Help Needed from Female Mini Triathletes

JulieF11

I've never done anything like this before, so I have some, what may seem silly, questions for those of you who have run mini-triathlons. I'm planning on a Diva Dash in September, and I wondered:
1) What do you wear? Are there special outfits one can wear to swim, bike and run in? If so, should I get one?
2) If I wear a swimsuit under my clothes, that would mean I'd be running in my suit (no bra) right? I'm a DD, so I'd have to wear a bra under my swimsuit, if that were the case.... and swim in it... yikes!
3) Is there a common order to these races, like swimming is first, then running, then biking, etc... or are all races different?
4) What about shoes? Do you put your shoes in a certain place and find them when you are done swimming?
5) Are there any pieces of advice you can give to a novice?
I'm starting to train (on my own) by doing the Couch 2 5K program, swimming 250 m a day, and I'll be starting bicycling this weekend. I'd love any advice you have. :-)

Panda_Jack

Hello,
I'm neither a female nor mini, but you can check out www.beginnertriathlete.com for some great articles and lots of beginner advice.

Feel free to add me, I'm planning on competing in my first - fifth sprint triathlons this year.

Edited because I didn't actually answer any of your questions.. Ooops..
1) There are tri-shorts/suits you can buy that you can wear throughout all phases of your race. At a minimum shorts would be a great investment as it would allow you a faster transition.
2)This one I have no input sorry.
3) Generally they are swim/bike/run. There are a few beginner events that are reverse though. They should have this info on the website for the race as well as the route so you can prepare for the race.
4) There are transition areas set up for you T1:Swim to Bike, and T2 Bike to run. These area(s) you should have access to pre race to set up your area to your liking. There's a video on the above website that shows you the basics of setting up your transition area.
5) Have fun!

Reisse62

First of all a huge congrats on losing 82 pounds that is amazing!!

Secondly I have a question: Where is the tri??? In warm water or cold. If it is below 63 degrees you will want to rent a wet suit. If higher disregard.

There are special outfits you can get. I would recommended *not* getting a one piece they are a pain to get on and off. I use bike pants that you can also swim in and a top with a built in Bra. They look kind of like a tank top but with special pockets for gear. Both are made by TYR, the company that make swim suits(no I do not work for the company)

Swim is always first and I would begin training for that first.

So it goes: swim, bike then run.

Shoes will go with your bike in what is called a staging area during the swim.

For you first tri you can use any bike, even a mountain bike is fine and don't worry about all the fancy equipment. You could spend a fortune on this hobby.

Lastly, do lots of what is called 'brick work outs'. That is bike then run. For instantce bike 2 mile then run 1/2 mile and increase and you gain endurance. This will get your legs accustomed to the switch.

Have a blast!

rbnray

Hi Julie!! I hope I can help answery your questions. I'm just getting into TRI training about have been around triathletes for a very long time. They're finally rubbing off on me. Okay here goes:
1 & 2) What to wear? You would want to get a TRI kit. You can wear your sports bra under the tri top. You would purchase a tri top and tri shorts. You would wear your tri kit for the whole race....esp sprint or olympic distances. For anything longer, we'll talk. The tri top & shorts dry super quick . Be warned though: tri shorts have a very THIN pad in them. You want to train in them to get your "parts" used to the thin pad. You DO want the thin pad because you don't want to run with a heavy, saturated DIAPER!!
3) There is a common order. It's SWIM, BIKE, RUN. There are some specialty tris out there but this is the sactioned order.
4) Shoes: you want shoes that are easy to get in and out of. There are tri specific bike shoes but they can be rather expensice. I would start with a pair of womens Specialized bike shoes that have velco closures. I have a pair now. They are super comfortable and are easy to get on and off!!! You'll want to wear a pair of running shoes that are specific for YOU! And you want to make sure you have broken them in way before the race. At this point in the game, wear what you have now before investing in a pair of high dollar tri running shoes. In transition, you have very specific places to put your things. It will depend on WHERE the transitions are. Sometimes, you bike out and bike in to the same place. But sometimes you bike out and run out of two different areas. There are lots of tricks on how to set up your transition areas
5) Advice: READ!! READ!!! READ!! And go SPECTATE as many races as you can. You'll get the FEEL of what it's like to race. You'll see how racers do it. You can witness the transitions. And you'll feel the exciting ENERGY!! I've been going to friends' trathlons for a couple of years and I've finally caught the fever!!!
READ: Cyciing magazine. Runner's World. and TRI mag you can get your hands on. Check out http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ and also http://www.trifind.com/ You can find tris in your area. Go watch!! Volunteer!! There is no better FREE training than to participate!!!
AND!! Join one of your local triathlon teams/clubs. The frienship is priceless!!! You'll meet like-mided people and make meet a boatload of new people who are more than willing to share there advice!! (I'm just getting into tri training. Someone is helping me with open water swim and I'M actually helping someone with cycling. I never would've imagined that!!!)

Food for thought: typical sprint distances are 300 swim. 12-15 mile bike and a 5K. Looks like what training you're doing...you are RIGHT ON TARGET!! You can find a pool tri to start with if you're comfortable in open water. If you do not usually swim in the lake, get into an open water swim clinic and be in the open water as much as possible!! Trust me on this one!!! I have a swim race this Saturday and have spent the last 2 weeks in open water as much as possible. Even though I know I'm PHYSICALLY ready! my nerves are telling me another story. LOL:!!! I'll just have to take my CALM herbs and hope for the best!! Also.....get into a routing. Something that you do each and every time beforeyou race.

Good luck chica!! Please keep me posted on your progress!!!!!!!!!!

bstamps12

I am doing my first Sprint Triathlon next weekend actually!

Since it is my first one, I didn't want to spend a ton of money on gear and everything until I decided that I like it (which, I think I have! but I am now waiting to buy clothing type gear until I get to my goal weight). So I will be wearing my one piece that I used to swim competitively in, just a normal Nike one piece swimsuit. I am swimming in that then putting on my bike shorts in T1. Mine are shorts made for triathlons, with very little padding. I am just putting on those shorts over my swimsuit and doing the bike and run like that. I ran through it today like that and I had no problems. Like Reisse62 said, TYR does make some awesome triathlon apparel that you can buy if you want.

Since it is swim/bike/run (for most triathlons), remember that you will need to be able to run further than the actual distance of the run leg. For instance, if the distances are: 400 yard swim, 11 mi bike, 3 mi run, you should be able to run at least 4 miles to get your body used to running tired. The "brick workouts" are great to train your legs to get used to the transition, but I have heard that for first timers, you should focus on each individual leg and just do the "bricks" the month before you workout. I also recommend beginnertriathlete.com

bstamps12

One last thing, on the swim, if it is open water, don't make the common mistake of thinking "250 m is easy in the pool" and never do more than the race distance. If the race distance of the swim is 250 m and it is in open water (lake, ocean, etc), you should do at least 400 in the pool to train, likely even 500. And try to get into the lake as much as possible to practice. The swim can drain you really fast if you aren't used to the open water, even if it is calm water. I swam for 14 years and had no problem swimming a mile in the pool but a half mile in the open water wore me out! Good luck! add me as a friend if you want!

soccermum75

bump

Flyntiggr

I've never done anything like this before, so I have some, what may seem silly, questions for those of you who have run mini-triathlons. I'm planning on a Diva Dash in September, and I wondered:
1) What do you wear? Are there special outfits one can wear to swim, bike and run in? If so, should I get one?
2) If I wear a swimsuit under my clothes, that would mean I'd be running in my suit (no bra) right? I'm a DD, so I'd have to wear a bra under my swimsuit, if that were the case.... and swim in it... yikes!
3) Is there a common order to these races, like swimming is first, then running, then biking, etc... or are all races different?
4) What about shoes? Do you put your shoes in a certain place and find them when you are done swimming?
5) Are there any pieces of advice you can give to a novice?
I'm starting to train (on my own) by doing the Couch 2 5K program, swimming 250 m a day, and I'll be starting bicycling this weekend. I'd love any advice you have. :-)

1 - I prefer my 1-piece tri suit. I'm hippy, so my tops have a tendency to ride up. No issues iwth my tri suit. You wear it for all three stages of the race. It has a light pad in the tush to help with the ride.
2- The tri suit has a built in bra, but I'm also a DD and wear my Speedo bikini training sut top under it. No issues.
3- Unless the race is wacky - swim, bike run.
4- What panda said. You'll be assigned a transition spot where you set up your stuff. Shoes, helmet, sunglasses, bib, etc. MAKE SURE YOU BUCKLE YOUR HELMET BEFORE YOU LEAVE TRANISTION AREA, OR YOU'LL BE DQed. As for shoes, unless you are ready to become a serious cyclist, don't invest in much of anything for your first race. I rode my first one with toe clips and in my running shoes.
5- Go to a local running store. They are an amazing resource. The ones here do Tri clinics all the time. Make sure to do some 'bricks' during your workouts. Bricks are workouts where you train two of the three stages back to back. Generally they are bike then run, but you can do swim then bike too. Helps you get used to the transitions, and when you go from bike to run, you'll feel like a bowl of jello.

Feel free to friend me if you need more support...

JulieF11

Thank you. Great information!