First timeTriathlon advice?
Discussion
Hi guys,
Been running for a few years now, and the other day i bought a nice boardman hybrid for commuting, and on a whim signed up for a sprint triathlon in May!!
Nervous but excited. So now it's time to step up my training!
Anyway, does anyone have any tips that will help me? Not sure how the transition areas work or anything! :O
I really don't have a clue! What about tips for running on tired legs etc? Or is that just a case of practice practice practice?
p.s apologies for the title! Obviously meant to put a space in. i haven't entered some special new "timetriathlon" event
Been running for a few years now, and the other day i bought a nice boardman hybrid for commuting, and on a whim signed up for a sprint triathlon in May!!
Nervous but excited. So now it's time to step up my training!
Anyway, does anyone have any tips that will help me? Not sure how the transition areas work or anything! :O
I really don't have a clue! What about tips for running on tired legs etc? Or is that just a case of practice practice practice?
p.s apologies for the title! Obviously meant to put a space in. i haven't entered some special new "timetriathlon" event
I've done a lot more running but have done a few duathlons / triathlons.
My first bit of advice would be to enjoy it - you can read forums / magazines etc and it all seems very complicated - in reality its not, you just need to be organised.
You'll get to set up your kit before the race, just have it all neat and in a logical order - what works for one person might not work for you so just have a think about what you want / need, Rack after rack of similar looking bikes all look the same, so make sure when you pick a spot you get some sort of landmark / refereence point you can identify to find your stuff, i usually pick a pillar or a tree or something - trying to find your bike after a long swim is tricky, trying to find your trainers after a long swim and a cycle with no bike to look for is harder.
The other thing is make sure you at least vaguely know the course, read the info you get given - if its a sprint its less likely, but if you have to run / swim / cycle laps then making sure you know before you start how many and approximately where they go your much less likely to make mistakes, get turned round / get disqualified / confused - there will be a lot to think about if its your first. The rules are the rules and you will get disqualified / peanalised - basically follow the course, dont draft on the bikes and put your helmet on and do it up before you take your bike out of the rack and dont take it off / undo it until your bike is back in the rack.
The rest of its easy - as far as running on tired legs, you can tweak the position on the bike so you sit further forward - this helps, but its a lot down to practice / knowing what it feels like, the first time you do it you'll feel like you're jogging on the spot and your legs wont work - after a k or so (which will seem like an age) you'll be ok.
My first bit of advice would be to enjoy it - you can read forums / magazines etc and it all seems very complicated - in reality its not, you just need to be organised.
You'll get to set up your kit before the race, just have it all neat and in a logical order - what works for one person might not work for you so just have a think about what you want / need, Rack after rack of similar looking bikes all look the same, so make sure when you pick a spot you get some sort of landmark / refereence point you can identify to find your stuff, i usually pick a pillar or a tree or something - trying to find your bike after a long swim is tricky, trying to find your trainers after a long swim and a cycle with no bike to look for is harder.
The other thing is make sure you at least vaguely know the course, read the info you get given - if its a sprint its less likely, but if you have to run / swim / cycle laps then making sure you know before you start how many and approximately where they go your much less likely to make mistakes, get turned round / get disqualified / confused - there will be a lot to think about if its your first. The rules are the rules and you will get disqualified / peanalised - basically follow the course, dont draft on the bikes and put your helmet on and do it up before you take your bike out of the rack and dont take it off / undo it until your bike is back in the rack.
The rest of its easy - as far as running on tired legs, you can tweak the position on the bike so you sit further forward - this helps, but its a lot down to practice / knowing what it feels like, the first time you do it you'll feel like you're jogging on the spot and your legs wont work - after a k or so (which will seem like an age) you'll be ok.
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