Forums » General Training » Triathlon

1. fayezie
   Member

   omg! just a week away, I am getting SO! excited! I feel like the bull in the pen ready to break out into the arena and scratch my hooves!!!
   If anyone else has First-timer advice, please give me strategy pointers! :)

   my only drawback is going to be the stupid bike, as i can't get a decent "revolution" or whatever you call it... ack.. it's going to be my dad's hybrid, and from the positioning on the bike, I waste alot of energy in the upright pedaling... maybe i could just raise the seat and lower the handle bars....

   Posted 6 months ago #

2. knorris
   Member

   I don't have any first-timer advice for you, but I am also training for my first triathlon. I'm already having dreams about it and the event is not until September! So I can only imagine how you are feeling right now! Anyway, good luck to you. I'll check back to your post to see how the event goes. What distance are you doing? Good luck!

   Posted 6 months ago #

3. fayezie
   Member

   it's a sprint.... i will have to get a decent bike before i do a long distance...

   500 swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run

   Posted 5 months ago #

4. seashell
   Member

   Breathe! Deeply. :-)
   Congratulations for putting yourself out there! It takes kahunas to try something new! Know that by training to get yourself to this day, you've ALREADY done all the work.

   Race day is your REWARD!!!

   Here are some "to-dos" that could help you celebrate the day:
   Pack everything the night before. Be sure you have a checklist. Set out the clothes you'll wear in the morning. Eat breakfast.
   Get there early to set up your transition station.
   Breathe. Deeply.
   Practice setting up your transition station before you go. Make a mental (or real!) map of how you want to set it up. This week, practice your transitions a few more times in real-time and in slow motion.
   Thank your dad for letting you borrow his bike. You'll do FINE on it. Since it's the bike you've trained on, it's your FRIEND on this ride. It will take you places you've never been before. It is your trusty steed. Be kind to it. :-)
   Drink lots of water this week, especially the 2 days before race day.
   Breathe. Deeply.

   Again, RACE DAY IS YOUR REWARD!!

   HAVE A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Posted 5 months ago #

5. greenking17
   Member

   Good advice Seashell. I've heard over and over...relax and just do what you have been training for. If you try to go at a break-neck speed you may get frustrated and down...so enjoy it! You're so right on about the race being the reward! What an excellent point of view.

   Fayezie...my biggest worry in my first and upcoming TRI is the swim! I am not comfortable in the water when it comes to technique. Any pointers on that subject would be greatly appreciated...good thing I have a month and a half to get it figured out.

   Good Luck!

   GK17

   Posted 5 months ago #

6. seashell
   Member

   Same applies to the swim... relax. Give yourself permission to stop, if you need to. Give yourself permission to backstroke, if you need to. Give yourself permission to sidestroke, if you need to.
   This may be obvious, but be sure to get in open water a few times before your race. It always surprises me how many people enter open water for the first time - on race day! That's just a recipe for freaking out.

   One more tip: When you arrive on race day and have racked your bike & set up your transition station, walk down to where you'll be exiting the water. Imagine you're coming out of the water and find something on the horizon to "sight" when you're running toward your bike and T1. You may be a little disoriented coming out of the water and the bike racks will all look the same. It's helpful to walk yourself from the water exit to where your bike is by sighting on a big tree or a porta-potty that is near your bike - or even by counting the number of racks you'll pass to get to your rack. When you come out of the water, everything can be a blur. Help yourself by mapping your T1 route before you even get in the water to swim.

   Race day IS your reward.

   Looking forward to all your race reports!
   S

   Posted 5 months ago #

7. navejochica
   Member

   You are going to do just fine. Just remember to breathe. :)......swim: open water is soooo much different than pool swimming, so be careful not to over do it, if you want to survive the bike and run afterwards. Good luck!!!

   Posted 5 months ago #

8. bhayden
   Member

   > my only drawback is going to be the stupid bike,
   > as i can't get a decent "revolution" or whatever...
   > ack.. it's going to be my dad's hybrid,
   > and from the positioning on the bike, I waste alot

   Well, look at it this way. You know you'll improve a ton when you get a decent bike. At this point there's not too much you can do because even if someone gave you a Cervelo TT bike there's not enough time for you to get adjusted to the position.

   Check that, I just looked at your blog.. Moving comments to there.

   Posted 5 months ago #

9. anoelk
   Member

   Fayezie-good luck, you'll do great! My first sprint tri(actually, my first tri ever)is in July so I have only about 6 weeks to prepare. Sounds like you're getting some good solid advice here. Let us know how you do and pass on some pointers you think might help me when you're done. I can use all the advice I can get and will be applying the advise you've gotten from Seashell and the others. Thanks guys!

   Good luck and keep your eyes on the prize! :o)

   Posted 5 months ago #

10. anoelk
    Member

    Hey Fayezie-

    I just realized your race is already past-sorry! Hey you did great for your first tri. Nice job-I too hope to become addicited to this "sport" as well. You should absolutley do the tri in Jacksonville too! Keep going and have fun! Best of luck to you!

    Posted 5 months ago #

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