Surviving your first Triathlon

[FishrCutB8]

Here is the information that helped me through. In the words of this woman, "Luck favors the prepared"


RACE WEEK

Training:This isn’t the time to do long, hard runs and rides.
Reduce your volume about 30 percent
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before the race, warm up, then do some steady, short efforts that bring you up to race speed. Take Thursday off altogether. The day before your race, exercise enough to break a sweat 15 to 20

Sleeping:

Concentrate on getting some good rest the entire week. It's going to be hard to sleep the night before, but one night's deficit will not hurt much. One week of less-than-ideal sleep will.

Eating/drinking:
Do not to skip meals race week, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate throughout the week
Don’t eat a late-night meal the night before the race.

Equipment check:
At least 2 days before in order to get things repaired expediently.
Pump tires
Go over your bike thoroughly
Are your goggles leaking, or do they suck? GET NEW ONES RIGHT AWAY!!!

The night before:
Pack your stuff.
Make a list of your strengths and why you are doing this

Pack your kit bag Essential items?
 Wetsuit or swim suit
 Swim goggles
 Suntan lotion
 Warm up oil
 Bike shoes
 Socks
 Helmet
 Sunglasses
 Run shoes
 Hat
 Towel to place my running shoes and gels for run; stand on when you change
 Bottles-High GI Carbs (freeze them, if you like)After race recovery bottles –High GI Carbs, protein, electrolytes
 Energy gels/bars
 Bananas
 Toilet paper
 Race clothes
 Race numbers
 Plastic bags…in case of rain, cover stuff
 “Marker” so you can find your stuff easily; balloon, flag, etc
Pam to spray on edges of wetsuit to ensure easy-off.


RACE DAY

Early bird gets the worm
Know where you’re going, and give yourself time to get there. Get to the race early! There may be lines…90 minutes before the event
Find a good spot to rack your bike equidistant from where you need to run in and out

Attend the Race briefing
If you are new, then the race briefing is essential.
Tells you what to expect during the race, small changes

The expo
Walk around and get into the spirit of the race

Transition area:
Walk from the swim finish to the transition entrance to your bike
Walk from your bike to the bike transition exit
Walk from your bike to the run exit
Do it again

Other pre-race preparation:
Warm up and stretch -- enough to break a sweat and get the blood moving to your muscles
If you can, jump in and swim a few laps so you’re not jumping in cold
Stay warm in-between -- Throw on a sweatshirt or warm fleece jacket that you can hand off to a friend before you jump in

Relax and wait:
Use the time to warm up, then find a quiet place to read or listen to music. Warm up and stretch again before you start your race.
Sip on water, but don’t overfill yourself -- take in about 6-1 oz. H2O


Laying Out A Transition Area: How to properly & effectively lay our a triathlon transition area
 Sports bag to pack my gear into the triathlon venue
 Also, a small collapsible ice chest for my hydration
 Lay out transition area on bed the night before to ensure I have everything
 Try to get outside end of bike racks -- more space and easier to find bike
 Local rules –can you leave a bag or an ice chest in the transition area

The following set up is what I did or wish I had done:
 Rack and secure my bike
 Place a bath towel on the ground beside my bike, parallel to my bike
 Take race belt with # for run and place running shoes on top of # number (Some will safety pin # on shirt, but I find that flapping is very irritating)
 Always make sure that the tongue of my shoes and laces are open
 Place bike shoes on the towel directly behind running shoes
 Loosen up the straps and ensure they’re open and ready…place socks inside
 I leave the portion of the towel to the rear of my bike open to stand on
 Place a water bottle near this area to wash away any debris that I pick up.
 Make sure you know where your hydration is located
 If it is hot, bury running cap in the ice chest
 Place helmet on aero bars or bike and put shades inside
 Place shirt on top of bike seat, so it is just within my reach.


Also:
 Run through everything mentally to double-check and make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything. I then place my hydration on my bike.
 Reset your bike computer.
 Double-check to make sure your bike is in the right gear (you need to be on your small chain ring in front and a gear that you can easily push coming out of Transition One).

Lay out your transition area before you go to your first race!!!


A word about Nutrition

Day before the race
 Avoid all types of caffeine and alcohol--careful w/ energy drinks, most have caffeine
 Focused on full hydration. Get urine as light in color as you can
 Mostly complex carbohydrates
 At least 100-200 grams before you go to bed
 This makes sure glycogen stores will not be totally empty in am.
 Too many calories will convert the excess to body fat

On the morning of your race
 Drink enough water to make up for non drinking hours of sleep
 Get in another 100-200 grams of complex carbohydrates
 As day goes, every 3-4 hours have another 100-200g of complex carbs Make sure your last meal is 3-4 hours before the race
 If you need carb calories closer than the 3 hour mark and your last meal was longer than 3 hours ago, sports drinks; can sip that up to 15 min. before the race.
 If race lasts longer than 45 min. pick up sports drinks and water as you go.

Post race
 Sports drinks are perfect for a quick post race recovery. I mixed mine with two scoops of whey and was really glad I did--absolutely perfect!
 Potassium lost in sweat -- Banana’s are a great source for that
 When you get home, eat a balanced meal of complex carbohydrates and protein
 Replenish your glycogen stores and rebuild muscle you broke down


Decide if you are going to Fish or Cut Bait, then DO IT!

[ajw767]

I am new to this posting stuff. So, forgive me if I do it incorrectly.

I would like to participate in a Triathlon before turning 40 (2 more years until then). I'm just trying to get thoroughly informed before embarking in such an enormous endeavor.

I currently run/jog 20 miles each week. The days I'm not running, I cross-train using an eliptical trainer and doing some strength training.

I was informed of an upcoming Triathlon that will be held in Conway - is there a website I could find that information on? The only kind of Triathlon that will be doable for me will be one including light swimming, light road cycling, and running. My husband and I do some cycling (the RiverTrail in Little Rock, AR. or North Little Rock, AR.); but, no mountain biking. We MUST stay on the pavement.

Any information you can provide me with on such events would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

ajw767

[emartin10]

www.trifind.com

You can pick your state and it should list a pretty good selection of local tris.

www.active.com is another good place to check. Good luck!!!

[ajw767]

Thank You!

ajw767

[ODB]

Here is the link to the Conway race. I'll be doing it. If you are running 20 miles a week you are easily ready for the run in this race. Do you bike or swim yet? Another option is that you can do it as a relay with a cyclist and a swimmer. My daughter did the swim part a few years ago.

[ajw767]

No, I don't bike ride or swim half as much as I ride. To run, I just put on my running shoes and go out for a run - with biking, I'd have to have my bike with me whenever I want to ride and of course with swimming, I'd have to go somewhere where there's a pool.

Thanks for the option to have someone relay with me. I've never thought about that! I will definitely have to give that idea some consideration whenever I decide to complete a triathlon.

[ODB]

Yeah, cycling and swimming take more planning but they are worth it. I don't know why but I'd rather be on a bike than running. Hard to explain why.

[FishrCutB8]

running is for cowards...

Just saw this post. I am 38 and just finished my first one. Bricks help a lot! If you can ride, then run, it will give you a huge boost. I found a LOT of information at www.beginnertriathlete.com

There is a boatload of beginners and newbies there.

Here is my race report, which will give you and idea of what to expect. http://forums.jpfitness.com/cgi-bin/.../t/003509.html The swimming is by far the hardest part for me.

You are posting just fine. You can also click "New Topic" to start your own threads. Post a good headline so people know what they're looking at. You will also see those little envelopes at the top of messages. You can send someone a personal message if you want to go in-depth on a topic and not use the boards. JP's rocks--knowledgable people and a friendly atmosphere: Welcome to the boards.

[ajw767]

FishrCutB8 - Thanks for the advice and website referrals. I will check them out.

Funny you should say, get a decent pair of shoes. I just spent $107 for a decent pair of running shoes this past weekend!! It's better to spend the money, BEFORE the injuries occur than afterwards.

Thanks, again.