Triathlon - n00b here with a few questions...

I'm a tri-noob, but not to racing in general. I am about to turn 25 years old, and raced cross country and track in high school. Since then I dropped running and took up cycling because of knee issues and have done a few bike races. I also did the bike-leg of a duathlon with a friend a year ago so I kinda know how the transitions work and such. I know how to swim well, just don't have much endurance there.

So, I'm looking at doing a sprint triathon this September 3rd. It's almost fall up here in MN, but I think the weather will be fine. It's been really hot so far this summer. It will be a 1/3 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 4 mile run.

I was doing a bit of running earlier this summer, but stopped due to the heat and spent more time biking. I haven't done any swimming. I expect I'll be picking that up in the next few weeks to get myself in good enough shape to at least finish it. I'm very confident with my cycling, and about 70% with running, but swimming is my big concern.


So at this point I know I'll be struggling. That's OK though. I've been here before. hehe


Here are my questions I'm hoping you kind folks can answer...

1. For the swim part, will I look like a total dumbass in swim trunks? Not super long ones or anything, mid-thigh black, kinda like running shorts. I just have issues with speedos, if ya know what I mean. ;)

2. Assuming I wear swim trunks, what if I want to wear my bike shorts for the bike leg? Change in front of everyone? I'm considering wearing non-padded lycra shorts, like the mid-thigh swim shorts/tights, because I know I can handle the bike leg without padding. I could also do the run in these. Would this be the best plan?

3. I'm assuming a swim cap is required for the swim based on what I've been reading, even though I have very short hair. Any comments here?

4. For training for the swim, I expect to do whatever I can in local lakes. So that at least will get me a little open-water experience, and hopefully some endurance... Any suggestions for a quick crash course to get my endurance up enough to finish 1/3 mile?

5. er, not sure if I forgot anything else...


Lastly, yes, I know I'm pushing the envelope here in terms of how much training I've done this year...

Wear your bike shorts for the swim. You can't be modest at these races. IM's have changing tents. Other then that no public nudity.

Swim caps are for control and visibility in the water. You must wear race cap.

You should be swimming at least 30 minutes.

1. In a word, yes. And you'll make it much harder on yourself with all that drag.
2. Don't wear the trunks over the lycra shorts. Just wear the lycra shorts during the whole thing. Swim, bike, run. Better yet, get a pair of tri-shorts instead. They look basically the same but have a wee bit of padding in the crotch.
3. Yes, you wear a swim cap to identify yourself as a part of a heat. (e.g. 30-34 year old men wear yellow, etc.)
4. 1/3 mile isn't long at all. It's approx. the same as about 22 lengths in a pool. But you'll feel like it's longer! Just get in the pool and start swimming. It's the only way to improve swimming endurance! Think long, aerobic sessions.
5. I'd suggest doing a few searches here on the forum - things like transitions, what people eat before and during, essential equipment, race day prep and the like. You'll find LOTS of helpful information here!

And don't sweat it! Those distances are very manageable, even for somebody who isn't in the best shape of his life. You'll see plenty of weekend warriors out there!

Ok, the one thing I am going to touch on is the shorts. H2OChick answered most things great.

The shorts, get over yourself.(no offense intended) Be comfortable with who you are, besides, you are in the water splashing around with a few hundred other guys in neopreme, no one will see you.

Wear the jammers you talk about(like a speedo, but with actual legs). Then for the bike(depending on the distance), toss on some bike shorts(someone may say different to this, I have never done it). Then for the run, just wear the swim shorts. Of course this can all be negaded by buying a pair of tri shorts. Like was said they are an inbetween bike and swim shorts. They use a thin peice of fleece to provide some comfort on the bike, but they are thin enough that they dry out fast enough to prevent chafing.

I agree with others.
At my first tri there were 500 people there - about 350 of them men. Of the 350 men I saw exactly 3 in swim trunks. At my second tri I saw zero men in trunks. You will look stranger in trunks than you will in a speedo or jammers or tri shorts. Start swimming laps in the pool with jammers or speedos. You'll get used to it and over your modesty quickly.

Swimming:
For a crash course in getting fit for a swim, vary your training. Have a distance day where you swim 500, 750 1000 or 1500 or 2000 yards (whatever is a pretty good distance to you) without stopping. Have an interval day where you swim a 50, 100, 150, 200, 150, 100, 50. If your pace for a 50 is 45 seconds try to do the 100 in 1:35 and the 150 2:25, 200 in 3:20 (i.e. at your 50 pace plus a bit of cushion). Then swim a bunch of 50 sprints. You don't have a lot of time until Sept. 3rd so you need to get at it.

Once you get hooked on triathlons I suggest going to www.totalimmersion.net to improve your swim form.

Wow, thanks for all the tips everyone. I'll do some shopping for tri-shorts. ya, I know there will be a ton of other guys running around looking just like me, but I'm still modest. ;)

Last night I went out for a hard 15 mile bike ride, then a 2 mile run right away afterwards, just to see how I'd fee. Suprisingly I felt very good. The run was slow, mostly because I haven't been training for road racing, but at least it didn't hurt. Pretty good sign. Now to start that swim training. :)

Wow, thanks for all the tips everyone. I'll do some shopping for tri-shorts. ya, I know there will be a ton of other guys running around looking just like me, but I'm still modest. ;)

Last night I went out for a hard 15 mile bike ride, then a 2 mile run right away afterwards, just to see how I'd fee. Suprisingly I felt very good. The run was slow, mostly because I haven't been training for road racing, but at least it didn't hurt. Pretty good sign. Now to start that swim training. :)

You definatly need to do brick training(running right after a ride). I definatly felt that I havnt done enough on sunday when it took me about 1km to get my cramped up calves workin.

Swimming, you can just do it, but then you tend to be behind by a good 10-15 minutes(depending on the distance) Good swimmers tend to win races.