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I was just introduced to this site by a friend who is a triathlete/ironman! I will be competing in my first sprint tri in Waterloo July 11th. I am very excited! Right now I am in training for my first half marathon, but cross training with swimming/biking. Are there any other newbies? I did my first kid triathlon years ago due to my parents making us girls(ha!ha!)
Any advice would be great!
What about using my mtb for a bit?
Use whatever bike you have. You'll see plenty of mtn bikes and just have fun. That's it!
I did my first sprint on a mtb and had a blast. Should you catch the bug, and you probably will, you will start saving for that roadie for the olympics you'll be doing soon.
Any advice would be great!
Have lots of fun. That's it!
"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."
Best advice I can offer:
- Place yourself conservatively at the swim start. Start out easy and just kind of "settle in" at a comfortable pace for you.
- Take a deep breath after you come out of the water and then try to focus on what is going on in the transition area. Go slow motion through the transition area. Take it slow and dliberate.
- Easy does it off the bike. Ease into the run.
- Make a concerted effort to enjoy the experience and the people around you. It's a big deal.
Good luck!
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
Sure. here's some advice:
- it's a little known fact that you don't have to swim/bike/run in that order. I'd get the run out of the way first. Then swim/bike at your leisure.
- if you wear a wetsuit, the zipper goes in front.
- keep your goggles on the whole race. why change from goggles into sunglasses? Just keep the goggles on.
- while you're at it, wear your bike helmet the whole race. That saves you 2 seconds in transition.
- bring an oversized beach towel and lay your stuff out on it. That way, it will nice and clean when you need it.
- bring a 10 gallon bucket filled with luke-warm water and a bar of soap. Conscientious triathletes clean up between events.
- Yell the number of people you pass out loud every time you overtake a racer. Loudly. Look them in the eye and let them know which one they are. "You're the fifth person I've passed!"
- Breast-stroke as much as you can in the water.
- Ignore everything I wrote above and just have fun!
Thanks to all of you-not including the last post!
I know it is a big deal and I look forward to finishing!
You'll have a great time. If you train for and race a 1/2 marathon in the spring, you will bein great shape for summer.
Get in a dozen swims (30 minutes or so), ride your bike 2x a week in May and June, keep running and it will be a breeze.
Ask more specific race advice a couple weeks before the race
happy training!
-TB
Try to get in an open water swim or 2 before the race. Go with friends to be safe. Try your wetsuit (if you have one) and your goggles in the open water. This will prevent you from freaking out when you first put your face in the murky seaweedy water for the first time.
Also, on the swim on day of race, try not to freak out when your wave starts and everyone jostles past you. Start toward the back of your wave so you don't get whacked, and you can find some feet to follow.
Finally, have fun and go fast!
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Lessons learned the hard way. Thinking back to my first ever tri here are some don'ts
1) Don't forget to fill your water bottle for the bike
2) Don't think that a scuba suit will work as a tri wet suit.
3) Don't start right up front in the swim
4) Don't forget where you put your bike at the T1 transition
5) Don't forget to be regular first thing in the morning so that you don't have to have go for a big dump at T2
And probably the best advice for a newbie - don't forget what day the tri is on. One newbie showed up on the wrong day.
I think the best advice I ever got when starting out was to practice the bike to run transition (i.e brick). So after your next bike ride, do a quick transition and get a couple of miles in.
Also, make sure you are very hydrated before you start.
Good luck!
Remember to be proud of yourself when you cross the finish line ~ same goes for the half marathon. And have fun!
You will need less in the transition area than you think that you will need.
Get a number belt. Very cheap and makes it easy for you to have the number on your back as required on the bike and then in front on the run.
A triathlon specific suit that you can wear the whole race makes the transitions much easier.
If it's the Waterloo Tri in SE Michigan, it's a really nice course and will be well run so it's a great place to start. Didn't Sheila do her first tri there? But, don't wear your sunglasses on the run to limit your chances of tripping over something during the trial portion of the run.
I think it's fine to use a MTB if that's what you have right now. You can spend a great deal of money on a bike if you decide you like the sport, but there is no point in doing so until you find out whether you like the sport. I don't think that you will see too many other MTB at Waterloo, however, but why worry about how you look on the bike the first time out? What's important is how you look in the finisher photo.
here it is in a nutshell...if you keep your breathing under control, you'll do just fine. Wondering if you're going hard enough? Check your breathing. Wondering if you're going too hard? Check your breathing. Good, deep, normal-exercise breathing effort is where you want to stay...that means slow down RIGHT NOW if your breathing gets too rapid/deep. Follow this advice, and you'll be fantabulously happy about your race as you cross the finish.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
Start saving your money for a road bike now...after doing my first tri on a mountain bike (and having an absolute blast), I bought a shiny new triathlon bike the next day (buy it from a tri shop, not some random warehouse shop like I did). When the bug hits you, it hits you hard in your wallet!
Matt
Welcome to our little world, RG.
I'm sure you'll do yourself proud, and have a great day. Let us know how it goes.
kiwipat
per ardua ad astra
Thanks CTL! This race better be well ran or else my parents will hear it from me;) I was advised this would be a good first sprint tri, so I made my decision a couple months ago.
Thanks for the reminder Scout:) This is the only part I am not looking forward too. I was raised in a pool, so swimming in a seweed gross water is not what I am looking forward too. I will have to get my butt in the lake here first, so I can get somewhat use to it. I don't think anything will freak me out except the seweed. Honestly, this will be the worst part for me.
AMEN BigK!!! Trust me you will see a BIG smile and possibly tears!
Thanks kiwipat! Yes, this will be a day of me being very proud of myself! Of course I will have fun! It is not about being competitive, but setting my own goals/time. Sure will post after!