First Triathlon Fears

My first suggestion would be to look up some of the videos on this site; they are very helpful and will answer a lot of your questions.

In terms of what you should wear, your solution doesnt sound horrible. However, My first choice would be to get yourself a pair of tri-shorts. This will eliminate you having to put on bike shorts and deal with any unpleasantness. Running with bike shorts cant be fun. You can pick up a pretty decent pair of tri-shorts without spending a lot of cash. And then if you just want to wear a bike jersey, you should be good to go.

With regards to setup with your bike...its not that hard. Its the old addage: KISS..keep it simple. You essentially need your bike, your helmet, sunglasses, shoes, and hydration. Make it as easy and straightforward as you can. Also, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Do this ahead of time, and you will experience a lower stress level on race - day.

Finally, I am not sure what you mean by "be at the right place before the race starts"; do you mean "where should I line up at the swim start"? If so, and assuming you arent a competitive swimmer (yet) and it appearing that you have some nerves about your first race and arent shooting for the podium, start to the outside of the buoys (e.g., if the first buoy is on the left, start on the right side) and towards the back. If you are really nervous, wait 10-15 seconds after the horn blows and then start. You will do fine. Good luck!

Don't know how big the race is but having something to mark what rack your bike is on will guarantee you can find it in transition quickly. My 1st few races I was so excited/flustered I didn't do a good job of noticing my surroundings and spent some time remembering where my bike/stuff was. A baloon could work or if on concrete some chalk or something at the end of the rack (the chalk helped me at NJ State since there were 2000 people and many, many racks).

[ If you are really nervous, wait 10-15 seconds after the horn blows and then start. You will do fine. Good luck!

I've done two sprints so far and tri shorts + bike jersey have worked fine for me.

It seems like there are two kinds of bike racks that get used for these, the kind where it's a bar you hook your seat onto and the kind where you wheel the bike into the rack.  If you can find pictures from last year's event or talk to someone who did it you can get a sense of which will be used and plan for that (although be flexible in your thinking so you don't freak if it's different).   Make sure the bike is in the gear you want to start in.

If it's a rack you wheel the bike into, put the bike in rear wheel first so you don't have to turn it around.  I lay out my clothes like this:
- hang helmet off the brake hood
- put sunglasses in the helmet
- lay number belt across the top bar
- lay jersey across the top bar over belt
- have a towel spread out next to the bike
- both bike shoes and running shoes on the towel
- socks in the bike shoes

My order of operations for the bike (T1)
- strip wetsuit
- put on jersey
- put on number belt with the number in the back
- put on sunglasses (mine are prescription so I need them to see more than 10 feet)
- put on helmet
- put on socks (dry feet if needed)
- put on shoes
- run out of the transition area and get on the bike

My order of operations for the run (T2)
- dismount the bike
- run to rack
- rack bike front tire in
- take off biking shoes
- put on running shoes (I have yankz, shoelaces you just yank on to tighten which helps here)
- run out
- turn number belt around so number is in front

At my first tri I wore biking gloves, which were a PITA to put on with wet hands and I decided for 12 miles I don't need them.  I also have a Garmin 305 that I have yet to come up with the right solution for wearing it.  I have the quick release mount for the bike so all I have to do is hit start for that leg, but putting on the velcro wrist strap while running is a pain. 

In my first tri I took my time in the transitions, catching my breath and drinking some gatorade.  This probably cost me a minute, but I was more focused on finishing than my time.  Then I came in dead last in my age group so I was more focused on time in the second one.  My third one is Sunday, so we'll see how I do.

Wow, thanks everyone for the feedback! The triathlon community is truly a welcoming one. I really do appreciate all your tips and reassurance.

-incufan1

While tri shorts are better I have done a sprint in just jammers and all turned out just fine. I would not put bike shorts on over your jammers. They will just absorb water and it may feel like you're running in a soggy diaper later (or so I have heard).  You can always invest in tri shorts after your first race.  It will be a nice present for finishing!

For the first time I can speak from experience!
I was thinking of putting bike shorts over my swimsuit, too, until I actually tried it the other day at the gym. It was near impossible to get the shorts on, no matter how "dry" I got my legs. After that experiment I decided there was no way I was going to do that little dance in public!

I just bought a tri top/short set on eBay for a great price. As a guy I would think you can even save more money and just get the shorts.

This is an important statement that was included with lots of other good information, but I wanted to highlight it because it was a mistake I made in my first tri.  I was in a giant gear and lost some time trying to get going on the bike.

Also, I added a picture to my album of my transition setup from my race last Sunday.  (note: I moved my tri bag to my car after I had everything unloaded)  Maybe it will help with the visualization of the setup.

Good luck on your race!

Juanice