Signing up for my first sprint triathlon!

laurenawolf
laurenawolf Posts: 262 Member
in Motivation and Support
So after seeing a topic on training for a marathon in a year, I thought about signing up for a short triatlon. I have only even ran in a 5k before, so this is a big step for me!

This triathlon is a 300m swim, 6 mile bike, and 2 mile run. I used to be a competitive swimmer, so after some training I will not be worried about that part. But I am worried about the other two parts; the biking and running.

Does anyone have any advice for me? It's in September, so I have 5 months to prepare. I already hit the gym 6 days a week, so I am pretty fit already. What advice can you give a newbie? What kind of bike should I get? How should I train for it?

Thank you!

Replies

  • kjd153
    kjd153 Posts: 40 Member
    Good for you! Registering for my first sprint tri is what gave me the motivation to workout and lose 30+ pounds in 2012. The variety in the workouts helped me to not be bored. I didn't race at all last year and the weight is back now so I am registered for another and getting back on track.

    It sounds like you are already miles ahead of a lot of other triathlon newbies. You'd be surprised how many people sign up that have never even swum before! Is the swim in a pool or lake? If it's an open water swim (lake or ocean) and you don't have much experience with that, look for swim clinics run by the groups that put on the triathlons. I am a very good swimmer but had to work on being able to do an open water swim - I never realized how much I rely on the little stripe on the bottom of the pool. That being said, despite all my training efforts, I ended up inventing my own stroke in my first tri and it was ugly but I didn't drown!

    I do my races on a hybrid bike because that's what I already own. You will see a great variety of bikes - from folks on their pleasure bikes to those on racing bikes that cost thousands. Racing bikes are expensive but I have friends who have been able to get nice road bikes at Walmart for just a couple hundred that work just fine. They key is to have skinny tires - I get passed by the skinny tire folks all the time.

    For training, you can do "brick" workouts which is combining two of the disciplines back to back. This helps your body to get used to making the transition - bike to run is particularly odd since it takes a few minutes for your legs to adjust. That said, I probably didn't do this as much as I should have. I would just do each discipline twice per week.

    There is a great book called "Your First Triathlon" by Joe Friel that will answer a lot of questions for you. Also, the forums on the various triathlon websites have lots of great points for newbies.

    The one thing I was not prepared for an that took me by surprise was the psychological impact of starting in the "newbie wave" - typically the last wave to start. This results in you being at the back of the pack and it can get a bit spread out and a bit lonely. It can also be humbling to see the folks already heading out on their run when you are just getting out of the water! Keep in mind that depending upon the size of the race, the first folks can start about an hour ahead of the last wave. They take this into account for your timing but it can still mess with your mind during the race.

    Sorry for rambling - any more questions, let me know and I will do my best to answer. I am sure you will do great!
  • SarahxApple
    SarahxApple Posts: 166 Member
    Hey, really glad to see this thread I am hoping to find a Triathlon to sign up to pretty soon, I already run longest distance done though is only 15km, I haven't been on a bike since I was 11 though so bit nervous about getting a bike sorted, my friend cycles and she suggested a road bike. I am a really good swimmer but the ones I have seen are open water, I am excited to try out open water swimming (I will have to build up swimming endurance) but will I have to buy a wet suit, I don't want this to be ridiculously expensive.

    I assume you are both in the US so I'm sure things are different over there than in the UK, but if you have any transferable advice I'd appreciate it :)

    Good luck!
  • kjd153
    kjd153 Posts: 40 Member
    I am in the US but it looks like the company I got my wetsuit from also sells in the UK (at least according to a quick Google search). They are XTerra wetsuits. I bought one with no sleeves because when I tried out one with sleeves at a swim clinic, it felt like it was harder to move my arms which tends to be a helpful motion while swimming! The sleeveless versions are also less expensive. If you look, you should be able to find a promo code online that will help save a good deal.

    I often train with a pull buoy in the pool since it helps mimic the buoyancy of wearing the wetsuit. The great part of that is that it allows you to rest your legs a bit during the swim and save them for the bike and the run. If you decide to go with a wetsuit, keep in mind that they can't be used in races if the water gets above a certain temp so don't get overly reliant on the buoyancy factor. I haven't had that happen to me yet but it does happen even here in Massachusetts which is not exactly known for its warm water.

    The most important advice I can offer is to train so you don't get hurt and then have fun. I assume none of us are "in it to win it." Oh - and never tell someone it's "just" a sprint distance. It's a great accomplishment no matter what the distance!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I did a few olympic tris some years ago, and my plan to get into them again is one of my motivations for working out and losing weight now. I'm posting mainly to say that you can get away with almost no expense but for the entry fee if you want. I used the bike I owned, which was a mountain bike, and did not buy a wetsuit. Had I continued into a third year (I did them for two years) I probably would have gotten the wetsuit, which definitely does improve your speed and can help if the water is especially cold, and definitely would have gotten a bike with skinny tires, but as it happens I did not (kicking myself now, but life stuff).

    I concur that the most important things to practice in addition to doing regular training are the open water swimming and the bricks, especially bike/run, which can make your legs feel like noodles when you aren't used to it. You also will want to know how to pace yourself. I'm a slow but steady swimmer (distance was never an issue, but I'd really have to put in work to get to a much faster speed), so I just swam as fast as possible and the difference from race to race was entirely based on whether I managed to swim straight or added tons of extra distance, sigh, but the first year I ran faster (I was a regular runner before getting into tris) and had embarassing bike speeds. The second year I worked really hard on the bike speed, despite being on the silly mountain bike, and did less running, and improved my bike speed a ton, but ended up being too tired to run as fast as I had before (the second tri the second year I tried to fix this but it happened to be a really hot day, so it didn't work).

    Triathlon training was incredibly fun and felt much better for my health personally than all the running I'd been doing before, since it's cross training by definition. It's time consuming because you do have a number of days where you fit in two different sports, but the hours don't have to be as extreme as a lot of people put in, depending on your goals. I did it the first time with a group at my health club, which was fun--we had group swimming drills and runs and open water swims and they talked you through the logistics, but it's certainly not needed. It was definitely the logistics that intimidated me the most, however. Originally I was signed up for Chicago, which is HUGE, and for that reason I did a smaller one first which helped. For Chicago you end up potentially sitting around forever watching people start and building up nervousness and the crowd of people you are racing with can be intimidating. I was glad I'd done a smaller one before. Definitely check out the route beforehand--there are usually reviews and such available. Also, for free training programs and people to talk to beginnertriathlete.com is a good site.

    Can you tell I am looking forward to being in shape to do it again?
  • SarahxApple
    SarahxApple Posts: 166 Member
    Thanks for the advice kjd153. First port of call for me is to get a bike and get cycling, so I am looking spring next year to do mine, I think I could be ready by late this year but I don't want to do one in winter (yes I am a wuss lol).

    I will check out that site thanks lemurcat12.
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
    Check out www.wiggle.co.uk for wetsuits, they sometimes have them in their sale, or you can also look at www.ratrace.co.uk (if you stay near them they have a swim-lab as well as a run-lab for trying the wetsuits!)!!!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    If you've got the swim down, the rest should be easy. 6 miles is nothing on a bike and you've already run further in your 5k. Have fun - you got this! :drinker:
  • GSXRGIRL61
    GSXRGIRL61 Posts: 6,515 Member
    I did a few triathlon sprints to raise money for Girls on the Run. If you are a swimmer, this should be pretty easy for you. Just practice bricks several times and more frequently as you get closer to the date. Also, having all your "stuff" in a bucket in front of or beside your bike will be helpful when you get through the swim portion. I found it was the time in between the swim and the biking that was most trying.

    Have fun! You'll do really well!
  • ScoutingMomRosnick
    ScoutingMomRosnick Posts: 11 Member
    Here are a couple of "odd" tips...if you are swimming first (most do) try to use mainly your arms for the swim to save your legs for the bike and run.

    Fill your shoes with baby powder and have them sitting next to your bike...after exiting the water (often near sand/dirt) you will run through a bucket of water to rinse, but the baby powder will pull any remaining through your socks and off your feet, keeping your blisters and rubbing to a minimum.

    Wear a swimsuit bottom, exercise bra, and wicking shirt under your wetsuit for the swim...peel the wetsuit off as your jog to your bike and your can either slip on a pair of shorts or not, but your have great upper body support while doing the 5K later and not fiddling with changing. Also easy to swim in if no wetsuit is needed.

    Remember that you are doing this to enjoy your exercise so HAVE FUN and forget about everything else! You'll do fabulous because you are doing it!!
  • dmarsh1018
    dmarsh1018 Posts: 70 Member
    Just signed up for my first one too so I'm in for the comments. Unfortunately, I don't have much to add though. The one I signed up for is all women and the website http://www.irongirl.com/Events/Webster.htm#axzz2zkZkm2rh has some good information regarding training, nutrition, setting up for transitions, stuff like that.

    Good luck!
  • annathelu
    annathelu Posts: 127 Member
    I'm checking out this thread because I, too, have decided to sign up for my first triathlon -- a half mile swim, 10k bike, 5k run. It's in August, but I found that same Irongirl site and it suggested I could be ready in 11 weeks. I have confidence in myself, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous. I haven't swam competitively in more than a decade, so getting back into the pool has been challenging but nice. I had been attending spinning regularly, but I'm finding the differences between being on the actual road a fun challenge. As for the run, I've already completed a couple. It's combining it all that I'm really looking forward to. I am a stay-at-home mom, so I feel like this is the confidence boost and "Me time" I truly need. Good luck to everyone. Looking forward to hearing your triathlon training tales!
  • marymoni
    marymoni Posts: 17 Member
    I did my first sprint triathlon a couple years ago. I got completely addicted to the sport! I was very lucky in that my local triathlon club put on a 8 week training course prior to the race. I learned so much and it was a huge bonus to train with people who had competed before. You should see if there is a tri club in your area! Maybe people struggle with the swim so you already have an advantage there. I would definitely recommend getting at least a hybrid bike. It is completely possible to do the race on a mountain bike but it requires quite a bit more effort. Mountain bikes are much heavier than a hybrid or road bike so it's a struggle on the hills. I would suggest looking on craigslist or pinkbike for used bikes! You can add me if you have any other questions :)
  • annathelu
    annathelu Posts: 127 Member
    I've begun training with a local group, and I already can tell it's going to be super helpful. The coaching and tri pros are just what I need to,push me along.

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