Add your tips for first time triathletes (Page 2)

Some nice person informed me of this checklist that you can customize to each race.

http://triathlon.racechecklist.com/

Oh Yeah! If you are flying to a race you will probably need to dissemble your bike, this site came in handy also! Thanks Furndog!

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/packing-steps.shtml

Know how to change a flat tire, front wheel and back. Carry spare tubes, CO2 pump, & tires levers. Don't just read about it. Take your bike to a shop, or have a friend who knows what they are doing show you how to change a tire.

When I bought new tires, I brought my bike in and asked if I could put them on the bike in the shop with someone watching to make sure I did it right.

STACK your stuff in transition so you don't forget anything.

Out of the swim - I have (from top to bottom) sunglasses, helmet, gloves, socks, shoes.   On a hot day I may also have my frozen water bottle under my helmet so it will stay cold (hopefully)

Out of the bike: hat, shoes.

Everything is set up so I can grab and put it on without thinking about it too much.

Also, MAKE SURE you know where your bike is in relation to the swim exit.  Nothing worse than not being able to find your bike...

And, most definitely, HAVE FUN!  That is why you are doing this after all...

WORD!  Two weekends in a row I have taken a spill.  My word of advice (and I should learn to follow my own advice).  Unclip right... LEAN RIGHT!  or unclip left... LEAN LEFT!   Last week it was two minutes into my first ride and at the top of a hill with no momentum I unclip my right and lean left... banged up the knees pretty bad.  Today was AWESOME... shaved almost 20 minutes today off of the same distance last week without a single fall (until I pull up to my truck at the last second of the ride to rack up my bike).  Once again... unclipped right... leaned left!  The freaking ride was OVER and I take a spill at the last second!!!  =(  This time no scars on the knee but a really sexy gear teeth scar that starts at my ankle and ends midway through my callf.  =)

The good thing is since I'm not a twig... I hit the ground first and the bike lands on me without hitting the road.  Plenty airbag cushion for the bike to land on without taking a blow.  =)   I am my bike's air bag.  hehe

Like this one I am attaching?

Bricks, lots and lots of bike run bricks.

I am SO going to have to remember this someday.  While I've only done one tri, one biathlon, one 10k and a half dozen 5k's, I've yet to go to a race that has been chip timed or has a photographer at the end.  I'm sure I'll screw up my first time.  LOL!

I haven't read all the posts, but this is my contribution.  I've only done one tri, but the experience is relatively fresh in my mind.  Follow the K.I.S.S. principle and you will be just fine.  Before my tri, I never practiced a transition, but I did keep going over it in my mind.  I was a little worried about the transitions because everytime I went over it, it just seemed simple.  I read all this stuff about practice and check lists and this and that.  I was trying to make it way to complicated in my mind.  Turns out it was very simple.  Now this is coming from someone who just goes out to have fun and I am not striving to be atop the podium.  T1 consisited of my shoes, socks, helmet, water bottle to wash feet, towel and gatorade. My T1 was 3 minutes and this included my run up the beach, sitting down to dry my feet and put on socks which I wanted to do, and standing there for a minute to drink a 1/2 bottle of gatorade which I wanted to do.  T2 was hat, race belt, sunglasses.  T2 was 37 seconds.  I wore the same clothes (tri shorts + sports bra) throughout the whole race from swim to finish so I never had to worry about adding any article of clothing except for shoes and my lucky running hat. 

Now longer distance races are another story, but for a sprint tri, just keep it simple and you will have fun!

wear whatever you plan to race in TO the event.  i wasn't sure for my first race so i didn't and was a little late on top of that.  lines to all the port-o-cans were out of control.  i was already nervous about my 1st race and 1st open water swim and i was just about to lose my mind when i spotted a house across the street from transition the had a fence that would shield me from the hundreds of people at the race but not the house or neighbors.  glad no one was up yet.

be early, this is no time to be rushing. 

bring extra stuff and leave it in your car, there was a guy at my last race going insane because he had forgotten his helmet.  you might get to help someone out.

if you are doing a pool swim, send in an accurate time and not overly conservative.  you may end up swimming at the fast end of your estimate.  you will end up catching and having to pass all the people who lied. 

This is a great piece of advice. At the recommendation of a fellow triathlete, I turned my handlebars down (rotated) the night before a tri last year. Well, I do alot of riding on the horns and now all of a sudden my body weight is shited forward a few inches and it led to me crashing about 1/3 mile into the bike!! So, don't make any adjustments the day of or the day before a race. Race how you practice, practice how you race!!

This gets my vote as the # 1 tip and MVP on the thread!!!!

Racing and drinking is my way of thinking!!!