Info for New Triathletes

Where to start? - First pick a race!

There are many different race types & lengths. As a new triathlete, you will want to start with a mini-sprint or sprint length triathlon, so look for races at those lengths. The Tarpon Triathlon is a sprint triathlon, so it's a great one to start with!
Now look at where the swim happens, pool or open water. If you are a strong swimmer (by this, I mean you have swam competitively for a while) then open water is ok, however if you are not a strong swimmer, you should try to find one with a pool swim for many reasons!
Look at races that are closer to home. This will help to ease your race day jitters. If there are none close by, you should stay in a hotel near the race or with someone you know.

Now on to the training

You will want to train the hardest in you weakest sport of the triathlon (swim, bike, or run), keep in mind the distance you are training for. There is no need to be able to run 26 miles for a race where the run is only 3 miles!
It will be helpful if you talk to someone who knows that sport well, so they can help you with training. If you are a weak swimmer get stroke technique lessons (for most people the swimming is the weakest event, so get help, you will be glad that you did!)
You will want to do what is called brick workouts. This means that you will sometimes need to train for 2 of the 3 events in one workout, so swim then bike, or bike then run! This will help your body get used to transitioning from one event to the next. It will also help you form a plan for how you will want to do the transitions on race day. You will also know what you need to pack in your race bag! Trust me, going from biking to running will feel strange to your legs, so you don't want the first time you do it to be race day!
There are many websites and books that offer more detailed help in designing workouts to get you ready. Check them out!

The registration form asks for a swim time, but I have no clue!

First, if the swim is in a pool you need to know the distance and whether it is a meter or a yard pool...this does make a difference!
If the swim is in a pool, your estimated time is very important as it determines the order in which racers will start their swim, fastest to slowest. The chip system is set up to automatically calculate your correct time by subtracting the amount of time that you had to wait before starting your swim from the total race time. This way you are not penalized by being further down in the seeding. In this particular race we assign your race number by the position that you are seeded in the race (the racer with bib number 001 is the fastest swimmer). This makes it easier for everyone to line up and for us to guarantee that everone is starting their swim at the correct time.
Unless the registration form asks for time in seconds, it is written in the form of minutes:seconds.
Try to find a pool near you that is the same length & meter/yard. You will need to swim 150 (yds/meters depending on the pool. This is 6 lengths of a 25 yd/meter pool). Our pool is a 25 meter pool, so it is slightly longer than a yard pool. If you time yourself in a yard pool add 12 seconds to your final time (this is about 2 seconds for every length of the pool, in case you need to adjust your time for a different length race. This is not a perfect calculation, everyone is different and fatigues differently, but it at least gives you some guidance).
I am going to give some very general guidelines so that if you are unable to time yourself somewhere, you can have an idea as to what to put for your time. This is for a 150 meter swim, and is by no means an exact science:

Times from 1:30- 2:15 are usually competitive swimmers range, so unless you swim competitively, don't use a time in this range.

The average female completion time last year was between 2:45-4:15. People in this range are in good condition and feel very comfortable swimming

The average male completion time last year was between 2:00 - 3:15.

If you consider yourself a weak swimmer, then you will want to put your time somewhere between 5-8 minutes depending on how weak you consider yourself. Not even the weakest swimmer that we have had compete needed 9 minutes to complete the swim (If you think about it 9 minutes allows for 1:30 for each length of the pool).

If the swim portion is in open water, try to find somewhere to practice (a lake, bay, or something) Make sure you have someone there wathching over you though, as open water has increased safety concerns. You will want to practice breathing to the side and head up forward so that during the race you will be able to keep yourself on course by periodically looking for the bouys. Also be aware that an open water swim is also rough on your body physically. Be prepared to be kicked, and hit (It's not intentional, it just happens.) If you are not a strong swimmer, please get some technique lessons before attempting a race in open water. It can be frightening and dangerous, to anyone, but especially a non-swimmer.

Do I need a fancy bike?

Not at all. You just need a bike (and a helmet)! Many people do their first tri on an old mountain bike or even borrow a friend's old bike (the latter is how I did my first)! You should however, bring your bike to your local bike shop and have it checked out. Make sure the tires are in good shape and the gears are working properly. You can do this prior to training, but you especially want to check it out about a week prior to the race. You certainly don't want to try to ride 10 miles on a tire that isn't inflated to the proper pressure (I've done that, trust me, it's not fun), or have a blow out that ends your race...I've seen this one too!

What do I need to know for race day?

Many races offer early packet pick-up. This is when you get your race number, shirt, etc. This usually happens a day or 2 before the race. If they do offer this, you should try to get there and get your things early. Or, you may get your packet on race day, however the lines for race day packet pick-up can get long, so you will need to be there extra early on race day to avoid any extra causes for increased nervousness on race day!
You should get to the race no less than 30 minutes prior to the race, but I would really recommend getting there about 1 hour ahead of time. This will give you time to set up your transition area, familiarize yourself with the facility, get your body marking done (this is when they write your race number on your arms & legs, these lines can get long as well), warm-up, and most importantly relax a little before the race. Some races assign rack spaces by your race number, so you will need to know if your race does that. Our race does NOT assign bike rack positions, so it's first come, first served!
There is usually a meeting just prior to the start of the race to explain race rules and any other changes made on race day. You will need to be there, and this can sometimes take up to 15 minutes. Be sure to know what time the race director plans to start the meeting. The meeting for this race starts at 7:15!
When you lay out your transition area, you should put your biking stuff closer to you, and your running stuff closer to the racks. You want things to be as efficient as possible to make your transitions as quick as possible. Your transition time does count in your overall time. You will also want to have a bottle of water at your transition area and/or on your bike. There is often no water stations along the bike course. There will be water stations along the run course. On our course, there are no water stations along the bike course, however there are 2 water stations along the run route.
Be familiar with the race route for the bike and run.
Most importantly have fun with it. There will be something that will go wrong! Don't dwell on it. Just have fun and make your goal to finish the race. Your first one should not be for you to try to get an age group award. Enjoy it! Make some new friends!

TRIed & Conquered