Prepare for first triathlon

[bikecarmel]

So how you guys who are non-pro prepare for the race, what did you do for your first race, how did things go.I have my first race here in the 21st/May thats only 16 days from today, and I have a lot of things going on my mind.So first of all I didnt train in "bricks" before so I will from now on, but thats not all, first of all I want to be sure that I can do the olympic distance and finish it, I dont care so much about the time now, my goal is a.to finish this triathlon running and not walking
b.not to finish last.
So I did a demo triathlon and my time was 3:36 (8 min. of that is geting dried after the swim, unlock the bike.... the transitions but I guess that in the race it will take me less than 8 min.).I was glad to finish that demo but although the time was really slow it was far from being easy, I can say that I almost didnt make it.So I checked the results with this triathlon last year(same place same course etc...) and among the people who finished I would still not be the slowest one with this time. the last one came in at 3:43, and the one before him at 3:30.This is in the age groups category.I still dont know if I would be the last one in my category (25-29) because in their website all the age groups are mixed.
another thing is that this triathlon starts in Sat. at 7:20 is when the olympic age groups enter the water.
the reception of the clothing numbers is from 04:30 to 6:30 so I need to be there not later than 6:30, and this place is 1 hour away from where I live (by car) so when do I need to wake up ? 5am ? 4:30 ?
I still need to eat breakfast and keep at least 2.1/2 hours from breakfast to the competition or else I throw up.so this all means I have to wake up at 4-4:30 and think that I never go to sleep before 12:00 at night this will be very hard.and I didnt mention that I always train in the afternoon-evening, and I run only at night I dont know how my body will function so early in the morning....
I have all these questions because of course I train alone and not in a triathlon group.The reason Im not in a group is that they train very very hard 6 times/week and Im not ready now for this.I wish I had a personal trainer but this cost a fortune.I also bought the triathlete training bible book but this book is 300+ pages and I dont have the time to read it and its also in english that is not my first language, so its harder for me.(but the book is hard to read not because of the language but because its complicated)
1 thing is Im sure of that the last week before the triathlon I will train easy and 2 days before I will not train at all.
All coments are welcome
Carmel.

[heymickey]

Man, I wrote a very long essay for you, but I accidently hit the wrong button, and it all ereased! In short, visit www.beginnertriathlete.com. They have lots of info on training, diets, equipment, and just about everything else. Your transition time is too long. Don't dry yourself out - let the wind do that. Don't wear socks in the race, they take too long to put on, and when you do have them on, you will have to cram on slushy socks into shoes. Very hard to do. If you have been training with socks, though, don't stop doing that right away, because you will throw yourself off during the race. I get to the triathlon an hour early to inspect the transition site, and review the routes. I remember my first - I overpacked and I slept only 3 or 4 hours because I was very nervous. The sounds familar to me. It is very good. What country are you from? I will write more later, but good luck!

[EarlT]

Ok, quite a lot to answer, so in no particular order, here goes.
I urge you not to worry at all about your finish time. Even if you are the very last person over the line, do not be discouraged. Being a slow triathlete is a hell of a lot better than being a non triathlete. You will get faster, but, again, don't worry about that, it will take care of itself.

Next thing i would recommend is that you practice transitions, they can be somewhat disorienting if you are not used to them. Next time you practice them, try to do it exactly as you will in your race. Don't dry yourself off, don't unlock your bike (provided of course that you can leave it in a safe place or have a friend watch it), and do all three legs if you can.

You will want to be used to a hydration and nutrition strategy/schedule. Try eating different things before you work out to get a better idea of what you can and cannot keep down comfortably - people have come up with some truly bizzare prerace meals.

Don't worry about sleep on the night before your first race, probably not going to get any. Get good nights sleep the two preceeding nights and you should be fine. Most racers i talk to - even seasoned ones- do not plan to get any actual sleep the night prior to a race, just rest.

Do not become frustrated if things do not go exactly as planned, they rarely do in this sport. Have had delays, course changes, entire legs (swim usually) cancelled, weather, equipment failures, etc.
Be prepared to deal psychologically with unplanned challenges, they are actually part of the fun in this rather dynamic sport.
Also, do not let the crowded conditions on the swim bother you, they are generally a fact of life. You can, however, avoid this by swimming outside the pack. It may be a bit longer, but if it helps you avoid frustration (or getting the sh*t beat out of you by flailing arms) it may be worth it.

Also, avoid giving too much too soon. Pace yourself on the bike so that you have enough legs left for the run.

Finally, HAVE FUN!!
With all the stuff to think about, some people actually forget to do that.
Good luck, and sorry if this post was a bit long, hope there is something of value in it.

[heymickey]

Oh, I just saw you are from Israel. Kafek?

[bikecarmel]

Hey thanks for the answers EarlT and heymickey, I guess that what I need is moral suport, and EarlT you sure know how to do this.
Last Thursday I did my first "bricks" {bike10km/run3km}x2 and what do I tell you guys its fun, and much less boring than run 10km because you always think what you are going to do next... I really liked it.
anyways this last weekend I did the most stupid thing you can think of- overtraining
on my bike.I went for the bigest climb in this country Mt.Hermon (1660m+600m) that was 2-days ride so I left Friday and slept in a kibutz.
So anyways I didnt read the map right so I had another 600m of uphill&downhill before the big mountain and so I didnt make it to the top (I broke 4km from the top)
Then I took the bus back home and felt really not good.Sunday- still very weak,
Today Im ok, tomorrow I have the agronomic test (when they test your heart at effort) this I must do if I want to compete.
Have you all a great week.

Carmel.

[robotkittenarmy]

Hey, heymickey...
Thanks for the link--I'm in a similar boat as carmel.
Thanks EarlT too.

[Enthalpic]

Relax man I did my first olympic tri having NEVER ran a 10K in training! I still finished in less than 3 hours and not last. I bike a lot but also am not thin... you will rock it up, have no doubt.

[bikecarmel]

Relax man I did my first olympic tri having NEVER ran a 10K in training! I still finished in less than 3 hours and not last. I bike a lot but also am not thin... you will rock it up, have no doubt.

very nice, I thought that 3 hours was my goal too but that was before I did a demo triathlon and felt the bricks in my legs in the run.

[bikecarmel]

Update... I skip this race... disapointing a few people and most of all myself but Im just not ready...yet.... the last few sessions I did proved that I better skip this race I was fatigue slow and powerless in the last 2 weeks.
next race is 4 weeks from now and the swim this time is in the ocean (salt,waves etc..), theres still time so I see how it goes.
Carmel

[EarlT]

Nothing to be disappointed about, amigo. The fact that you are even considering doing a triathlon is awesome.
Waiting a little longer to do the first one should bring no shame at all.
If you really felt you were not ready, perhaps you weren't. Better to wait than to risk injury by overdoing it.
Good luck on your training for the next one. Please keep us posted.