1st Tri? What you need and what might be nice to have IMHO. (Page 2)

For women with breasts large enough that the built-in "shelf bra"on tri-tops won't cut it:  Get a properly fitting sports bra that doesn't have any cotton (most will be labeled "wicking") and wear that under your tri top. You can cut out the shelf bra or just leave it in. For sports bras, Target has a brand called "CX9" (I think) that many people swear by. If you are a bit larger, www.titlenine.com has their bras sorted by how firmly they support -- look for the 3 or 4 barbell ratings. A good sports bra, properly laundered should last up to a couple years (I have one that is almost three years old and still keeps the girls in place) so consider it an investment like your bike! 

Edited by lodewey 2010-02-28 8:45 AM

Merlin,

Good post and great idea for first timers.  This would have been a huge help when I started!!  I just wanted to add the following:

1.  Remember to read ALL the information on your course website or get ahold of your course director some way.  They will be able to help you with when and where you need to be.

2.  Along the same lines as #1: Get the rules straight.  Some races allow wetsuits for certain water temperatures.  If you are swimming in warm water, you may not be allowed to race in a wetsuit, so be prepared and make sure you do adequate training without the suit as well.

3.  Many races will have random requirements that you would have never thought of.  For example, you must have bar end plugs for your bike or you can't race without a top on or you can't race with headphones.  All three of those got people DQ'd in the previous race.

Merlin,

Because you seem to know what you are doing, may I also suggest you write another post entitled, "what to do on race day"?

This is getting me excited for the new season!

JG 

Atlantia, good point I can't believe I forgot to mention Body Glide! I would probably put it under stuff that's nice to have for a Sprint but probably required for Oly and up. I've found body glide definitely helps me but you could also try Chamois butt'r. IMHO, if someone is prone to chafing it's worth practicing with different stuff. Body glide and Chamois butt'r can both be had <$10.

As far as swim jammers. Check out
http://www.tyr.com/shop/
I don't know if this coupon is good any more but I used it in the past:
Code: 104 for 15% off

Thanks for the nice words JG. I can certainly write something like that if people are interested. Great point on being familiar with the rules of the race. Hopefully for first timer's the rules won't be too big of a deal, and not a big deal to worry about in the grand scheme of things (enforcement probably largely depends on the race and the distance.

If anyone is interested...
Since many races are USAT sanctioned, the USAT rules are in effect. They can be seen here. USAT rules are wetsuits are allowed for age groupers for water temps 83 degrees and below. The rules mention bar ends should be fully secure (enforcement may vary). And, headphones are not allowed (again enforcement may vary).


Edited by merlin2375 2010-02-28 9:42 AM

Why do they not allow headphones?

It's largely a safety issue. With music on, it really takes away from your ability to hear people passing you, cars, etc. Don't take that to mean everyone agrees but it is the rule. This is a pretty contentious issue with many people arguing on both sides as to whether or not music should be allowed in any part of a tri (there are a bunch of threads here on BT ).

This checklist tool is good for prepping stuff... preferably even before the night before the event.  Lots of non essential stuff on the list, but still nice to have when you're new.
 
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/race-checklist.asp 

Thanks for this message. I was wondering how to find a good sports bra for general use and when I do my first race in July.

Body Glide is at least water resistant, borderline waterproof. It wicks away water so I wouldn't hesitate to throw some on for any swim, pool or otherwise.

I have some Chamois Butt'r but haven't tried it yet. From what I understand, the secret is not to put too much on.


Edited by merlin2375 2010-04-30 7:35 AM

Thanks a lot for the post Merlin! 

The more prepared I feel in advance of my first race, the less nervous I'll be leading up to the day.

I'm still debating getting a tri-top.  I'm a former swimmer, so I feel weird swimming with any kind of top on.  I'm considering just throwing on a cool-max t-shirt at T1. 


One other recomendation I saw on here is bring a towel to put down next to your bike in the transition area so you have someplace free of dirt/gravel to do your stuff.  I saw someone say "I never sit down at transition!!!!"  But I personally am going to sit my a## down to put on/change my shoes. So the towel sounds like a good idea.

Another tip I saw was:
In T1, put on your sunglasses before your helmet.  So that when you take off your helmet in a hurry at T2, your glasses don't go flying with it.

Another tip for first timers (particularly if you have't read the full USAT rules):

Your helmet must be on your head and the chin strap fastened before mounting the bike.
It must remain on and fastened until after you dismount. 
Any violation of this may result in a penalty.

I felt like this is an easy one to miss or screw up, so it's worth pointing out.

Edited by Apotheosis 2010-04-30 8:57 AM

I put this list together for a race checklist- covers tris but also running and cycling events too.  Hope it helps. 

http://teamsportsbistro.blogspot.com/2010/04/pre-race-checklist.html