Tri for the first time

“Never do anything in a race that you haven’t done in training”
This is sage advice that I have always tried to follow. But, this weekend is my first triathalon. It is a sprint distance, 525 yd swim, 12 mile bike ride, 5 k run. It is being held in Longmont Colorado. I have no clue what I am doing.

I know how to bike. I know how to run. I now know how to swim enough to do this reasonably well. I have no idea how to put it all together smoothly.

I have been asking questions and getting answers. I’ve been reading people’s gear lists and plotting my course. I am still clueless and will be until after I have experienced the event.

To top it off, I bought my first pair of tri shorts yesterday and plan to do the whole event in them. I have never tried to swim in shorts.

So today, to help me feel a little better about how to go about linking different sports and wearing shorts in the pool, I planned a “Try” type workout. Try it all in training, before the event.

I got up about an hour later than planned. Off to a late start, I rode my bike to the gym. I quickly dumped my backpack into a locker and traded my helmet for a swim cap. I hopped into the pool and swam a quick 550 meters without warming up (other than the bike ride). I felt extra winded and assumed it was the lack of warmup in the water. When I got done, it had been only 12 minutes. Perhaps I was winded because I was moving faster in the water than usual.

I swam the rest of my abbreviated workout (30 instead of 60 min). Then I timed my “transition” from pool to bike via the locker room. Including farting around with locks and backpacks and all that jazz, it took me 5 minutes to get back on the bike. I pedalled home. Once I got home, I hung my bike in the garage, ate 3 cookies, made a bathroom stop, and threw on running shoes. Then I ran on the Spring Creek Trail around Overland Park and back in 45 minutes. Smooth, no. Stacked, yes. Happy, definitely.

What did I learn?
1. If I have my gear ready, it won’t be difficult to put this all together.
2. I’ve already gone the distance in less time than I predicted, I’ll be ok.
3. Tri shorts are not much different than a swimsuit for swimming but are a lot more protective on the thighs for chafing. I’m not sure the rubberized stitching holding the chamois in are much better on the girlie bits though.
4. On pavement, in road shoes, running without socks is no biggie.
5. My bike shoes also fit well without socks.
6. I need more work on my swimming.
7. Food, gotta remember food.
8. A trash bag to cover my transition stuff would be a good idea if it looks like rain.
9. Have fun!