« March 2005 | Main | July 2005 »
June 07, 2005
Helpful Hints for Triathlon Racing
Here are some helpful Triathlon Tips for that incredibly exciting first Triathlon, or 2nd, or 3rd...
Swim
• As you enter the water, exhale. This will prevent you from hyperventilating if the water is cold and/or you’re nervous.
• If the air temperature is warm, warm-up in the water at the finish so that you can see what the finish line looks like from the water.
• Never trust anyone else’s navigation skills. Pick your head up between breaths while swimming (every 6-20 arm strokes) to site the next buoy on the course.
• At the end of the swim portion of the race, swim as far as you can before standing up because swimming in the water is faster than running in the water. (And, it takes less energy to swim.)
Bike
• Leave your bike in a low gear so that you can get a fast and easy start.
• Even though you won’t feel thirsty, drink lots of water during the bike portion. It’s much easier to drink while biking than while running.
• If the race is long and you want to eat, tape food to your bike. Gels work really well but make sure you practice with them before the race.
• Stay to the right; pass on the left.
• In order to avoid a drafting penalty, you have 15 seconds to pass from when you come within 1½ bike lengths of the next cyclist. If you can’t pass in this amount of time, you must drop back by more than 1½ bike lengths.
Run
• At the water stops, take water or energy drink. If you can’t run and drink or the race is short, take a sip then pour the rest of the water (not the gatorade!) over your head to cool your body.
Transition
• Walk through the transition area from the swim and place your bike near something obvious (a tall tree, the end of the rack, etc.).
• Lay a towel down and pile all your running things on it in reverse order of how you’ll put them on. In a separate pile place all your biking things.
• Have another towel free to dry your feet and to remove the sand after the swim.
• Put your helmet on your handlebars and your socks in your shoes.
• Running belts hold your number and clip around your waist so that you don’t have to pin your number on a shirt or shorts. If you plan on doing more than one triathlon, it would be worthwhile to buy a running belt.
What to bring:
- bathing suit, goggles, helmet, bike with pump and extra tube, water bottles, food, running shoes, something for your race number, two towels, sun block.
Optional:
- wet suit, biking shoes, gloves, socks, shorts, t-shirt (performance material, not cotton), sun glasses, hat, change of clothes, and change of shoes.
Posted by admin at 09:42 AM