Bartleys Tri (Triathlon for Beginners: Part 1)

The Bartleys don't just run - we swim, ride, and run! (and on occasion, we are pretty awful racquetball players too) We've been riding our bikes... a lot. So in the spirit of trying new things, I'm dedicating this series of posts to everything beginner and new triathletes should know. [Read: these are the things I wish someone had told me before!]

Ben is not a newbie to triathlons in a traditional sense, since he's completed a few sprints and even trained for/finished the Muncie Enduration - a half iron distance triathlon - when he was in school.
...Then there's me: I am as fresh as they come. I have done two short triathlons. Period. I completed my first sprint triathlon two summers ago in Brighton, Michigan, after buying and learning to ride a road bike just a year before. I finished my second one last August, the Go Girl (Women's) Triathlon in Indianapolis. Even with two under my belt, the thought of doing a triathlon still makes me sort of want to throw up.

Looking a little unsure on the bike!

These are basically all of the things I wondered or stressed out about in preparation for a triathlon. People can describe the generalities of what to do, but details and knowing what to expect is important! Heck, even someone telling me what to wear in a triathlon and how to wear it would have been extremely valuable.

So if you have ever considered doing a triathlon, I hope that sharing the things I've seen and done so far can motivate you to jump in, sign up, and finish one this season. If I forgot to cover something, leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it.

In this series, I won't include detailed information on training plans, but if finishing is your goal, then read on.

So here we go!!

Triathlon for Beginners - Part 1

1. Sprint first. If you've never done a triathlon, don't go longer than sprint distance on your first time out. Seriously. Compared to a 10k road race, it's not exactly easy/possible to stop and take a break during the open swim of a triathlon. I didn't know how I'd do in the swim and the bike, or what to expect, so doing a short sprint distance was indescribably helpful for me just to get some experience and straight up observe to see how things are done in this "new world." I was SO thankful I did, because there is no way I could have finished a longer distance on my first time out... I thought I would drown before that!

2. A sprint is not a sprint. Coming from the running world, a 5k is typically/approximately a 3.1 mile run, all the time, every time. Same with a half marathon and a 10k. Not the case with triathlons! Sure, there are some standard event distances for Olympic, Half Iron, and Iron distances, but the rest are open for interpretation. Sprint triathlons are the most popular distance. The swim can range from 400m to 600m, and the bike 10-14 miles. The run is usually 5k, but possibly 3 miles otherwise.

There are also super sprint races, something like: .25 mi swim, 6 mi bike, and 1.5 mi run

The standard distances that do exist:

• Olympic distance: 1500m swim, 40k (24.8 mi) bike, 10k (6.2 mi) run
• Half Iron distance: 1.2 mi swim, 56 mi bike, 13.1 mi run
• Iron distance: 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, 26.2 mi run

Why am I telling you this? Unless it's a standard distance, it's impossible to compare a triathlon finishing time across different events. Look at my two tris, both called sprints (below). 

• Island Lake - 800m swim, 12.5 mi ride, 3.1 run
• Go Girl Indy - 500m swim, 10 mi ride, 3 mi run

Take-away: When you sign up for a triathlon, look carefully at the distances if it's not a standard race distance, so you know what to expect. Also, don't let a friend fool you by telling you their triathlon times. ;)

3. Choosing a race. I honestly chose mine based on convenience. It's obviously expensive to ship/fly your bike on a plane, and for a first time triathlon, I definitely recommend one that's easy to access and near home. Ask friends who will give you an honest opinion, and use Google or sites like TriFind to find triathlons and read reviews. Also, look at the type of swim (open water, pool, etc.) and the elevation and terrain on the ride. Some runs could be on trails, so finding one that fits your abilities/preference is really important.

In Indiana, I am a huge proponent of the Go Girl Triathlon in Indy at Eagle Creek Park, which has a low-key feel. Triathlons can get super competitive, and the women-only element brings a more positive, you-can-do-it vibe. You'll definitely see a few women wearing those crazy aero helmets riding bikes that cost more than my car, but you'll have plenty more who are doing their first triathlon or just racing for fun. At last year's event, the women next to me showed up in cut-off denim shorts and a beater bike with a basket zip-tied to it.

The other good beginner event in Indiana seems to be the Tri Indy, which is open to everyone. I've heard good reviews of it, and it seems pretty awesome because it's urban, including the bike and the run. It's a pretty big field of competitors, but if you're not strong in the swim, you're in luck - it takes place in the canal downtown, which is about 4 feet deep at most. (Gross, or cool? I hear they clean it beforehand....... but that's just a rumor.) Check this out:

NOT the norm!

Anyway, if around Bloomington, just do one with me! I'm going to do the Go Girl Triathlon in Indy again, and the Rev3 half ironman (eeek first time..!). And probably a few of the other Eagle Creek triathlons they have throughout the Summer.

4. Sign Up and Check In. If you've done running road races, this part is pretty standard for pre-registration, since you sign up and provide your information online. If you sign up on race day, bring your bike with you to registration if it's a long walk from the car (otherwise sign up and then go get your bike). My style is showing up at the last minute... that doesn't really fly in triathlons, so you'll be safe if you are there and signed up by 1 hour before race time, giving you time to warm up if you want, and get your gear situated.

Basically, arrive at the event, sign in/check in, and you'll get your entire race packet. It should include something like this, below. Then read on to the setup piece to figure out how to get these things put together!

• Swim cap - they are color coded to designate your start, so wearing it is mandatory.
• Bike number - and you might get two. Both are adhesive - the normal looking one one might be for your helmet. The other one is basically one big sticker with two numbers printed on it, and looks like this: 

•  Run bib number & safety pins. Rachel is going to be our running bib number model. :)
  

  

  Pretty standard!

  
  
• Velcro band and chip

5. Set up. Everyone has their personal preference on how to place things in their transition area, so I'm just going to outline the things that are critical to the race. Step-by-step:

1. Bring everything you have (triathlon gear, race packet, bike, helmet, shoes, etc.) to your assigned transition area. The transition area is a big fenced-off area with bike racks where everyone stores their stuff and changes gear between events. Look for the bike corral or bike rack with your bib number on it and head that way. This the home base!
2. On your way over, make sure the people with sharpies or permanent markers write on you. Unlike running races, they're not writing stuff on your arms/legs so people can cheer for you... you need to get inked so that they can ID you! Usually they're going to write your bib number and maybe your gender/age on your arms and sometimes on your lower leg/calf. (Unfortunately, this system is slightly demoralizing at the same time when you spot a guy with 65M written on the back of his leg, flying by you...)
3. Hang your bike on the rack. The picture below shows how I hang my bike - by the seat. It seems that the vast majority of bikes are hung like this...
   
   
   The picture of the yellow bike below is sort of a weird way of hanging that  I haven't seen before. I guess it's personal preference. If you hang it by the seat, it's already facing the right direction so you have less maneuvering out of the racks. (none of that backing up stuff!)
4. Empty your gear bag, place the towel on the ground, and put your stuff on the towel.  Here's a visual:
   
   
   Note that the transition area isn't always on grass, but can be in a parking lot or other surfaces. The towel is there so you can wipe your feet off easily if you get junk stuck to 'em. :) Also, the transition areas I've seen are number-slotted so you're not just jockeying for position on the bike racks based on age groups. Apparently there are events that do otherwise... so get there early.
   
   Make sure to lay out your gels or anything else you need to eat in between in your shoes or somewhere easily accessible but not stolen (try inside the pockets of your bike/tri top/run top). Put your helmet on the handlebars like in the photo so there's less bending. Don't strap them to the bar, just leave them there so you can pick it up and put it on quickly.
   
   Above all, make sure not to encroach on someone else's space. As you can see from the photo, sometimes transition areas are pretty narrow, so be efficient!
5. Put on your numbers.
   a. Get the chip and velcro strap out, and wrap it tightly around your ankle. Make sure it's secure! In my first tri, the strap with the chip on it must have come off of my ankle in the water. After I ran 100 yards to the transition area, they made me run 100 yards BACK to the end of the swim to get it... the entire race would've been a loss had they not found it, 'cause I wouldn't have noticed it was gone! It looks like this:
   

   

   Triathlon timing chip

   b. Put your run bib number on your running clothes. Use the safety pins, follow any directions they give you for that- usually on the front of your shirt at stomach-level. If you have a chip, it shouldn't matter much except for snapping photos of you and maybe as a timing system backup.
   c. Put your number on your bike. There are a few gadgets out there to help you do that, but like I said, until you know you like triathlons, go low-tech like everyone else. If you have a helmet number, it's printed right face-up. Attach that so the number is visible from behind, on the back of your head where your head would hit the pillow when you sleep. You might also have a bike number, which looks like the one I listed above. Take the number off of the backing and wrap it around the top tube, sticking it to itself (so then the numbers are right-side-up). Make sure it's not in the way of any cables. Illustration:
   
   
   
   

   Or, you might be able to put it here:

   

6. Attend the pre-race meeting. The pre-race meeting is usually just a quick set of announcements about what's legal and what's not, where to place your numbers, and other guidelines that you need to remember. Pay close attention! This happens probably 30 minutes before showtime.

7. Brush up on the rules. The pre-race meeting should cover the main and most important rules, but there are a lot of them!! So hop over to USAT, the sanctioning body for triathlons, to make sure you don't accidentally do something that gets you disqualified or time penalties.

That's pretty much it for the setup and pre-race information.

Have you seen Part 2 - Gear and Equipment? Or, skip straight to Part 3 - What to Wear. Or, figure out the swim portion in Part 4 - Swim.