question for the ladies (men, don't peek)

Of course since you said ladies only I had to read it!!!

Why not go to the bathroom? There are sure to be some in or near the transition area. You would lose, what, 2 minutes? If you don't expect to win, that is my advice. I have only done one try, but in it I saw several ladies ducking into the trees in the run portion, though it was a bit longer than a sprint. You could also talk to the race director about the course layout and where facilities will be located if you don't already know.

Could you wear a pad? I'm no expert, but just kind of stuff it in in the transition area? I don't mean to be vulgar, just trying to throw some ideas out there....

Thomas

I feel qualified to answer this, having raced and having two children    T2 has never been a problem, it's immediatley before the race.  You have to be there sooooo early that I usually make 2 or 3 trips before the race even starts.  I'm usually good for the race after that.  Once the adrenaline gets going you won't really be thinking of potty breaks.  Hey, if you have to, pee in the water during the swim, sounds gross but everyone does it.

Of course I had to peek also. Hey why wait for the transition, do it while you are still on the bike...a lot of pro triathletes do just that!

Another case for wearing dark shorts.


Max

If we're only talking about a little leaking/dribbling and not much volume, perhaps wearing tri shorts would be enough. The pad in them could probably absorb whatever leaks, without having anything dribbling down your leg. Also, if you've drank enough water and are properly hydrated, it shouldn't look really yellow so you could play it off like it was sweat. ;-)

If you're bothered by damp undies (assuming you wear separate underwear), pick up some wicking underwear. My company owns Moving Comfort, so I've had a chance to try out theirs. They really do wick pretty well, esp. if you don't use fabric softener when drying them. And, the wicking also helps with yeast infection problems.

If you're talking about more volume than just dribbles, make your own bathroom if necessary. It appears that the guys have no qualms about it. Perhaps you could watch a tri or two and see what the ladies do in the T2 portion.

Best of luck!

hmmmm, pee in the woods, in the water, on the bike, in your shorts. wow! I guess I'm not too worried about it anymore with all those options! This is really a great site for info and answers to all kinds of questions (even the embarassing ones!) Thanks!

do NOT wear ANY undies with tri or bike shorts, no matter how great they are! There's a thread on this here somewhere......

Yeah, I agree with TriMom re. the no underwear thing. Long ago when I didn't know better, I rode about 50km with some under bike shorts.... butt chafing not something I want to happen again!
Jen

I'm with Ellen. Right up until the start, I was peeing every 20 minutes. But w=once it started I (almost) never had to go again. Adrenaline?? Maybe. But you are using up a lot of your fluids. At mile 2 during my run (it was an Olympic distance), I had to go to the bathroom. Fortunately, I just happened to pass a porta-potty. But really, I think I could have made it the rest of the distance, but it was there, I had to go and there was no line. So what the hey!!

I'm doing a 1/2 IM in August, and expect that the situation will be different and I'll have to figure out what I'll do. I'm just not prepared to pee on my pretty bike yet!!

Dana

Yeah, I didn't think that was a common practice -- just throwing that out there. I'll have to look for that thread you're talking about.

But, for those times when you're not wearing the cool gear, wicking undies are helpful. After all, the dribbling problem isn't limited to mothers. Nor are yeast infections. :-(

I suppose once I get a little further into my training, I'll get to pick up some cool shorts and will have a bit more experience and get to shed my undies! :-)

start those Kegel exercises as well!

Just a thought-

But most pro's and people doing IM's pee in their shorts and have some water to rinse off! On another board there was a long thread about pee'ing while on the bike! It is kinda funny and gross when you htink about it- but urine is suppose to be sterile.

In the end- you do what you have to do when nature calls!!