Tri Gear

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nelliemagine
nelliemagine Posts: 27 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm doing my first ever triathlon on July 9th and I'm still struggling with what to wear. I do have a fast drying sports bra I plan to wear, but the bottoms are what gets me. So far I have been told to get a tri-suit (not a fan) or tri shorts (tried them...certainly not wearing them in public, especially while running!) Do people actually wear swimsuit bottoms and change? If so, into what and where? As far as I understand it, the transition area is packed with people switching out their gear. I'm not sure I want to drop my drawers and throw on my shorts right there! I found a pair of shorts that will dry fast and have an underwear lining in them (no drawstring though!). I'm not trying to win this race, just finish, so the time it will slow me down during the swim doesn't bother me. However, will the shorts stay on in the water, or will I lose them after the first few strokes??!!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm running out of time and would like to practice a full run through with the actual gear I plan to use on race day.

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  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
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    First of all, good luck on your tri!

    I didn't want to spend too much money when I did my first tri, so I didn't get a tri-suit. I wore my regular one piece swimsuit to swim in. In T1, I just put on my bike shorts over my swimsuit. A quick wipe of a towel over my legs and butt let me put the shorts on pretty fast. In T2, I just dropped my helmet and my bike and ran in my swimsuit and bike shorts.

    A full Ironman triathlon will have an actual changing area with privacy, but all other tris just have the transition area where everyone can see you.

    The reason for the tri suit or tri shorts is the padding in the butt. If you can make it on the bike without the padding in your shorts, go for it. If not, I would recommend: swim in your swimsuit, in T1 put on bike shorts with padding over your swim bottoms, in T2, either leave on your bike shorts or take off your bike shorts and put on your running shorts (this would add quite a bit to your transition time, so you may just have to choose between not wanting to wear the bike shorts when people can see and cutting time). I really recommend wearing bike or tri shorts for the bike part; nobody can see the shape of your legs when you are sitting on your bike and it will actually make you blend in with the other racers instead of standing out in running shorts.

    I would think your shorts may come off in the water in the start with everyone clawing at everyone else and all the waves pushing you.

    Before my tri, I went out to the lake and set up my own little transition area. I just got wet in the water, then ran up to my transition area and put on my shorts, shoes, helmet, and rode my bike a few yards through the parking lot. I repeated it like 8 times and on race day, I could focus my effort on swimming, biking, and running instead of transitioning.

    Good luck!!!
  • Bentrain
    Bentrain Posts: 41 Member
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    Tri shorts. Nobody looking at you. They have just enough padding for the bike but will not be like wearing a wet diaper on the run. remember you'll only be there with a couple hundred other people in spadex. Plus just have fun. you only have one first tri.

    if you are not a very strong swimmer check out swimsafe its your helmet for the water.

    Good luck and have fun!
  • Crash789
    Crash789 Posts: 9 Member
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    Like Bstamps said earlier, in my first tri (and only, so far), I wore a two piece racing suit and simply wore my non-tri shorts over those for the rest of the race. It worked for me. It was a sprint tri with a 440-yd swim, 14-mile bike, and 5k.

    I'm doing another tri in august that has an open-water swim and am planning on getting a trisuit. Good luck! Don't worry about what you are wearing too much - it is true that anyone else who is racing is more worried about themselves than being able to watch what others are wearing!
  • nelliemagine
    nelliemagine Posts: 27 Member
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    Thanks for the advice/encouragement! I figure after this first race I will have learned what and what not to do. I value your responses...thanks again!
  • nelliemagine
    nelliemagine Posts: 27 Member
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    Well I completed my first triathlon on Saturday! My goal was finish in under two hours without stopping. I finished in 1:56 with a sprained ankle. I have decided that swimming is not really my thing, so from here on out I will be focusing more on duathlons and half marathons. My first half is Whistlestop in Bayfield WI on Oct. 15th. Time to get to work :) Thanks again for everyone's advice!
  • chrisuy
    chrisuy Posts: 39 Member
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    I think that for most folks that started swimming later in life, that's the biggest struggle of the three disciplines by far. But congratulations on completing your first tri!
  • bassettpig
    bassettpig Posts: 79 Member
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    Congratulations! I did 3 sprint-distance triathlons one summer a few years ago and decided, like you, that the swim was not my thing. I can run and bike well enough not to embarrass myself, but I was (seriously) last one out of the water at 2 of them. I simply did not want to invest the time I would have needed to learn to swim well when I don't enjoy it nearly as much as biking or running, so chalked it up to an interesting experiment.

    Hope the sprained ankle is healing--good luck at Whistle Stop! I am from Wisconsin and hear it's a beautiful run up there.
  • nelliemagine
    nelliemagine Posts: 27 Member
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    I can swim really well, I just lost control of my breathing and that was enough to make it as difficult as it was. I think I got lost in all of the excitement and nervousness waiting to hit the water. When I did, I wasn't focused and I wore myself out. It felt like it took me 40 minutes or longer to reach the beach. My time ended up being 17 minutes, which was a HUGE surprise. All in all, like bassettpig said, it was an interesting experience and I pushed limits for myself I didn't know I could.
  • bstamps12
    bstamps12 Posts: 1,184
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    That's what it's about. You can always say you have done a triathlon! If it makes you feel better, I swam for 14 yrs competitively (before a 2 1/2 yr break from anything healthy) and I still have trouble breathing in open water swims. It's hard! But you did it! Good luck in all your future athletic endeavors!

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