Concentrate primarily on developing your skills in each sport, particularly during the off season or early in your training program. Skill development should always precede higher intensity training, and it should remain an integral part of your program indefinitely. Allow increased fitness to come from practicing good technique, rather than trying to improve your fitness while struggling with poor technique. Whatever activity or sport you choose to do, you will only be as good as your skill level allows.

Assess your strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

For swimming, get some individualized stroke instruction if you need to improve your skill! This can’t be emphasized enough. You can’t develop your skill by thrashing and struggling through a group workout or by swimming alone. You need the feedback of a good coach. Contact me for more details.

For cycling, work primarily on your pedaling efficiency and technique by concentrating on spinning in the small chain ring at 100-110 rpm’s. Resist the temptation to push bigger gears!

Believe it or not, proper running technique is critical if you are to run your best! Most runners don’t believe this! Believe it. See some of my running tips on that section of the site, and always feel free to contact me for more details.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How should I pick my first triathlon?
A: Pick a sprint distance race (swim 400 yards, bike 13 miles, run 3 miles) in your area with a pool swim.

Q: How about starting with an Ironman?
A: It's not a good idea to start with an Ironman distance (swim 4k, bike, 112 miles, run 26.2 miles) as these are extremely challenging. Give your self a chance to learn about the sport with shorter distance races before trying an Ironman.

Q: Do I need to buy a new bike?
A: No, it's not really necessary if you have a bike now. For your first tri it's OK to use any type of bike you have in your garage now. Most first timers use a mountain bike, touring bike, old 10-speed or whatever they have. Later, you can consider buying a new bike once you know more about your needs.

Q: What should I wear in a triathlon?
A: Most new triathletes race in a swim suit from start to finish. During the bike and run portions it's common to wear a pair of biking or running shorts over the swim suit.

Q: Do I need a wetsuit?
A: If you are doing a pool swim a wetsuit is not needed at all. If you are entered in an open water swim triathlon you may be allowed to wear one depending on the water temperature. Check with the race director or race website on this. If a wetsuit is allowed it's recommended but consider renting rather than buying one for this first race. Tri shops and some bike and run stores rent them. Check around but do so well before the race as they are often spoken for weeks in advance.

Q: How should I set my goal times for the race since I've never done a triathlon before?
A: The only goal you should set for your first tri is to finish with a smile on your face. For your second tri you can consider setting time goals once you know what to expect.

Q: The entry form asks for my predicted time for the swim portion? Why do they want to know this and how do I figure it out?
A: The race wants to know this so you can be put in a swim group of similar ability. To predict yours swim half of the race distance in a pool, time yourself, and then double your time.

Q: I need to lose a few pounds to get into better shape before the race. What's the best way to do that?
A: See the sports nutrition section for details.

Q: What should I eat or drink during the race?
A: You don't need solid food or even many calories during a sprint distance race. Having a 16-ounce bottle of sports drink on your bike during the race should be all you need. On the run there should be one or more aid stations with sports drinks available.

Q: Do I need to change my diet when I become a triathlete?
A: Possibly. It depends on how you are eating now.

Q: The last time I tried running I had a lot of leg soreness and had to quit. How Can I prevent that this time?
A: There are a few possible reasons for your soreness before: improper shoes for your feet, running shoes that are getting old, running too much on concrete, frequent running on sideways sloping surfaces, trying to run too much too soon, improper technique, or personal weaknesses such as muscle imbalances or lack of flexibility.

Q: How much do I need to train before my first tri?
A: Most triathletes find that the minimum amount of training is two workouts per sport per week. It is best to separate the workouts for each sport by two to three days with a pattern such as Mon-swim, Tue-bike, Wed-run, Thu-swim, Fri-day off, Sat-bike, Sun-run.

Q: I've never done any swimming, biking or running before. How long should my workouts be?
A: Eventually, you will need to swim, bike and run for as long as the distances of the race you have entered. For now start with about 10-20 minutes in each sport in a workout and add 5 minutes or so each week.

Q: How do I know if I can finish it?
A: No one ever really knows for sure. All you can do is train as well as possible given your unique lifestyle and physiology and then pace yourself properly on race day.

Q: What's the biggest mistake new triathletes make on race day?
A: They start out too fast on each leg of the race (swim, bike, run) and then fatigue and slow down a lot before the end of each leg.

Q: How should I Train for the race?
A: There are many ways depending on your background in the individual sports.

Q: Do I need a heart rate monitor?
A: While it may prove helpful, a monitor is not necessary to finish your first triathlon.

Q: How hard should I work out the week of the race?
A: It's best to cut back on the duration of your workouts the week of a race so that you get more rest.

 HELPFUL CHECKLISTS

 The following is a list of triathlon equipment you will need or may want for your first triathlon. 

You must have

___ Swim suit, tri suit, or bike shorts (worn throughout the race)

___ Run and bike shirt (may be a T-shirt)

___ Swim goggles

___ Bike

___ Bike shoes (may be running shoes)

___ Bike helmet

___ Bike water bottle

___ Sports drink

___ Running shoes

___ Sunscreen

___ Race instructions

___ Race number (may be on bike and/or a belt or pinned to shirt)

 

It would be good if you had

___ Wetsuit (if open water swim)

___ Aero bars on bike

___ Handlebar computer

___ Lace locks or elastic laces on shoes

___ Race belt for attaching number (may be pinned to shirt instead)

___ Bike pump

___ Wrist stopwatch/heart rate monitor (with chest strap)/GPS

___ Transition towel

___ After-race clothing

___ Sunglasses

___ Cold weather gear (gloves, jacket, arm covers, etc.)

 

It may help if you had

___ Running shorts to wear over swimsuit on bike and run

___ Nose plugs and ear plugs for swimming

___ Running hat

___ PAM spray to help slip wetsuit off (open water swim)

___ Plastic bag to carry wet swim stuff home

___ Spare pair of swim goggles

___ Windbreaker for biking in case it’s cold

___ Toilet paper

___ Plastic bag to cover saddle (in case of rain)

___ Transition stall marker (for example, balloon or ribbon)

___ Socks (rolled down for easy entry in T1)

 

If traveling overnight to a race

___ Breakfast foods, non-perishable

___ Personal pillow (if driving to race)