
How big (typically) is the area where I get to keep all my gear? What's the best way to keep my stuff from getting knocked around by other people?

Answer 2a: You normally get a space the size of a towel. But this race will probably have a lot more space than others. Just bring a beach towel, lay it out next to your bike, then put your stuff on that. Most people are pretty respectful of your stuff.

Answer 2b: NOT 'BIG', BUT HOW 'SMALL' IS THE OPERATIVE WORD. TAKE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED AND STOW IT UNDER YOUR CHAIN WHEEL KEEP YOUR STUFF TO A MINIMUM AND KEEP IT EITHER UNDER/BESIDE YOUR BIKE AND/OR THROW IT IS A BUCKET GENERALLY REALLY NARROW - THINK ABOUT HALF YOUR BIKE SIZE IN LENGTH AND MAYBE 2 FEET WIDE. MOST OF US LAY DOWN A TOWEL TO SET UP A 'TERRITORY' FOR OUR STUFF. YOU'D PUT YOUR BIKE STUFF CLOSER TO WHERE YOU ARE APPROACHING THE AREA FROM (THAT WOULD BE YOUR SHOES, SOCKS), SO IT'S EASIER ACCESS AND YOUR RUNNING STUFF BEHIND IT. YOUR HELMET WOULD BE ON YOUR BIKE AS WOULD BE YOUR GLASSES. YOUR GUS COULD BE TAPED ONTO YOUR BIKE (AND THE OPENING PARTIALLY STARTED SO YOU DON'T TRY TO FUMBLE WITH IT ON YOUR BIKE) OR IN YOUR BACK POCKET (SINCE YOU ARE WEARING A WETSUIT, THE GU PACKETS WON'T FALL OUT). I DON'T WEAR GLOVES FOR SHORT RACES (THAT INCLUDES AN OLYMPIC DISTANCE RACE). USE A RUNNING BELT FOR YOUR RACE NUMBER (THIS COULD ALSO HOLD YOUR GUS IF YOU GET ONE THAT HAS THE LITTLE HOLDERS ON IT) WHICH YOU ONLY NEED FOR THE RUNNING PORTION.

Answer 2c: Very small, about 1/2 a hair towel folded up, but you don't need as much room as you think you do. In my experience, people are very conscience of not knocking your stuff around. I think it is a good idea to lay a towel down to establish 'your space'

Answer 2d: You'll have essentially the width of your handlebars -- the width of a bath towel. One of Mary Meyer's tips is to get the brightest, loudest towel you can find so that you can see your spot when you're running towards it-- and that was great advice.


Question 3:
Any advice on how to organize my gear in the transition area?

Answer 3a: Put your helmet upside down on your handle bars so you can just flip it up and put it on in the right position. PUt your glasses inside them if you'll want them and grab them first! Put you bike shoes towards the front of your towel, open so you can slide your feet in. Behind your bike shoes put your running shoes, open and ready to slide your feet in, then open up your race belt (if you'll use one) and put that one WHILE you're running. Have everything layed out how you'll need it.

Answer 3b: CHECK THE INTERNET - BEGINNING TRIATHLETE IS A GOOD
SITE READ THE ARTICLE LINK I POSTED ON THE SITE AND ASK US WHEN YOU SEE US. I'VE KIND OF WRITTEN OUT SOME OF IT, BUT IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN WITHOUT A VISUAL.

Answer 3c: I would make sure of things like, the straps on your helmet are not twisted. I would put biking things on the front half of the towel and running on the back half of the towel, so you are less likely to mess up your own running things. Also make sure not to have too much stuff. I did a practice triathlon and have a lot of "just in case" things like extra water, t-shirt etc...I didn't use any of them. If you think you still want stuff like that, I would put all the stuff you might use in a bag and lay out only the things you know you will need for sure (like shoes)

Answer 3d: Stuff will get knocked around, so be really systematic about what you can hang from your bike. I put my helmet in exactly the position that it would need to be to just flip on to my head. My shoes were untied exactly how far they'd need to be to get my feet in.


Question 4:
What do I do with my wetsuit after I've taken it off? Just leave it lying on the ground?

Answer 4a: YEP!

Answer 4b: MOST PEOPLE WILL THROW THEIR WETSUIT OVER THE BIKE RACK.

Answer 4c: I didn't use a wetsuit, so I don't know on this one. Although, for the process of getting the wetsuit off, some people recommend spraying your thigs etc with Pam cooking spray. Some people don't like doing this because PAM can make the wetsuit deteriorate faster. I would recommend though practicing changing from your wetsuit to whatever you are going to wear for the bike. It can be hard to get clothes ON when you are wet. You could even practice this in your shower.

Answer 4d: yup the wetsuit just got tossed and I worried about filthy later.

Answer 4e: leave it on the ground on your towel or put it over the bike rack


Question 5:
Typically, how early do you get there to walk through the transition area and set up your stuff?

Answer 5a: i do 1 to 1-1/2 hours eary, depending on how much of a warm-up i want. most people don't warm up, though!

Answer 5b: DEPENDS ON HOW BIT A RACE IT IS - BUT I'D GET THERE AN HOUR AHEAD OF START TIME, FOR SURE

Answer 5c: DEPENDS ON THE RACE, BUT I LIKE BEING THERE EARLY - SOME RACES THE RACKS ARE OPEN SO YOU WANT TO GET A GOOD SPOT, SCOPE OUT YOUR EXITS/ENTRIES, WALK DOWN TO THE SWIM AREA, MAYBE DO A WARM-UP SWIM... MANY RACES HAVE NUMBERED RACKS SO YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH CHOICE IN WHERE YOU END UP, BUT YOU CAN STILL GET A BETTER SPOT TOWARD A BEGINNING/END OF A RACK. ALSO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU WILL FIND YOUR BIKE - SOME GIRLS BRING BALOONS AND TIE THEM ONTO THE BIKE RACK, I JUST BRING A BRIGHT RED BANDANA AND TIE IT AROUND.

Answer 5d: I did a small one in Bellingham and I think I got there an hour and a half before the event. But I also did the Danskin and you are required to bring your bike the day before. It really depends on the event. I would recommend getting there early just so you aren't stressed right before the event.


Question 6:
Are the swims really as chaotic as people say? If so, what's the best way to keep from getting clobbered, without simply falling to the back of the pack?

Answer 6a: I didn't think so... You could swim on the inside or outside (as opposed to going down the middle)

Answer 6b: I'M A BACK OF THE PACK PERSON MAINLY BECAUSE I'M SLOW - BUT ALSO TO AVOID THAT CHAOS. YOU WON'T LOSE OR MAKE UP MUCH TIME IN THE SWIM ANYWAY.

Answer 6c: THEY CAN BE - YOU NEED TO SWIM ACCORDING TO YOUR ABILITY... SO IF YOU AREN'T FAST, DON'T START IN THE FRONT, BUT IF YOU AREN'T SUPER SLOW, DON'T BE WAY IN THE BACK BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE TO NAVIGATE AROUND ALL THE SLOWER PEOPLE (WHO MIGHT BE FLAILING THEIR ARMS). IT'S GENERALLY BETTER TO SWIM A LITTLE FARTHER AWAY FROM A BUOY TO AVOID CONGESTION. OTHERWISE, SWIMMING BEHIND A FASTER SWIMMER IS GOOD - YOU CAN DRAFT OFF THEM AND SAVE YOUR ENERGY... BUT YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE THIS WITH OTHERS.

Answer 6d: The swim. Yes. it is chaos. I had heard stories of the challenges of controlling breath in those conditions, and it was true -- the survival instincts clicked in and my heart rate went way up. Someone tried to grab my feet in a panic behind me. People who were very unprepared were gasping all around me. I just fell behind the pack and swam the best I could. I needed to catch my breath, checked everywhere around me, flipped over on my back just to get clear of the water for a few calming stokes, and in two strokes, swam over someone who had swum under me, and had not been in my sight lines moments before. But you know what? My time was ok, and I did it. And that was my goal.


Question 7:
Any tips on sighting buoys?

Answer 7a: it depends on how many are in your wave. they can be very chaotic. if you're intimidated, go off to the side or back. the elma one should be pretty small.

Answer 7b: LOOK UP EVERY NOW AND THEN AND DON'T JUST FOLLOW THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU - THEY COULD BE GOING OFF COURSE.

Answer 7c: I SIGHT ABOUT EVERY 3-5 STROKES. SOME BUOYS ARE HARD TO SEE SO YOU KIND OF HAVE TO FOLLOW THE OTHER SWIMMERS AHEAD OF YOU. IT HELPS TO HAVE A REFERENCE POINT ON LAND (DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU'RE SWIMMING) THAT YOU CAN RELY ON RATHER THAN THE BUOYS.

Answer 7d: I think it works best to breathe to the side first and then turn your head and look forward. I had to get over the fact that you don't need a long look, just enough of a glance to know you are going in the right direction.

Answer 7e: Have you learned the sighting stroke where you lift your head every third stroke or so? I saw two people going way off course the wave before me. I was really glad that I'd learned and practiced the sighting stroke. I had practiced and practiced swimming into the shore until my knees hit bottom so that I would not be running through water. But I was SO grateful when I could see the bottom again at long last, I jus stood up and ran through the water. It was worth the seconds I lost at that point.


Question 8:
I would also welcome any advice on the run and bike, although I'm not fretting quite as much about those two. :)

Answer 8a: JUST ENJOY YOUR FIRST RACE. DO YOUR BEST - BUT DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT YOUR TIME - JUST SOAK IT ALL IN AND REMEMBER TO LAUGH :)

Answer 8b: Other stuff, I would actually practice the transitions prior to the event. Get someone to watch your stuff or less ideally go to your car and make that the 'transition area'. Practice doing a 'brick' which is biking then immediately running after. Some people need to get over the feeling of your legs going in a circle on a bike to the running motion.

Answer 8c: First, just have fun. I was so nervous before jumping in the water, but have told everyone since that an advantage of being new to swimming was that I got to pass lots of people on the bike and run.

Answer 8d: Have you seen Mary Meyer's clinics? She did one at REI about this time last year, and had a model transition area set up and did some 'tips' on transitions that were very good. I went to her clinics over the summer and they were perfect -- she was a great mix of supportive and butt -kicking. I remember coming out of her first open water swim clinic and her saying to the group 'so you got kicked in the head today? Great! now you know what that's like and that means that you're way ahead of the people who will experience that for the first time in the race. So just suck it up!' I think that she also does an early season full-weekend clinic. I highly recommend her. She's on the web. She's excellent and had a great team of coaches working with her.

Have a blast. After running and bike races, it was great to do a tri where there are all sort of people doing it for all sorts of reasons and having a great time. Just enjoy this first one as a new experience and think later about all the refinements.



Finally, here is a letter I received from one of my friends (an extremely accomplished triathlete - hence the shoe advice!). I just asked him for general advice, so his letter doesn't fit into the question/answer format above, but I thought it was super helpful and also worth passing on:

For the transitions you want to take a brightly colored towel that you don't mind trashing, mainly so you can easily spot your bike/transition area after you come out of the water. most people are pretty disoriented after the swim and it's easy to waste a few minutes in transition looking for your bike, especially in a larger race. before the race you also want to walk the route from the swim exit to your bike just to get a good mental pic of where your gear is located.

On top of the towel you should place your bike shoes closest to you if you are facing the towel and the helmet on top of that. behind the bike shoes put your running shoes, so you don't have to move your running shoes to get the bike shoes on. also, when you come back from the bike portion, you're running shoes are ready to slip on. it's also a good idea to get the elastic shoelaces for your running shoes so you can just slip them on instead of dealing with laces.

Also, you want to place the shoes/helmet so they're not going to get kicked around by other people in the transition zone. I always try to pick a place on the bike rack that isn't as crowded and as close to the transition entry point or exit point as you can get to avoid people scattering my gear.


Some other transition tips:

Take your wetsuit off before the bike ride. I'm sure you know this one already, but I actually saw a guy at one race still wearing the wetsuit on the bike, nutz.

Start pulling off your wetsuit as soon as you're out of the water. ie, as soon as you come out of the water, you should be unzipping the back as you're running toward the t-zone and then trying to get it off your upper body. this takes a little practice but it can save some time. also, to get the wetsuit off your legs, you want to shove the thing down your legs as far as you can, then stomp it off the rest of the way. Most of the time your fingers and arms are going to be pretty numb from the swim so it's really awkward trying to pull the suit off your legs with your hands. stomping on the wetsuit won't hurt it so don't worry about tearing it.

pulling into the t-zone toward the end of the bike you want to spin a little easier to get ready for the run, maybe a 100 yards out. another thing at this point is to get your feet out of the bike shoes and pedal on top of the shoes. this also takes a little practice, but allows you to jump off the bike and throw your shoes on really quickly. i'm not sure what bike shoes you have, the triathlon shoes have velcro straps that make this a lot easier.