Sorry, I can't help you out with this one as still not done my first tri... but I empathise because the transitions (and the run portion) are the bits that are worrying me.... so any advice from experienced triathletes would be most welcome
Good luck with your tri, Samantha! I'm sure you're going to do brilliantly! x

I just completed my first sprint triathlon yesterday (Sunday 8/12). I'll tell you about it and if you have any other questions, just let me know. First, let me say that I'm not a swimmer- I can swim, but I rarely like being in the water. Second, my workout routine includes jogging around 2-3 miles twice a week, weights once a week, and biking once a week at a 12-14 mph pace. There's some variation to that because I have 2 toddlers; I do what I can when I can.

The sprint was 300 yards of open water swimming (at a local lake), followed by an 11 mile bike on concrete through the park, and finally a 3 mile jog over an asphalt trail and dirt/pebble trail. I'll note more about the transition after I describe each section.

I'm glad the swimming cam first because it stressed me out just thinking about it. I took 14 minutes to complete, which I know is very slow. I swam freestyle for probably 75 yards and swam the other portion on my back. I went back and forth between the two. There were lifegaurds with noodles to help people who needed to stop for a break, and people on boats to help anyone who needed to be brought back in. While I was awful, I didn't have to stop for help and I got it done!

We went into the transititon area get our bikes. That went very smooth for me. I put on my shirt with the number already pinned, put on my helmet and gloves and walked my bike out. You can't ride your bike out of transition. There is a marker/sign that says when you can get on. We returned to transition the way we left from the bike ride. I finished in about 50 minutes. I'm normally quicker, but I hadn't counted on being so winded from swimming.

I dropped my bike, refreshed with some water and was off jogging. I jogged the 3 miles at about 35 minutes. Again, not my normal pace because I was fatigued. I normally keep a 10.5-11 mph pace. But I sprinted at the end and finished with an overall time around 1 hr 45 min. That was where I had expected to be, but only because I had over-estimated the swim time in my head.

Transitions: I'm very organized so that helped a bunch! I had a backpack with water, gatorade, a hand towel, socks, shoes, helmet, bike gloves, shirt, and nike watch. No headphones were allowed. I made sure my numbers were pinned on the shirt and stuck on my hemet the night before. When I set up my transition area, I had everything out in 2 groups: bike and run. I made sure and drank fluids during transition, but I wish I had remembered my goo/gatorade chews for that added boost. The one thing I didn't think of was a small mat to lay all my things on.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm not an expert, but feel free to ask me anything I might have forgotten. I was very nervous to do this, but I'm glad I did.

~Lindsay

Samantha, I started doing sprint tris last year and completed 5 of them. This year I have done 3 and plan to get in at least one more before the end of the season. About what to wear - don't worry too much on your first event. You'll see all kinds of things out there. Some women will swim in a swimsuit, and then just pull on some bike shorts for the rest of the race. If you decide to stick with the sport, definitely get some tri shorts and either a singlet top or a pull over top that has a built in bra. These are designed to be worn in every leg of the race, so you won't have to bother with changing clothes.

The morning of the race, get up really early. Try to eat about 2 hours before the race. Drink some water about 40 min before the event starts. You'll want to do a warm up before the race starts. Go for a short jog (maybe half a mile); get in the water and swim about 100 - 200 yds. Stretch. Then double check your stuff in transition and relax. You'll have a great time.

If you have to run through sand after the swim here is one of the best tips I received for my frist TRI last year: Put your socks on in the morning...then roll them off (you know, like we used to do when we were little kids thinking we looked cool with our socks rolled down...) and put baby powder in your rolled up socks and stick them inside your shoe!

then after your swim, you just put your toes in your socks and roll them up. so much easier with baby powder in the socks because they just slide right on!