first tri, need help

1. How far have you swum so far? You have less than two months to make 1,500 Oly distance. I guess it is possible, depending on your life situation (work, family, etc).

2. If you've never seen a transition, you can either watch a youtube video (that's what I did before my first time) or find a race near you before August, and just see how the race goes, including folks in a transition. I keep it very simple: just helmet, running shoes, and tiny bit of towel (just in case, I've never had to use it), and something to carry bib number (a belt for example).

3. There is no way you will be able to change in transition area. If it's your first tri and you went over budget, I would not invest in any gadgets nor specific outfits. I complete the whole triathlon in one swimsuit (not even a tri thing) and I am comfortable with that, but before a race I practiced biking and running with it, to make sure I won't be in pain from chaffing or in a discomfort.

4. Nothing will dry. You will be wet when you come to the finish line no matter what. So just don't stress about it

Choosing the right distance for the first race is an individual thing, in my opinion. Some people "go big or go home". Some have enough time and fitness to go straight to Oly. I had a conservative approach and decided to check it out first with something easier and then move with a challenge.
I hope it helps

Edited by marysia83 2016-06-20 3:13 PM

I think it'd be rare to find a changing tent in anything less than a 140.6.
I didn't even see one at the 70.3 that I've done.
So, unless there's handy porta potty (which is not handy to change in) right near transition....any public bathroom type places in the park (you're often in) won't have anywhere close enough where you can get down to baring your bits to the public.

In another thread, I just noted that I did two years worth of sprints (and a couple in between a sprint and an Olympic) in swim jammers and a t-shirt that I put on after the swim. The longer one (20 miles on the bike), I did once with a cushy hybrid and once with a road bike....with the jammers. I could probably do an Olympic bike/run in the jammers if I had to. Wouldn't want to do much more than that, I'd think.

On the other hand, save the bread and rent a wetsuit. Your profile says you're in MO....in St. Louis there's a few that rent...Big Shark does. How tall are you? Someone here hooked me up with a loaner, I'm willing to do the same....unless that race is near here...I'll probably do it. Then again, if it's near here....the odds of needing a wetsuit on August 7th are about slim to none....unless it's in a cave.

Whatever you wear (outside the wetsuit as you might not have a choice if you're renting)....
Make sure you can wear whatever you're going to wear for an hour+ of biking and an hour of running....or whatever it's going to be.

Also, there's nothing wrong with doing the sprint over the Olympic. It's just....shorter. Your first one's always 'epic', even if it's one lap in the pool, a bike around the block, and a one mile run. Heck, I find the sprints to be far more competitive in some ways. That being said, if all you're worried about is the swim, but are a reasonably confident swimmer (you do have to go nearly a mile...and yah, there are some real slow swimmers, you won't be the only one if that's what you're worried about.....check the results from last year in your age group and see how you do against them on a practice swim....and you've got some time to get in the pool 2-3 times a week).....you could probably do it. As long as you recognize that the swim is potentially far different and more chaotic than any swimming you've done before. It always seems impossibly long when you look at it. And, depending on the number of racers and how they start it....they can be VERY chaotic. I've never had any 'horror' stories that you'll read about occasionally (getting kicked/pummeled/etc)....but I've been in plenty where my whole rhythm and swim gameplan goes out the window because of the 'chaos' in the swim. That, I imagine, is what dooms the less confident swimmers into grabbing a lifeguard kayak and giving up.





Edited by jhaack39 2016-06-20 4:26 PM

^^^that's what happened to me: I got a huge panic attack during the swim, and it was "only" sprint.
If this is USAT course, then any nudity is prohibited and you will be disqualified if you try to change clothing in transition.
I think Sprint would be a good start to get an idea of triathlon. Better have fun than get discouraged

thanks guys, i greatly appreciate your responses and help. so sounds like i will just go with my jogging shorts i bike in, do the swim and deal with the wet. as far as distance, i should do the sprint, for alot of reasons. im just a go big or go home guy. gets me in trouble sometimes, lol. again, thanks so much.

I'm not trying to spook you...........but, do you know you can make the swim distances? How do you know?

Good luck!

thanks guys, i appreciate it.
im not sure i can make the swim distance. i think i can. i know i wont be able to front crawl the whole thing but can float well enough. i still havnt signed up so can still pick either one.

The floating part makes me think Sprint distance should be your choice.

For my first triathlon I bought a pair of zoot tri shorts two or three months out from my race. I did basically all of my training in them. I did all of my swimming in them and all of my biking in them. I ran in them a few times to get the feel of it but that's it. But, in the race I swam/biked/ran in them with no problems at all. Tri shorts are faster in the water, faster on the bike and faster running(ok maybe not but, you didn't have to change)

Unless you live way way far up north I can't imagine an august race being wetsuit legal but it could be.

Don't think of a sprint triathlon as 'short' lots of time people think that if you aren't doing an ironman you aren't doing a triathlon. This is far from the truth. Even a sprint distance triathlon is going to take 1:30 to 2:30 to complete.

From where you are here is what I would spend my money on looking back.

Good Goggles
Tri Shorts
Tri Top

From there you will need to put in the time swimming. Swimming is like 95% technique. If you have a strong cycling base and a strong running base you could get by with doing those only 2x a week and swimming 3x a week. If you can manage 3x swimming and 3x run and 3x bike then that's awesome. But, getting in the pool will do wonders for your race. It's better to get into the pool 3x a week for 20min than 1x a week for an hour.

My advice is to get tin the water..............soon.

I tell people all the time......If I asked 100 men "how far can you swim"?......97 of them would lie, answering me. They wouldn't do it, intentionally. Most have a VERY inflated sense of how far they can swim (IMO). Most would be humbled.

Good luck.

Since you are unsure about swimming ability and an Oly distance swim you should go Sprint. I swam my first tri last year (a Sprint) doing the breast stroke the whole way. It is a very strong stroke for me and I knew I would not fry my legs doing 450 yards of breast stroking. I swear, there were people out there dog paddling and back stroking (both elementary and proper backstrokes).

Get your first tri under your belt successfully and build on distances later.

I am doing my first HIM in four days and for that, I have developed and practiced my crawl stroke. A note: If you go the wetsuit route your buoyancy will be much greater than swimming without one. So if kicking is what wears you out in the crawl you can back off and rely more on arms. That is a very simplified statement about a complex skill, but true nonetheless.

Have fun.