Just signed up for sprint triathlon- anyone else?

diamonte you definitely won't be the only first timer in a super sprint tri.

With transition just lay everything out in the order you'll need them. And set your bike helmet upside down so you just put it straight on it that makes sense! With straps facing up is what I mean! I always put talc in my socks so they're easier to get onto wet feet. You only have a small amount of space for transition so you have to keep it fairly tidy. Also, marking it out, say with a flag, so you can see it easily it when dashing in from your swim isn't allowed. So take note of where your bike is racked (how many racks down are you, how far down the row are you?) check where you come in and out for the swim, bike and run so it's not totally confusing when you're racing. Walk it through if you need.

I use a racebelt as it means one less thing to do in transition. Cause you need your number on your back for the bike section but number on your front for the run. And I think most races only give you one number. You could pin it to a tshirt and just switch the tshirt round but a racebelt is easier. Amazon sell them for around £5. I do the whole tri in my tri suit, I don't bother with a tshirt. Although saying that, I wish I had for the last tri I did. I was so cold on the bike and didn't even warm up when running. I was freezing for ages afterwards. So in future if it's not sunny I may stick on a tshirt for the bike section at least and have my racebelt over the top.

Thanks bee I think I need to be brave & try swimming in the new shorts at the local pool I'm worried they will feel weird
Well done diamonte signing up is daunting! I'm mid 40s it's my first one in 6wks time I'm more worried about the "unknowns" like you the transitions & wheredo I pin the number etc I'm trying to get some elastic laces for my trainers but I've yet to practice any kind of linking together the 3yet! I'm going to try doing a cycle to the pool swim then cycle home and run from home. I too struggle more now cycling in traffic and used to do the go out at 6am on a Sunday. My DH was knocked off his bike a few wks ago and it shook both of us up abit. They do "confidence" session where I live through the local council cycling officers maybe it's worth asking around or see if another lady is interested in cycling with you? A local FB group here started up a few wks ago for women interested in "Tri" sports and they do informal meet ups for cycling and running at all levels. Gd luck

Thank you for the votes of confidence :) I am pretty hopeful that I will at least complete the course, I am just praying there are lots of other first timers entering so I am not the only clueless one.

As far as race day tips go.. Is there any rules or good ideas when it comes to setting up my bike in the transition area? I am really worried I will end up spending more time transitioning than I do swimming!
Do I need a race belt for my number? My son works for a sports shop that has a separate Triathlon section so he is getting me a tri suit at a really good price but not sure if you then put on a t-shirt that has the number pinned to it before the cycle or if you get given the number on a race belt, or if I should buy a race belt.

mylittlefidget - I can cycle in the early hours and as I live in a really quiet village the chances of me having to face traffic while training are minimal, it is the actual race I am worried about. The cycle section is through the town and there will be traffic about plus other competitors so it is that that is worrying me. I am just going to have to spend the next few weeks building up my confidence on the quieter roads and then attempt a few more busy roads.. just thinking about it gives me the shivers, its almost like a phobia.

I have just had my bike (cheapo hybrid from halfords) serviced need to pick it up from town tomorrow so I may just walk/run there (about 6 miles away) then cycle home which would mean having to cycle through the town.. kind of sink or swim scenario!

Diamonte, can you try cycling early in the morning at the weekend while it is still so light outside? I'm a competent cyclist but hate going out on the roads but there are so few cars at 6am on Sunday, it's actually fun to cycle then.
It'll be great fun to do the triathlon! :)

Hello diamonte, very impressed that you're doing your first tri at almost 50! It'll be fine! And I think being good at swimming already is such an advantage. Being at any one of the three from the start is a bonus! You've still got loads of time to train, I'm sure you'll be fine.

As for race day tips, where do I start?!?!? What do you want to know?

Hope you don't mind if I join in. I have signed up for my first tri on 24th September! I turn 50 (gulp) early next year and I have always said I want to do a triathlon before I am 50... although I am now wondering why I ever thought that was a good idea!

I am doing a Pink Wave one for cancer research and it is a super sprint and just for fun but I am still terrified. It is 200m swim / 18 km bike and 2.5k run.

I am fine with the swim, I am a good confident swimmer and used to compete at swimming when I was a teenager so other than increasing my cardio fitness I should be ok with 200 m.

The cycle leg is what I am dreading, I am really not confident at riding on roads with traffic etc. I live in a quiet village so am going to start cycling around the local roads to get the hang of riding on the road.

I have been running a few times a week for a few months now and am pretty rubbish at it but can manage 2.5k (but only just!) but that is on "fresh" legs and not after having swum and biked! I hope to get to a point where I am cycling to the gym (about 6 miles from me) and then swim for half hour then do a spin session and then cycle home but getting to that level of fitness seems a long way off.

All training tips and race day tips gratefully received :)

Yes, you swim in them. I was really worried about this but they dry surprisingly quickly.

The Tri shorts I ordered have just arrived...I had to order XXL!! They just about fit but are quite short. I'm assuming do you swim in them? They have a cycle pad which is slimmer than my normal cycle shorts.
I had planned to cycle to work tom (it's 9m each way) as part of training but feel utterly washed out tonight fighting off the cold I think my DH has had this week 😕

skibike I have a cheapy tri suit which has a pad not vastly smaller than my cycling shorts. It's ok and tbh I haven't noticed it when I've been on the run in a triathlon jelly legs sensation has overridden any other thought process!

Thanks bee

My thoughts are now turning to the Tri can I ask do you run in cycle shorts? Or do Tri suits have smaller cycle pads as I don't think I could run in my cycle shorts without it rubbing and feeling like a massive Sani pad I've just ordered some Tri shorts to try the fit and see how big/small the cycle padding is.

Yay well done skibike always a good feeling sprinting to the line.

Thanks bee the 10k went really well I enjoyed it & sprinted to the finish

Good luck ragged!!! Although I'm sure you're all done and dusted by now! I'd dropped off the end of the thread so sorry I missed the updates.

Oh and good luck skibike too! Would love to hear how you both get on.

Good luck ragged hope the weather is kind to you as it's shocking here today & tom looks rough, luckly my 10k race is on Sunday! Looks drier and less windy then.

Swim 297m, 7.5k bike and 2.5k run. Nice and short to try it all out 😀It's a 33m odd length pool I think so that will be different but flat cycle & run. I woke up this morning dreaming about taking a shower in my sports bra& swimming costume jumping out running down hallway pulling on cycle shorts / trainers with elastic laces, and out to the shed to go on the bike trainer maybe my brain is overthinking this already!! Any good tips for a complete newbie?

My tri is this weekend (someone wish me luck!).
I've had another email with more rules to remember. OMG.
I am in tapering down phase. I dread climbing the walls tomorrow with too much energy but not allowed to use it. Irk.
My rules about when to enter a Tri are how long it will take me. I think my acceptable ceiling is about 90 minutes. I just am not interested in longer. I could probably handle Igottas shorter Tri coz that's like 80 minutes on my good day, but the one with 750m swim would take me 2 hrs. I couldn't face that.

That's brilliant SkiBike - what are the distances for your tri?

I got into it because my 9yo DS did a kids' tri and loved it. He's since joined a tri club and has done lots more events this year.

I've done it and signed up for a Tri beginners one, with my DD in the kids category! We have 8wks to "train" DD will smash the swimming but we will have to get her running and a bit more confident on the bike. I need to work on linking swim to cycle as my legs get wobbly after swimming, but the distances are short i just need to put it together, I'm gonna start cycling to/from the swim pool sessions. I needed another challenge as I have my first 10k race for life on Sunday.

Oh and life I'm aiming for possibly two sprint triathlons in sept. One is 750m/24km/6.5km with lake swim, the other is 500m/14km/5km with pool swim. I've already signed up for the shorter one, still deciding if I'm brave/fit enough for the other one!

Hello Tri bods! How's training going? I did my second swim session with the local tri club last night, man it was hard!!!!! The first session gave me loads of confidence but I felt out of my depth, literally and figuratively, last night. I'll just have to keep going and hope I improve. The next lane up from mine did 80 lengths . It may be some time if ever before I move up a lane!

Still haven't got a bike, hanging onto my borrowed one for a bit longer! My sister isn't in a hurry to have it back yet.

life I try to do each discipline twice a week but in reality it rarely happens. It's more like swim x 2, bike x 1, Run x 1 but varies from week to week. My DH is away with work at the moment so that massively impacts how much I can train because of the kids. So when he is around I have to pack in as much as possible.

Hello! I did my first novice distance tri last October and then did a sprint distance one in May. I'm now doing an open water swimming course with a view to doing a local open water sprint distance tri in mid-August...although haven't entered yet! I'm also doing another sprint one in September. It all gets a bit addictive!

I try and swim, run and bike 2x each a week, but it's hard to fit in around work and kids. How much training and what distances are you all doing?

I've got a Giant Defy bike and it's fab - if anyone is looking for a recommendation.

Yeah, you could spend lots of money on everything triathlon related... I was convinced I needed to do heart rate run training and spent £££££ on a forerunner 935. Turns out my zones correlate pretty well with perceived effort. Oooops :-). Good luck with finding a bike that suits you.

I feel strongly about how valuable it is to have good bike kit. Plus know how to handle your bike & be able to ride hard then brake hard as late as possible. Last tri I did I got huff @ rider who held me up with nervous handling& braking.

We've got a specialized shop near us so I'm gonna check out the Dolce (cheapest one!). Could only find that Laura Trott bike in a medium. Same problem with the Boardman bike at Halfords, smallest size isn't small enough . Triathlon is such a bloomin kit fest isn't it! You don't need fancy kit (there were loads of people doing the last one I did on bog standard bikes, even some with baskets on the front ) but if you want to there is sooooooooooo much kit to empty you pockets for. Bikes being the number one expense. Sorry, feel like I'm hijacking the thread a bit!

Laura Trott!!!