6 Common Triathlon Mistakes
If you are a complete beginner to the sport of Triathlon you may not realise that the time spent changing between the 3 disciplines is part of the race. The time you spend in each change-over is clocked along with the swim, bike & run times. If you have ever spectated at a Triathlon you will see that it appears some athletes are unaware of this. They towel themselves dry, have a full change of clothes, a sit down while they pull their socks on and lace up their shoes. Some I have even seen break out a flask of something warm on a chilly morning.
That’s all fine if you have all day, but if you don’t and you do have to get home before it’s dark, then you might realise that the time you waste in transition has to be made up on the course.
Here are a few pointers that might help to save you valuable time when competing in a Triathlon.
Losing your bike??
I know it sounds crazy, but how many times have I witnessed athletes exiting the water and entering the T1 ( first transition) and looking in bewilderment at the sea of bikes and have no idea where they left theirs. This causes all sorts of stress because you are then wondering aimlessly, getting in the way of other athletes who have located their bikes and are trying to exit the transition area. This can so easily be avoided if you give yourself a few extra minutes when setting yourself up to just walk to the swim exit and back to your bike, to the bike out and back to your bike and the run exit.
These are a life changer. Attach them to your trainers prior to racing and try them out for fit. Have a short run in them. They will reduce your time faffing, trying to tie your shoelaces. They allow you to just slip your foot in and go.
Sunglasses
If you are lucky to race on a sunny day. Try threading your sunglasses into the air vents in your cycle helmet. If you don’t have air vents that you can use, then try taping them to your bike frame so that you can add them once on the move. This will need practicing in advance.
Not all races require a race number, but a vast majority will do. A pre punched number that you will wear on your back preferably on the bike and on your front on the run. You can safety pin it to your expensive tri suit, why would you do that? You can wear an elasticated Race Belt. Leave it in transition or wear it under your wet suit on the swim. Job done! This can be twisted around to locate the number in the correct place without making holes in your prize tri suit.
Extra Layers, do you or don’t you?
Do you need to add extra clothes if you are racing in a tri suit? You may need some arms on the cycle, especially if it’s early in the morning and you have a fair distance to cover. This could be a light shower jacket on the cycle or literally some cycling arm warmers. I was once told by an EX SAS Soldier, you should always set off dressed thinking how you will feel 15-20 mins into whatever you are doing. You really do not want to have to try and accommodate bulky layers that need to be removed because you are overheating.
Equally changing into cycle shorts might seem like a good idea when exiting the swim or adding them on top of a tri suit. When you come to the run it will feel like you have a nappy on. Again, try and practice beforehand. The reason the tri pad is designed in such a way is to offer protection without becoming cumbersome to run in or waterlogged from the swim.
Underwear
Sometimes you might wish some athletes had worn underwear, if once wet their tri suit becomes see through !!! The rule of thumb though is no underwear. It will increase your risk of chaffing in all disciplines. A sports bra maybe, as that is unavoidable in some tri suits lacking sufficient support, but definitely pantless is the way to go. You would not normally swim with pants under your swimsuit, so why would you add pants under a tri suit?
Happy speedy transitions everyone. Future blogs will discuss cycle shoes and how you could save time in transition by fitting your shoes to your clipped pedals. Body glide, what is it? and how this can be a life saver if you have decided to race without socks.