A few years ago, triathlon was a relatively niche sport, reserved for those with a lot of spare income and a penchant for lycra. London 2012 saw great success for the likes of the Brownlee brothers and saw me more to a house with a garage so I could justify keeping a bike at home for the first time since student days. A friend from my running club had also expressed an interest and so began the journey into the world of triathlon and triathlon training.
Now don't get me wrong, this can be a financially crippling hobby but it needn't be, especially if you just want to give it a go before investing in all the kit. A top end bike on its own can run in to thousands! I'll deal with each of the elements of the race individually along with the basics of training.
The first race I did was a sprint triathlon which was pool based. The swim was 400m, a 20km bike and a 5km run.
The Swim
Equipment:
This is the leg that people fear the most and they really shouldn't. My advice is to turn up to a local tri and have a look. You will see all shapes and sizes. Finely honed athletes smashing their way up and down the pool in full front crawl and then plenty of first timers doing a variety of breast stroke and front crawl. Some complete the distance without stopping and others take a breather every length. Some swim head down and some head up, there really is no reason to be intimidated. On registration you'll be asked to provide an estimated time for the length of swim and then you'll be with similar swimmers in your wave. If you don't know your time, then there's a great opportunity to go to the pool and do a practice run which will also give you a baseline to work from.
When training it's easy to think that the goal is to be able to swim 400m as fast as possible and while it is important to know you can swim the distance, it's also desirable to not waste yourself on the swim leg and have nothing left for the bike and run. So aim to try and build up some swim stamina.
Try warming up for 100m using your favourite stroke. Then swim 100m one length fast and the next slow to recover. Get your breath back and repeat this. If you're feeling energetic do it a third time. Then swim 50 to 100 m to cool down. An alternative to this or a way to build up stamina is to swim 100m chunks with 15-30s rest in between. This should be enough to recover some of your breathing but not completely, therefore letting you swim faster for longer so you can maintain your form. You can repeat the 100 m as much as you like but after several sessions you can build the repeats or increase the distance of the repeat.
The Bike
Equipment:
Bike
Helmet
Trainers or bike shoes
Comfortable cycle clothing
The bike I used for my first race and to train with was an entry level, aluminum framed road bike and cost less than £200. Looking at the other bikes in transition it was not out of place, again it was a spectrum of really high road and triathlon bikes along to mountain bikes, hybrids and battered old things. As long as the brakes work, your bike will be OK. If you have bike shoes use them but if it's all new then it’s not necessary yet.
As far as training goes... just get out and ride your bike a couple of times a week. You don't have to ride the distance but you might do toward the end. Just enjoy it and gradually increase the time in the saddle. If you are short for time don't worry, try a hill repeat session instead of a longer ride. Warm up for 10min by riding to the bottom of a hill and then ride up three or four times, recovering on the way down.
The Run
Following the bike, the run can make or break your race. The infamous 'jelly legs' can make the final 5km feel the a nightmare unless you train correctly.
Equipment:
A decent pair of running shoes
Running top and bottoms
Socks (but maybe not for the race)
Most folk coming to triathlon can already run 5km comfortably. If this is not you, it's important to build up gradually to allow the leg muscles and joints to adapt to the impact of running. A good rule of thumb is no more than 10% increase per week. If you are already a decent runner just carry on as normal but will probably do less running and more of the other disciplines. If pushed for time then try some interval repeats in place of a longer run to build some speed.
Transition / Brick Sessions
"Brick" means "Bike-Run" and this session is essential to success in triathlon. When you jump off the bike for the transition to the run and reduces the effect of ‘jelly legs', the feeling you get in the legs when dismounting and then running straight away. It’s hard to describe but it's a bit like someone removing your lower limbs and replacing with "Tuesday" marathon legs. The legs don't seem to belong.
The basics of the brick session involve carrying out at least one bike and one run session back to back with a quick change in between. This could be just 10-15 min cycling before the swap and then 10 min running. This can be repeated to suit your time but is a must do training session. Transitions themselves are important to practice. As well as saving time, they will make the race less stressful as you will know what to expect.
What are the Transitions?
Transition 1 (aka T1) - swim to bike. Goggles and hat off, helmet, shoes and race belt on (back) Exit through bike out.
Transition 2 (aka T2) - bike to run. Helmet off, swap to run shoes if using, race belt to front, exit through run out.
Other Kit
Race belt -To attach your race number to. You can move it from the back to the front as you go
Tri suit - You can can wear this for the whole race to save swapping clothes at each transition
Talc - Put in your shoes to stop them rubbing when wet
Elastic laces - So you don't have to mess about with tying your shoes
So there you go, depending on the time you have in the week you can fit in between 3-6 sessions to prepare for the triathlon. Don’t worry if you’re not able to do each one more than once, just do what you can and enjoy the process and the race.
Now don't get me wrong, this can be a financially crippling hobby but it needn't be, especially if you just want to give it a go before investing in all the kit. A top end bike on its own can run in to thousands! I'll deal with each of the elements of the race individually along with the basics of training.
The first race I did was a sprint triathlon which was pool based. The swim was 400m, a 20km bike and a 5km run.
The Swim
Equipment:
- Swimming costume or tri-suit
- Goggles
This is the leg that people fear the most and they really shouldn't. My advice is to turn up to a local tri and have a look. You will see all shapes and sizes. Finely honed athletes smashing their way up and down the pool in full front crawl and then plenty of first timers doing a variety of breast stroke and front crawl. Some complete the distance without stopping and others take a breather every length. Some swim head down and some head up, there really is no reason to be intimidated. On registration you'll be asked to provide an estimated time for the length of swim and then you'll be with similar swimmers in your wave. If you don't know your time, then there's a great opportunity to go to the pool and do a practice run which will also give you a baseline to work from.
When training it's easy to think that the goal is to be able to swim 400m as fast as possible and while it is important to know you can swim the distance, it's also desirable to not waste yourself on the swim leg and have nothing left for the bike and run. So aim to try and build up some swim stamina.
Try warming up for 100m using your favourite stroke. Then swim 100m one length fast and the next slow to recover. Get your breath back and repeat this. If you're feeling energetic do it a third time. Then swim 50 to 100 m to cool down. An alternative to this or a way to build up stamina is to swim 100m chunks with 15-30s rest in between. This should be enough to recover some of your breathing but not completely, therefore letting you swim faster for longer so you can maintain your form. You can repeat the 100 m as much as you like but after several sessions you can build the repeats or increase the distance of the repeat.
The Bike
Equipment:
Bike
Helmet
Trainers or bike shoes
Comfortable cycle clothing
The bike I used for my first race and to train with was an entry level, aluminum framed road bike and cost less than £200. Looking at the other bikes in transition it was not out of place, again it was a spectrum of really high road and triathlon bikes along to mountain bikes, hybrids and battered old things. As long as the brakes work, your bike will be OK. If you have bike shoes use them but if it's all new then it’s not necessary yet.
As far as training goes... just get out and ride your bike a couple of times a week. You don't have to ride the distance but you might do toward the end. Just enjoy it and gradually increase the time in the saddle. If you are short for time don't worry, try a hill repeat session instead of a longer ride. Warm up for 10min by riding to the bottom of a hill and then ride up three or four times, recovering on the way down.
The Run
Following the bike, the run can make or break your race. The infamous 'jelly legs' can make the final 5km feel the a nightmare unless you train correctly.
Equipment:
A decent pair of running shoes
Running top and bottoms
Socks (but maybe not for the race)
Most folk coming to triathlon can already run 5km comfortably. If this is not you, it's important to build up gradually to allow the leg muscles and joints to adapt to the impact of running. A good rule of thumb is no more than 10% increase per week. If you are already a decent runner just carry on as normal but will probably do less running and more of the other disciplines. If pushed for time then try some interval repeats in place of a longer run to build some speed.
Transition / Brick Sessions
"Brick" means "Bike-Run" and this session is essential to success in triathlon. When you jump off the bike for the transition to the run and reduces the effect of ‘jelly legs', the feeling you get in the legs when dismounting and then running straight away. It’s hard to describe but it's a bit like someone removing your lower limbs and replacing with "Tuesday" marathon legs. The legs don't seem to belong.
The basics of the brick session involve carrying out at least one bike and one run session back to back with a quick change in between. This could be just 10-15 min cycling before the swap and then 10 min running. This can be repeated to suit your time but is a must do training session. Transitions themselves are important to practice. As well as saving time, they will make the race less stressful as you will know what to expect.
What are the Transitions?
Transition 1 (aka T1) - swim to bike. Goggles and hat off, helmet, shoes and race belt on (back) Exit through bike out.
Transition 2 (aka T2) - bike to run. Helmet off, swap to run shoes if using, race belt to front, exit through run out.
Other Kit
Race belt -To attach your race number to. You can move it from the back to the front as you go
Tri suit - You can can wear this for the whole race to save swapping clothes at each transition
Talc - Put in your shoes to stop them rubbing when wet
Elastic laces - So you don't have to mess about with tying your shoes
So there you go, depending on the time you have in the week you can fit in between 3-6 sessions to prepare for the triathlon. Don’t worry if you’re not able to do each one more than once, just do what you can and enjoy the process and the race.