My transition area plan.

I'd definitely ax the bug spray as well - that is needed unless the bike portion is in a swamp! You're moving at a good clip, so bugs won't bother you. As said before, take the Advil before the swim - it takes a while to kick in anyways.

Since it's a sprint, I'd seriously suggest going sockless. I run up to around 10 miles sockless, and it's much faster. My T1's are usually in the 1:00 - 1:10 min range, but that includes entering and exiting transition and removing my wetsuit.

I'm not sure whether you wear bike shoes, but practicing your T1 with shoes already clipped on the bike is also a big time saver.

Above all, have fun and enjoy the race.

Just my two cents
1) Lose the Bug Spray and opt for the sun block
2) Advil before the swim and maybe stack with regular asprin in T2
3) I wear socks and I put baby powder in the shoes during my set up, guarentees the feet are dry for the run (I use toe clips and my running shoes for the ride, but that is just me)

Most important thing is to just have fun!

I might be off here but if you drop your cap and goggles on the towel and than dry your back with the aforementioned towel your cap and goggles are going to go sailing...

Sounds like a good plan, but I have a few suggestions:

1. Skip the bug spray. Even sunscreen isn't crucial if you use a good waterproof one. I burn really easily, but my sunscreen lasted me through my first Oly...and I'm not fast :-)

2. Wear your tri jersey for the swim. I practiced in my shorts and sports bra, but my experienced friends convinced me to wear the jersey to save time, and it worked out fine.

3. Along the same reasoning, don't bother drying off. You're not staying dry if you're riding/running hard anyway. I basically just stepped on my towel and kept moving.

4. Since the race won't be too long, there's no reason to take Advil during transition. Take 800 mg (max dose) before the race. It'll last a few hours, and it's not safe to take it too often anyway. Plus, taking it before the swim will give it time to work, and it'll kick in while you're riding or even before then.

5. Someone suggested skipping the socks based on the distance...definitely don't skip the socks if you haven't trained without them. But if you can, make that a goal for your next race. I have really sensitive skin and blister easily, but I started running without socks two months before my first race. I took advice from someone else here, and did it slowly, wearing socks for most of my run and taking them off for the last few minutes, and progressively wearing them less and less. I also used AMPLE body glide on race day, and finished blister-free.

6. Also for your next race: practice fast transitions with your shoes already clipped in to your bike.

7. Watch this video: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=... (Sorry, I don't know how to embed the link here).

Since I wasn't wearing a wetsuit, I basically just ran to my transition area, stepped on my towel while putting on my sunglasses and helmet, and grabbed my bike and ran. My overall race time wasn't fast by any stretch, but my transition times were up there with the fastest. I figure it'll take years of training to shave minutes off each leg of the race, but it only took a few months (and only minutes each day)  to shave minutes off my transition times, thanks to this board :-)

Thanks for all of the tips! My first tri is on Sunday and I am practicing my transition set up on Saturday morning.

Excellent! Just have fun :-) For me, (and you too, I suspect), planning every little detail helped curtail my incredible nervousness. I focused on transitions last minute especially because it was the only thing left I felt I could still control. But the key is to enjoy your first race. Good luck, and enjoy it!!!

x whatever on skipping the bug spray. I live in one of the worst bug areas (Houston, we seem to have more mosquitos here than I've encountered in the rainforests of Central America!) And I've never felt the need for bug spray and never gotten a bite on a race.

I'm guessing its a sprint if its a pool swim - I do sunblock before the race (a good super sport waterproof one) Something longer I might consider reapplying in T2, but for sprints that works for me.

And I would definitely do the race belt - best $6 I've spent on tri stuff, I love it even for my running races.

Went hunting for a race belt today, three sporting goods stores later I gave up.

We went and picked up our stuff this afternoon, our transition areas are tiny.  Like 8 inches between bikes.

I'll be doing the Advil before the swim.
I'm losing the bug spray.
I don't have bike shoes, I'll be pedaling and running in the same pair of Adidas.
Someday I'll try sockless, but that's down the road.

And as so many have mentioned, I plan on having fun - lots and lots of fun.  I'll be thinking of BT during the race!

Not necessarily transition advice for your upcoming race but do you know what is causing your knee pain?  It would be good to get that sorted out so that you're not having to take Advil before exercise.  The Advil is probably just masking the pain so whatever is going on in that knee is just getting worse.  I went through that same and finally went to see an orthopedist to get it examined.

x2 on the advil masking the pain.. go to a running store (if you haven't already) and have them check your stride.. they'll suggest the proper shoes for your gait/style.. made a world of difference for me.
also, (and mainly a pet peeve of mine).. you don't need t have a full on beach towel for your transition area.. just enough to keep your stuff on/by and to step on with your feet. I think mine ends up being like 12x12 or something when folded, you'll learn as you do more of these that less is more.. i have a 12x12 towel to step on, shoes for cycling and running stacked in order with appropriate gear behind..
enjoy and have fun!

This isn't something you'll find at a regular sporting goods store.  You need to go to a specialty triathlon store (like Trisports, Bonzai, Inside Out, etc.) or you might get lucky and find one at a running shop or bike shop that carries some tri stuff.  You can get them online though:

http://www.trisports.com/racenumberbelt.html

or

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=race+number+belt&sprefix=race+number+belt

for example.  Every triathlon online shop will have them.

Besides dedicated tri stores, in my area REI and Sun and Ski Sports carry race belts. Also a couple of the larger local bike shops that have small tri sections have them.

Well, I did my first tri yesterday and muddled through T1.  Nothing completely prepared me for this, there was a giant "Whoosh" as I put my goggles and cap on the ground - from then on I felt like I was doing stuff in mud.  I never dreamed that the HTFU mantra would be needed in the transition area.

And since all the posters above are dying to know how their advice helped; here's a follow up report:

FWIW, I accidentally ended up leaving my Advil at home, so that was a non issue.  The official medical term for my knee condition is arthritis.  (And as an aside, knee pain during a race is much more bearable than knee pain during training.)

I did go to the local running store and dropped $100 on some Brook's Ghost III shoes after they evaluated my foot.  I learned three weeks ago that the Brooks made my knee hurt worse - a lot worse - so I continued my training and ran in my old broken down Adidas.

They sell race belts at Academy Sports, but when you ask for race belts they tell you they don't have them.  When my cousin asked for "marathon belts" they took her right to the display.  Since my cousin didn't know I had decided to use one after reading the posts above, she didn't get me one.

And here's the advice I received from the guy next to me - have your shoes already tied and use a shoehorn to get them on.  I had significant trouble tying my shoes and it cost me a tiny spill on the bike portion.  Full details on that are in my race report.

And to everybody who suggested sun screen - oh how I wish I had heard what you were saying.  There was all the time in the world between body marking and getting in the pool for my wife to have carefully applied liberal amounts of sunscreen.  I was too fixated on bug spray (which wasn't needed) and just didn't understand/comprehend what you posted.  Today I am very good friends with a tube of Aloe Vera gel.

Hopefully someone down the road finds this thread before their first tri and is able to improve their T1 time a bit.  To those people, now that I have completed a tri, here are my top three:

1 - Do not underestimate the amount of mental toughness needed for T1.
2 - Sunscreen before getting in the pool.
3 - Shoehorn for putting on already well tied shoes.  (I'm guessing many/most first timers will ride in their running shoes.)

Thanks to everybody here at BT!

Just a thought but I see a knee brace being easier to get on if you don't have to pull it over your shoes... Maybe knee brace first then socks then shoes?  Idk what kind of brace it is maybe its easy for you... Just a thought...

First, way to go finishing the tri!

Your thread has helped me immensely, well, hopefully will as my first tri is next weekend.  Is it really that difficult to lace up the shoes?  Is it due to

A. Cold/stiff hands
B. Nerves
C. Trying to do it quickly

I haven't considered the shoe horn idea.

It's a strap/wrap thing that uses Velcro - it's designed for Jumper's Knee pain.



A - No.
B - No.
C - No.

I think it was a combination of excitement and exhaustion, but mostly mental numbness.  I had remembered to cross the laces so I would only have to tug them tight then tie the bow, but I watched myself uncross the laces just so I could cross them again.  And I was telling myself that was stupid while watching my hands do something I was telling them they didn't need to do.  It was flat out one of the weirdest things ever, I was mentally incapable of tying my shoes quickly and efficiently.

I also sat down to put on socks/shoes and I think that was a big mistake.  Try a shoehorn Jackrabbit, you can thank me after your race.  Be sure to practice with a shoehorn, I can only imagine how much trouble I would have had yesterday trying to figure out how it works.

Mental toughness? You're kidding, right? Preparation, practice, and focus, yeah, but not mental toughness?

I'd also advise to lose the shoehorn and invest in yankz or speed laces.

Edited by the bear 2010-09-06 10:00 AM

I have to say I've never heard of this kind of advice before. A shoehorn?
I'm not even sure what to say about that, except a $5 pair of speed laces is typically the more preferred route.
 

I'm calling it mental toughness because that's what it felt like.  The "Whoosh" where I couldn't figure out how to tie shoelaces was unlike anything I've ever felt before - I was in a mental fog of sorts.  Your "Focus" might be the same as my "Mental Toughness".  Remember, just eight weeks ago I had never done any exercise at all since grade school PE classes.

I've never heard of speed laces until now, the guy next to me used a shoehorn and I thought that was genius.  However, a Google search for speed laces and I believe that's an even better solution.

I've never seen a shoe horn in transition. X2 on the Yankz or readi laces for your shoes.

I don't wear socks at shorter races. But if you need to wear socks then try the following. Put your socks on the night before the race for a few minutes. Take them off by rolling them like a condom. Place rolled socks in your shoes facing the way that you would put them on at the race. On race day slip toes in socks and then roll them up your foot. I wouldn't bother drying your feet off unless you ran through dirt or mud to get to transition.

Count yourself lucky it you're at a triathlon that has 8 inches between bikes on the racks in transition. Most of the races I've been to have enough room for the width of my running shoes between bikes.

Transition will get easier as you gain more experience. It is probably one of the easiest things to practice at home but most people don't do it.

Congrats on your race.

Edited by Catwoman 2010-09-06 1:27 PM

I found that rolling my socks worked really well. The only thing is, make sure you roll it on the right side up!