From: A first time triathlete, To: A first time triathlete

Written By: Jenna Hermann

Everyone says that having even a single race under your belt will iron out many of the bumps you run into when doing a triathlon. Why not just use someone else’s experience to provide you with some of that knowledge? Having just done my first triathlon this summer, we thought it might be beneficial to share a few ideas/questions that popped up after my first race, including “How did I spend that long in transition?” and “Why didn’t I learn how to crawl stroke?” Trust me, side stroking a half mile is neither pleasant nor speedy.

To start out with, wear a wetsuit. Buy one, rent one, borrow one; do whatever you need to, just wear a wetsuit. It will make you far warmer and more buoyant, and make the swim, no matter how long, considerably more doable. The only exception to this would be if you’re racing in warm water or are a very competent swimmer in open water. I am far from a competent swimmer, let alone in open water, hence, my wetsuit was my lifeline. If you don’t already know the crawl stroke, learn it. Take a few evenings, at least, and go to the pool for a lesson. Once you can do fine in a pool, take it outside to a lake or bay, and give it a go with the wetsuit on before you plunge in blind on race day.

For the transitions, note that time flies. The two or three minutes you thought it took will double when you look at the results, so practice once or twice. Also, bring a towel! They tend to be handy if you’re soaking wet and about to hop on a bike. An accessory that will be useful, even if your first race is your last, is a race belt, which is an elastic belt that clips around your waist and holds your race number. As frivolous as that sounds, it’s incredibly useful, and there are no safety pins involved (ouch). It’s perfect if you ever do any other sort of organized run or bike ride.

As far as what to wear goes, you don’t need to buy triathlon specific clothing for your race, but if there’s one thing to invest in that will make race day notably more comfortable, it would be a pair of tri shorts. They’re designed to dry quickly after the swim and have a chamois thick enough to help with your bike, but thin enough not impede your run. Investing in some shorts will not only make your first race more comfy, but it’ll encourage you to sign up for more races later on (no excuses!). If you don’t want to go that route, make sure the clothes you do end up wearing are synthetic. Cotton is your worst enemy! Any of the modern synthetic clothing will do the job.

Other than that, have fun! Enjoy the race. Watch everyone around you to learn what they do. The down time before your swim wave starts is the perfect time to people watch. Whatever happens, don’t get discouraged. The ridiculous looking guy next to you with disc wheels and an aero helmet was in your shoes once too.