Ok, let's go through these things.

Swim Gear

1. Swimsuit - your swimsuit, bike shorts/top, and run shorts/top can all be satisfied with buying a tri suit.  I consider this one of the most basic things to buy.  You can get them fairly cheaply if you look for discounts.  I've gotten a few at REI when they are trying to get rid of them, and also when REI offers its 25% discounts twice a year.  You can either get a one piece suit or two piece.  The two piece suits can be found at the BT Store.  Once you buy this suit, you will wear it for the whole race.  The one piece suits create less drag in the water, and probably on the bike.  But I figured I look dorky enough with a two piece, so I haven't tried a one piece yet.  I am pretty good at scouting out deals if someone wants me to keep an eye out for deals for these.  Hey, speaking of REI, there seems to be a 20% off coupon on their front page at the moment.  That is probably available in the store as well.  Hmmm.

2. Goggles - just something you're used to and well tested in training.  You will see a few out on the market.  Shady for sunny days, blue for cloudy days, and clear for cloudier days and general use.  I haven't struggled much with sun in my eyes so I use clear for all my races.  You might want to bring at least 2 in case one breaks.
   

3. Swim cap - the race itself will provide these.  Most of the time you get different colors based on your swim wave.  I don't think you need to buy one.  Over time you will have more than you will ever know what to do with.
   

4. Towel - probably more than one.  Maybe keep one in the car, and one at the transition area.  The one at the transition area, you can lay flat so you can stand on it and wipe your feet off as soon as you come out of the water.
   
5. Wetsuit - there are a lot of different wetsuits out there.  My first couple of wetsuits weren't even tri-specific, and my first one was a $30 Costco suit.  I still like that suit.  I bet they will have them again this year.
   
6. Body glide /Pam (for wetsuit) - As a newbie, you will be shocked when you see folks in the transition area, spraying each other down with Pam.  Yes, the cooking oil.  This will help your wetsuit slide off easier.  I've seen people spray lots of body parts, but the lower legs, feet, and maybe arms would be the important ones (if you use it at all).  Body Glide is a product used popularly by marathoners, and can do the same thing.  You will also need Body Glide in the higher mileage triathlons for chafing in other areas, like the feet, toes, where underwear might rub, neck where wetsuit rubs, and where you arms might hit your upper body.  The places you will need it, will all be discovered in your training.
   
7. Anti-fog solution - I never need to bring this to a race unless I am wearing old goggles and the anti-fog layer has worn off.  Could be a safety precaution though.
   

8. Ear/nose plugs - I don't have this trouble either so I don't bring them
   

9. Water pan to wash your feet after the swim - Sounds like a good idea, but the transition area is so crowded already, is there room for this?  I've only seen a few people do it.  I've seen buckets of water as well.  I think most people are ok with just brushing their feet off with a towel in transition.  I *might* consider it if the race had a sand exit on the swim.
   

Bike Gear

1. Bike - Bring a unicycle and I'll talk about you for the rest of my life as my idol. :-)
   

2. Helmet - must be a CPSC approved helmet.  Thankfully, I've yet to run into a helmet that didn't have the CPSC sticker inside.  Helmets are pretty cheap if you just want to finish the race.  For super crazy competitive folks, there are aero helmets that can get really expensive.  These are the ones that look funny that you've seen on tv, with the cool extension that seems to go straight down the rider's back.  Some people claim that an aero helmet is a decent aero upgrade per dollar.  I haven't broken down and gotten an aero helmet yet.  I just have a nice basic helmet.
   

3. Bike shoes - talked about this in an earlier post.  If you are just trying to finish a sprint tri, you can get away with regular shoes and pedals, but as you get more serious, clipless pedals ("clipless" pedals are aka "clip-in", strangely enough) become one of your first upgrades.
   

4. Bike shorts - There's no nudity in the transition area, so unless your triathlon has a changing tent (most don't), you are only doing this if you are sliding it over your swimsuit.  And, as we discussed, you don't need these at all if you have tri shorts or a tri suit.  It's possible that the Eagleman Half IM will have a changing tent, if you really want to change.  But shorter distances won't have a tent.
   

5. Cycling gloves - It's personal taste, but for a sprint or olympic tri, I don't think it's worth the time in putting these on during a race.  I think I can manage an hour of riding without gloves.  Remember, cutting down your transition time == free time!
   

6. Socks - You could get away with cotton socks for a sprint tri, but upgrading to triathlon socks, running socks, cycling socks , etc (they are all about the same) is good to do.  Race socks are pretty thin, and wick away sweat.  When you put them in transition, put them in your shoes, and sort of rolled up like a.. umm.. condom.  Then when you get there, you just roll them onto your feet.  It's a lot easier than putting them on wet feet that way.  You better be practicing this in training.
   

7. Sunglasses - preferably cycling glasses, but you can figure this out on your own.  You do not want to ride a bike without some eye protection though, believe me.  Bugs in the eyes are not pleasant.
   

8. Water bottles - 1 or 2 for the bike, and some for before/after the race, in transition, etc.  For the races with bike aid stations (not a sprint tri), I carry disposable bottles on the bike for the bottle exchange.
   

9. Spare tubes - I just keep an extra one in my bike seat carrier/wedge.  Some of the fast people don't even carry a wedge on their bike with tools, tubes, etc on sprint triathlons because they figure if they get a flat, their race is over anyway because it takes too much time to change a tube.  If you take the wedge, tools, etc off your bike, you are faster because of less weight on the bike.
   

10. Floor pump - bring it to the race and pump up your tires, and put it back in the car.  If you are nervous, you can leave it in the transition area, but it's crowded in there anyway and do you need more things to worry about when you are rushing?
    

11. CO2 cartridges - You only need these if you have a CO2 pump.  I carry 2-3 cartridges during a race.  I usually get the 12 gauge ones from Walmart that are super cheap.  Bike shops sell 16 gauge ones for a lot more.  Make sure whatever you buy, works in your pump.  The one I linked to works well with several different cartridges.  This is one of those items that aren't a "must have" for a beginner, but it's not far behind once you decide you are sticking with this.
    

12. Bike tools including CO2 pump.  If you don't have a CO2 pump, you can carry a hand pump and maybe carry it on your bike or in your jersey.  Bike tools that would also go in your seat wedge would include tire levers, maybe zip ties (they come in handy sometimes), a patch kit, and a multitool bike kit .  There are a bunch of tool kits out there.  Make sure whatever you get can handle the repairs you care about on your bike.
    

Running Gear

1. Running shoes - picked by your local running store after they analyze your gait, obviously.
   

2. Socks - same as your bike socks unless you NEED a fresh pair.  Transition time == free time!
   

3. Singlet - don't need this if you have been wearing a tri shirt the whole time
   

4. Sports bra - I really don't know much about this subject :-D.  Well, ok I've heard enough to know that it can hurt without it, but you should know that already. :-)
   

5. Running shorts - don't need this if you have been wearing tri shorts the whole time
   

6. Number belt - Very handy to have, I recommend it.  Instead of pinning your race bib to your shirt, you just wear this belt that has the number on there already.  In some races I have seen them ask that you wear your bib number on the back for the bike ride, then the front for the run.  A number belt makes this pretty easy.  The one I link here has places to put gels, that could come in handy.
   

7. Running hat - if it's a sunny day and you think you need it, sure, why not.  But I'm coming to realize that most of the time, I end up carrying my hat because it's too hot.  But then you have to worry about sunburn.
   

Extras

1. Watch - A lot of people are wearing Garmin GPS watches now.  You can get away with a watch that just tracks your laps though, if you like.  I like the Ironman branded ones .  You can find them cheaper than the one I linked to.  If you use a lap watch that is waterproof, then you don't have to worry about putting on a GPS watch in T1.  Transition time == free time!!  I also wear my waterproof lap watch in the pool during training all the time.  Watch out for the bulky ones though, they can be a bit hard to get your wetsuit over, though Pam helps. :-)
   

2. Heart rate monitor - sort of related to the Garmin GPS watches, but they do make HRMs without GPS if you have one and care about your HR.
   

3. Hotel confirmation

4. Race directions

5. Walkman - do they still make these?  Ok, how about an mp3 player.  Well, most of the time they are illegal in races so why bring it at all unless you need it for nervousness before the race. :-)
   

6. Extra safety pins

7. Black body marker - they only list this because then you can mark yourself and not have to stand in line on race morning.  But then you'd have know what goes where as well.
   

8. Aspirin - In the longer harder races, pain relievers could become pretty handy.
   

9. Energy bars and drinks

10. Sunscreen - pretty darn important many times, really.  I usually put it on before the swim and I end up ok, but for longer races and sunny days, you could put it on in transition area too.
    

11. Extra towel

12. Post race clothes and shoes

13. USAT membership card - don't forget this if you are a member.  Otherwise they are going to make you pay $10 for a one day license
    

14. Wallet/ID

15. Cash

16. Camera/film/batteries
    

17. Victory speech

Whew, that was a lot.  Ok, I wanted to add a note about aero bars.  My first pair or aero bars I bought from Performance Bike and put on my road bike.  They are fairly cheap.

There are lots of different kinds on the Performance Bike site.  They are one of your first "serious" upgrades to show the world that you are now a triathlete.  :-)  I have the Forte T1 bars on my road bike, as I liked being able to move the bars around individually.  My girlfriend has the Forte T2 bars because she likes having the 'V' on the bars to put her hands into the V position, which is actually the most aero position to be in for your hands.  Forte is Performance Bike's own cheapo brand, and I buy a lot of their stuff.  Some people don't like Forte and consider it an inferior product.  Some people have higher standards and don't mind spending more money.  They probably would never buy clothes from Walmart. :-)

In any case, some of the differences in the more expensive brands are lighter weight (less weight == speed), as well as retractable arm rests, which are pretty cool if you want to use the handlebars during the race.  You can also buy ones that you can run your gear shifter cables through so you don't have to take your hands off the bars to shift gears.

Whatever you do, you need to practice with these aerobars for a long time before race day.  Being in that position is a lot more unstable than normal riding, so you have to get used to it.  Aerobars is one of the top ways to get free speed.

If you ever buy a tri-specific bike, it will likely come with aerobars, complete with gear shifters already on them.

FYI for any of you local people looking for an outdoor ride this weekend on the Columbia course:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=149249&posts=12&start=1

Thanks!  That is exactly what I am looking for.  Except, it's on Sunday.  I am thinking Saturday mid day.  Have 2 friends so far.  I am not very excited about being on those roads at mid day though.  Maybe it won't be as bad as the rush hour ride I did last time.

Yeah, we were preferring Saturday as well, since our plan calls for a brick (and we don't have a ride scheduled at all for Sunday.)  Is the traffic bad?  We've never ridden out there.  Let me know what your plans are for tomorrow exactly.  We also have to go see the Watchmen.  You must have priorities, you know.  ;-)

I've only done the ride 4 or so times, so I don't have a good sample size.  But I do know that it gets more crazy every year.  I am biased though, I was once run over by a small pickup truck while training.  Yes, really, I was, all the way under the car and out the back.  I will give you that story sometime.  Anyway, I am still dealing with my demons (and injuries) from this incident.

On the positive side, as we get closer to the race, the course will be filled with trainees.  So drivers should be aware.  And, once you get a ways down Homewood Road, you are getting away from the traffic.  The back end of the course is really nice.  

I haven't touched base with my friends about the time yet.  We casually mentioned 1130.  I'll leave my cell phone # in your PM.  I can call him in the morning and lock up a definitive time.

If you want to do a brick, you can get a short run in by just following the lake trail instead of heading out into the neighborhood.

I've been slacking. :-)  I must've shut everyone up with the long posts about the checklists for triathlons.  They read it, figured I am repeating things they already know, and left for good. ;-)

I've been doing a lot of training down around your area and getting home late or not at all.  Did 16 miles around Piney Orchard last night, including a nice McDonald's stop for a yogurt cone gel-replacement. :-)

Will log on later for more ideas and race stuff.

Oh, I am scheduled for the Montclair Triathlon on June 28.  That is on the border of your 90 minute rule.  I am thinking it's driveable on race day but we're still aways out before I decide.  If I travel race day, you might be able to hook up with my friend and I who would go together.

Thanks for bumping our thread.  We were dangerously close to moving to page 2.   I'm just training along according to schedule.  I was back inside for my ride today, which sucked after enjoying being outside on Saturday.  My first swim lesson is next week, but it's been progressing on its own.  I was faster than J during our time trial on Sunday...that didn't go over well.  :-) 

Interestingly though, randomly last week as we finished our swim, a lady came over and asked if we'd learned to swim through TI.  In fact, we had just watched the video.  She apparently is part of the Master's team at the pool and does some coaching.  She could tell by our hand entry near the ears that we were TI schooled...not a good thing in this case.  She explained why a hand entry into the water farther in front was better.  I had heard this criticism of TI before, so I wasn't surprised.  The weird thing is that when I started doing the "wrong" way, I got faster.  Apparently it was causing me to do something else right that helped.  Anyway, I'm not in a position to be throwing away free advice from someone who seemed to know what they were doing (she said our coach would say the same thing).  In the next swim, I tried to move the hand entry position out, but keep everything else the same and it seemed to work ok for the time trial.  It's just amazing how such small changes can make a difference in swimming. 

LOL GO BECKY!!! That is awesome and exciting.  We can't have Josh always be the fastest.

That is interesting about the hand entry.  Please let us know what the swim coach says about TI as well.

Not much to report here...just plugging along with swim, bike and run. Dying to get outside!

Dave - I thoroughly enjoyed the lists!

Good job in getting the training done!  That 50k is going to be sweet!

I am out of my other drink and now I have to use up my Accelerade.  I've heard of people with stomach issues from it.  It sure gets foamy, that can't be good. :-)  And smelly.  I'm sure it's better than Gatorade for a long distance race though, as long as you can tolerate it.  So far I've taken Accelerade or Perpetuem for as long as I can, and then live off the course.  It's nice to have the change in drinks when the time comes.

For races nearby, I've got lots of ideas.  I like the Pinchot Park and Catfish/Harrisburg Triathlons.  Reasonably priced, low key, and well run.  I've done them both and they are nice, though I like Pinchot Park better.  The swim is nice, and the run is on trails.  The organizers split apart so now we have twice the number of races:

Multisport Maniacs

Tricat Sports

Pinchot Park is a little closer, right around York.  The Catfish/Harrisburg Tri might be nice for folks who don't swim well, but frustrating for others.  You swim with the current, and it's so shallow that you can end up running into people who are trying to walk the swim.

Piranha Sports has some races within distance.  I have been on the Diamond in the Rough course in Perryville and had friends do it, I think that's a good race.  I have done Delaware Diamondman, which was hot but nice, just over the Delaware state line.  That is held in Lums Pond, so I can vouch that the Lums Pond Tri should be nice as well.  The Cascade Lake Tri is May 31 in Westminster, and well in commuting range.

For the south side of us, we have Setup Events races.  I did both Culpeper and Luray, which were both wonderful (Luray moreso than Culpeper).  I've heard good things about the Kenetic Half.  

I have a friend who is totally devoted to the Rocky Gap Triathlon .  Looks like they are adding an OLY this year.  Previously it was a super short sprint not worth the drive to me.

The Mid Maryland Triathlon Club is a great club and lists lots of races.  I'd join their club if I lived nearby.  And then there's always Tri Find to find a more complete list of races.

I always thought it would be neat to do the Nation's Triathlon , except that it costs a fortune, you swim in the Potomac (and the swim cancelled the first year), and it can't be easy to get to.  It sells out quickly though.

If you want to travel a bit further, come out and do Savageman in Deep Creek Lake.  They have a half and an oly, but really, you want to do the half if you do Savageman.  (tee hee, let's see if he bites)

Thanks!  You've stopped with the newbie questions, so I have to invent answers to questions that aren't being asked. :-)  Seems like maybe I should've let the group go to 10 when we started up.  I figured that human nature would have a couple drop off, a couple more kind of busy kind of active, and then a few would be really active, but I really wasn't sure if triathletes would be different.  Welp, what do you know, we're all human. :-)  I wonder what the 2-3 folks who signed on and never posted again, are up to.

Oh, do you want to know a killer training/race day that I love to do?  Double Creek, in York.  You have a morning half marathon on hilly terrain, and then a metric century ride, where most of the cyclists have started hours before you.  You have the option of taking a 30 mile ride instead, which is a decent option because it's hard to finish by the time they'd like you do otherwise.  But I've done it twice with the full distances.  The volunteers are wonderful, the race is nice, the race is cheap, and the food at the finish of the bike ride is great.   Unfortunately, this year's event is on June 20, one week after Eagleman.  Wow.  That would be quite the killer day for me.

We have lots of bike rides coming up in April, which are great opportunities for catered training and safety in numbers.  I will post a few as they get closer.  A date that comes to mind is April 26, which has a metric century in Westminster, Hershey, and Columbia all in the same day.  Can't they spread these things out some more??

OK another newbie question for everyone...I think I finally decided on a road bike. I decided I better go new rather then used since I truly know nothing about bikes (yet). I am leaning towards the Trek 1.2 WSD like Becky got. My choices are a bit  limited since i am just about 5'3". Everything I have read said it is a good entry level bike.

So...my question is other then a helmet and a water bottle cage what do I additionally need for my bike. I have the bike shoes now (YEA) and the pedals. I would like some type of computer to keep trak of miles etc...any reccommendations? What else do you experienced riders suggest?

Hey - anyone ever watch the Universal Sports channel? Channel surfing last night I found it and there was the 2006 Ironman Triathlon from Hawaii on. I sat mezmorized for 2 hours watching it! My family didnt find it nearly as captivating as i did. LOL It was great to watch..I wish they actually showed some of them going through transition times but they didnt.  It was still great to watch. I am totally in awe of all of you who have done it or are considering an Ironman!

Florida sounds good, you can get some nice wetsuit open water swims in. :-)  

I like to get most of my serious riding in with organized events.  Otherwise I do the gym and some weekends on the NCR Trail.  Problem with organized events is getting out of bed, and being done before the volunteers want to leave.

I ran into this article today that reminded me of some things I haven't told you yet.

How To Compete in Triathlons on a Budget

I haven't mentioned the elastic shoe laces, for one.  I will give details in a bit.  Using these, you don't have to tie your laces in transition.

Nor did I mention tying balloons, ribbons, etc to your bike so you can find it in transition.   My towel sticks out pretty well and I can usually spot my bike pretty quickly.

One of the best transition tips I ever got was from the Columbia Tri race director.  He mentioned wearing the bib number belt underneath the wetsuit.  That way you don't forget the number in the transition area, and it's one less thing to remember.  In Ironman races though, they say that the bib won't stand up to swim.  But all the other races I've done it's been fine.

I also didn't mention taking off things from your bike.  When you get your road bike, take off the reflectors before you race.  Everything helps.

I don't think you can go wrong with that bike.  It's about where I started.  It has Sora components; they are the low end Shimano components, but hey it works.  If you want to, later you can upgrade components that may shift more smoothly, be less weight, and be more durable.  But really, my road bike has all Sora and I have been completely happy with my little workhouse.  I don't race in it anymore because I have a tri bike, but I do all my training on it.

You are probably going to want aerobars at some point.  You can decide when you want those.  There are lots of cheap bike computers out there that will give you various information.  They go on sale so often that you can take your pick.  I don't use my bike computer, I use my GPS watch.  But that can be a pain while riding fast.  You look down at the watch, and you end up swerving your bike.  It's going to end up killing me. :-)

Unfortunately, I don't get any channels that show Ironman events. :-(  But I'm glad you saw it.  Abby's got the bug. :-)  After Eagleman, Becky will probably be saying that she can't ever imagine doing a full IM, but after a little while you forget how painful it was and you start thinking that it's possible to do a full. :-)  Marathons are like that too.

Oh, you are going to need a seat wedge to put your bike tools and pump in.  Those are cheap and go on sale often as well.

Although not for the bike, I really like my speed laces that Dave mentioned.  You don't have to worry about tying or untying your shoes anymore!  Laziness prevails.  The under-seat bag thing is also good to carry a cell phone, ID, tools, extra tube, etc.  Also not exclusive to the bike, but what I think everyone should have, is a Road ID.  They are cheap and simple, but could be critical in an accident.  Like Dave, I also use my Garmin on the bike.  It doesn't have cadence, but I'm not really worried about that. 

Dave -- get the bike mount kit for your Garmin.  It's not expensive, you won't be swervy, and the new wrist part is velcro.  Again, laziness prevails.  :-)

While that is true based on my half/full marathon progression, I'm not thinking about that right now.  I'm just hoping to survive the hIM.  I really can't imagine like 8 hours on my bike though...