Just signed up for first Triathlon. Few questions

Hi, and welcome to the crazy world of tri training/racing. The answer to nearly all of your questions is, it depends. And, it depends on a lot of different factors, so here is my two cents. Others will have other opinions and suggestions based on their experiences. I'm in my third year of racing and have done sprints, olys, and one HIM. Also on the bigger side of the sport.

Do you need a race belt? Not really, you can totally get by without one and unless you are worried about saving seconds (and it doesn't sound like you really are), there isn't much need to buy a race belt. I would wait until either 1.) you know you love this sport and want to invest cash in it (albeit a small amount here) or 2.) you do a race that will give you a race belt as part of the swag package. Pretty much the same thing goes for the shoes, except they've never been included in a swag bag! I wouldn't invest any more money in tri until I knew I was going to be really into it. The road bike shoes will be fine for your first. I wear bike shoes still. When they fall apart, I'll replace them with tri shoes, but until then, I can't see spending the money. This sport can be expensive. Save where you can!

I've never done an Oly where there was any type of aid station on the bike, so you should be prepared to self-support the whole ride. Depending on sweat rate and the conditions and speed (i.e. time on course), I will take anywhere between two sport bottles (28oz each) or if really hot I'll add my aerobar hydration system (44oz) and one or two sport bottles. Have you taken a sweat test yet? Do you know much hydration you need over the course of an oly course? If not, I'd suggest you do one soon to get a good idea and plan from there.

Nutrition is a personal thing too, everyone has things they can tolerate or like more than others. I usually do gu or jelly beans. If I'm feeling really ambitious, I might make some portables and take them along with me (rice cakes, potato cakes, etc.). I eat about 100-150 calories every 20-30 minutes on the bike. I manage about 100 every 30 on the run. I can't digest as much on the run, so I tend to try to eat a little more on the bike. If it is a really long session, I'll do powerade or gatorade in one of my water bottles too. Again, this one is all about you. What can you tolerate? How many calories are you burning an hour?

Wetsuit...first, are you confident your race will be wetsuit legal? I bought mine at wetsuit outlet. There are lots of different brands there and my experience was that the sizing charts were pretty accurate. You can also rent wetsuits, depending on where you live/race. It might save you some money initially to rent over buy if you don't know if you will stick with tri and/or you are losing weight/changing shape.

I just did a my first tr this past weekend so I'll chime in a bit. It was only a Sprint, but most of the advice will still be relevant to an Oly.

You don't have to have a race belt. I went old school and safety pinned the bib to my shirt I wore on the ride and the run. The SWAG bag given out at check-in for my race had a belt, too. IF you want one ahead of time, get one but you don't have to get fancy here. It has to hold up a 7x5" piece of paper for 6 miles. It's hard to get that wrong.

Can't tell you how water works since the ride was short (13.5 miles) and there were no water stations. I made sure I was well hydrated before the race started, took one water bottle on the ride, and didn't quite finish it. I took in a little more water at T1 and took water at stations on the run. Unless it's really warm, I would think you should be able to complete an Oly distance bike ride on two bottles assuming you go into the race properly hydrated and take in some water at T1.

I can't comment much on nutrition other than to suggest you don't try something new on race day. Whatever you think you're going to fuel with on race day should be something you've already used for fueling in training. The middle of a triathlon is a terrible place to find out that your stomach disagrees with whatever new thing you've just put in it. FWIW, while it was probably unnecessary for a Sprint, I ran out ofT2 with a small bottle of Ensure just to be sure I didn't bonk on the last mile of the run. I half suspect the calories didn't get to my bloodstream before I was finished.

If you have road bike shoes, you have more than you need. Honestly, somewhere around half the people in the (admittedly beginner-focused) tri I was at were biking in their running shoes. To them, I looked "serious" with my Click'r lace up touring/commuter shoes! Tri bike shoes aren't appreciably different from road shoes other than they facilitate slightly faster transitions. We're talking a few seconds here, maybe. Nobody's likely to notice whether you have tri bike shoes or road shoes.

No advice on where to get a wetsuit other than to ask if you really need it. What's the water temp likely to be? How's your swimming technique? Can you make the swim without it? I wouldn't suggest you make that kind of investment for a first race unless it was necessary, especially if you're likely to shrink out of it in the near future as you improve your fitness.

Every tri is different with cycling course following, but most people manage to find their way without having to memorize it on a turn-by-turn basis. Look at the course map and have a general idea what the layout is. Then watch for course markers and volunteers. It will probably be obvious where to go. When all else fails, follow the biker in front of you.

Edited by gary p 2016-08-15 9:54 AM

As a big guy myself (6' 265 when started- 238 now) that recently got into the sport (for same reason as you) and just did my first tri here are a couple things I would suggest (again, im totally new and others may say im wrong but this is what I learned in past 6 months):
-Check with the race organizer on water bottle hand off and such. I didnt have the option as there was no aid on the bike course. Also ask them about bike markings.
-In terms of nutrition, TRY EVERYTHING OUT WHILE TRAINING before you race. I found the GU's made me sick but the "blocks" were great so I went with them. I only drank water and NUUN while training but on race day i was hurting (95 degrees out) and i grabbed gatorade and chugged it on the run- made me throw up within 10 seconds.
- NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY- see above haha
-Race belt was worth the 4.95 i paid for it on trisports.com. Made you have to deal with on less thing on race day and made carrying fuel simple on the run.
-For us big guys it is a pain to get a wetsuit. Some stretch more than others so sizing is a pain. If you cant find a place to try them on- call the manufacturer directly. I found a cheaper brand that fit my larger frame was neosport sleeveless.
-Tri shorts can be tough on bigger guys. I tried 4 of the major brands out there and dealt with returns and some not accepting returns. I can confidently say DESOTO was hands down the best company to deal with. They were so helpful and supportive in terms of making sure their product works for the individual which i respected because i admitted i was new and overweight.
-I used road bike shoes and you will see a lot of people will. my transitions were 1:30 and 2:08 which i was ok with as i was not chasing a podium spot on my first race!
-The more comfortable and relaxed you are, race day will be much easier so ask lots and lots of questions.


I will end with this- guys like us doing the sport can be intimidating. I was SHOCKED to see how supportive other racers were toward me as i worked my off to finish the race. I couldnt use a wetsuit because of water temp- to be honest it was first time in a long time i was shirtless around so many strangers and i was self conscious at first. it went away so fast because of how great the other athletes were. get ready to have a fun time!

Im online now looking for my next race!


Rich


Edited by TriToFinish57 2016-08-15 11:19 AM

If you shop on Amazon you can buy a fuel belt which has loops for gels and also holds your race number. It won't break the bank.

I've only done sprints (3) and a Half Ironman. I don't worry about fueling on sprints but I would on an oly. For the HIM I took some good advice and squeezed a bunch of GU packets into a water bottle, marked it into four increments and drank one during each hour on the bike. You combine nutrition and hydration that way. Some people can't even stomach the idea of it but it worked well for me. I also like the block type nutrition from GU or Clif. It is more or less the concept of taking a gel and turning it into gummy bear consistency, but not as chewy as a gummy bear. Easy to carry and eat. Note that I trained with these items so I did NOT wait until race day to try something new. That is very good advice.

I never use anything but water during training rides but I will sometimes drink it afterward. Nonethless, it was really good to have Gatorade handed to me during the bike segment of the HIM. After one aid station where I cannonballed most of a bottle of gatorade and washed some blocks down with it I felt like Popeye on a spinach rush for a about 20 minutes afterward.

Have fun on your first triathlon and savor the finish. There will never be another quite like it.

Edited by HaydenHunter 2016-08-15 6:14 PM

I ll chime in a bit here.
Congratulations on getting into Tri. It's a bug that is very hard to shake. Just after you cross that finish line, it'll be like "when's the next one ?"
Seriously ! It's still like that for me after 9 years of Tri - having done sprints, oly, HIM and 1 full.
1. You do not need a race belt. If you are lucky, you'll get one in a goodie bag eventually - I have like 8, I bought one recently that matches my kit (I've completely lost it btw)
2. Your bike is fine for oly distance - there will be no aid stations at oly distance races. At HIM there will be.
3. Nutrition is a personal thing. Some drink, some eat, some don't do anything. What you eat, what you drink will vary as you find something that works for you. For sprint and oly, I don't eat anything on the bike. For oly I'll carry 2 maybe 3 bottles. For HIM, I'll start with 3 bottles and go from there.
There are gels, waffles, bars or make your own.
4. Wetsuits. I'd go to xterra wetsuits website or 2xU website and see if they have a size guide. Then go to your local SBR store and try a few in "your size". you are gonna get there. It take a few tries. No pun, really. I have 4 suits in my random bags now.
5. The bike and run course. Look at the races website. See if they post the courses. If you can do any riding or running on them, great.
Also, see if there are any training rides or runs you can be part of.

You may want to look at joining a team, it's great for all training, camaraderie etc.

Don't forget some kind of bag to put your stuff in. Thought about socks ?

Don't forget to practice some transitions. Do a bunch of BRic workouts. - ride like 30 miles then run 3 or 4 or the full 6 preferably on the course you are gonna be racing.

Don't worry about what you think you look like. Nobody cares. Everyone is too wrapped up in their own stuff. You'll get a "way to go" or a "great job" on the course. We are all on the same team cheering each other on.

Just relax and have some fun !

My $.02, if you don't end up with a wetsuit practice putting your top on with wet skin, I have spent extra time in T1 with a shirt rolled around my shoulder blades, which is a helpless feeling. Also, go the night before and drive the bike course. Take note of the elevation, and the milage from your odometer. I did a tri where some smartass moved all the cones roughly a half mile.
Most importantly, enjoy the experience. It's a once in a lifetime feeling finishing your first triathlon.

I would really like to thank you all for chiming in. I am impressed and in awe of your collective knowledge. Interactions like this are going to help me not be so nervous the big day.

Thanks for the great advice. Much appreciated!

Everybody else covered all your upfront questions. I'll answer all the other questions you're afraid to ask.....(at least, they were the questions I was afraid to ask...and I know I'm not the only one)...

1. There will be portapotties. There will be a bunch right by transition, but not necessarily "in" transition. They will also be very very busy before the race. If it's #2, you gotta wait in line. #1? Hah. I'm guessing it's an open water swim, so....as long as you can hold off until the race starts....no need to wait in line. On the bike and run course? Depends. I've seen them out on the bike or run course on shorter races.....but....pretty rare outside of 70.3 or more. Nobody's going to think twice if you have to pull over on your bike and find a tree (assuming it's a more 'rural' area devoid of spectators). If there are porta potties on the course, they'll likely note it in the course description.

2. No headphones/music...if you haven't discovered that already. You'll be fine without them.

3. Also, not a bad idea to read up on the rules. Not really because of fears of breaking them....but just for satisfaction that you'll be the courteous, rule follower out there....not the jerk next to ya. And there aren't really any jerks, just people who aren't being courteous. I found it reassuring to know the rules.

4. Sorta the same with how to rack your bike and setup transition. There's probably dozens of pages that talk about it, or it might be in your race information. But, be the person who knows how to do it courteously and such. You'll just feel better about it.

Thanks for the knowledge

I heard of people peeing on their bike but I'm not mentally there yet. Maybe someday in a more competitive version of myself?

I have started to do some training without music because I learned that we can't use music during the competition. I have to admit though that the music helps me through the hard pushes.

First off, I have not resorted to peeing on the bike yet. Yes, it costs me time to get off the bike to pee but I am just not hardcore enough to go in my pants on the bike or run. Wetsuit? Yeah, I'll pee on the swim (or during the swim warmup).

I train with music for run but not bike. I want to hear cars coming. Don't stop training with music if it helps to get you where you want to be. On race day, the sweet sound of volunteers and spectators cheering you on will more than replace the music to get you through the race.

Edited by HaydenHunter 2016-08-17 12:15 PM