I am in need of help fast!

Abide

Barefooters
May 13, 2010
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So I signed up for my first triathalon today and I have a couple questions about how they all work. I am doing a olympic triathalon up in Flagstaff.

Do you think a water temp of 71f with air temp at 50f is too cold to swim without a wetsuit?

Can I wear my normal swim trunks for the entire race? Or can you change into dry clothes at the 1st transition?

Can you draft in the biking segment?

Do you stock your bike with water/food/gu? Do you need water/food/gu?

Do you bring spare innertubes and a pump?

Am I going to get DQ'd for doing it all barefoot :)?

Thanks a million everyone!!! FYI the race is Sunday and I have not trained for it at all...
 
Lots of questions and a first

Lots of questions and a first time triathlete! Dirtbag like.



Point by point:



1) 71 is plenty warm, I don't imagine you'll need a wetsuit. If you have one AND you've worn it before bring it along. They will probably announce if the race is wetsuit legal during the pre-race meeting. Your packet will probably also say. Normally there is a minimum temp for it to be, and 71 sounds high. You could, but then your time won't count. I wouldn't.



2) What you do in transition is up to you. If you want to deck change into cycling or running shorts then wrap a towel and go for it. Remember, the clock never stops. But if you aren't concerned about your time (and don't be, its your first one, it should be fun) and feel more comfortable wearing something else for the bike and run then change. Discomfort will ruin a race as fast as anything else. If you want to spend money you can buy tri shorts, which are good for swimming and have a cycling pad, but its really small so that it doesn't soak up water and give you diaper butt and you can still run in it.



3) Triathlons are not draft legal. Three bike lengths is a good following rule of thumb, and fifteen seconds for passing is normal. If you are being passed it becomes your responsibility to get out of the draft zone. They will give you a time penalty if they catch you. Details should be given in your race packet and the pre-race meeting.



4) An Olympic isn't really long enough to need to eat during. At the most you will be out for three hours. If you are used to using GU on the move and you feel comfortable with it then bring it along and make the call during the race. I didn't during my Olympic. If I took it at the end of my ride, I would have a 50-ish minute run left, and by the time I'm done the calories are just starting to kick in. Not worth it. But its your call, you know your body. Keep one or two water bottles on your bike to hydrate during that portion. There will be aid stations through the run course with awesome volunteers handing out water and (probably) Sport Drink X. Your race packet will probably say how many aid stations and how they are spaced.



5) I would pack a spare if you have a seat bag, and a pump if you have one of the small ones that clips on to the bike (example). There will probably/maybe be a Sag Wagon provided by the race to help people with flats as well. Best to be prepared.



6) The barefoot DQ thing is on a race-by-race basis. You could probably email the race director and ask. Your packet or the website might say. I would ask. Will you still do it if they say you can't run barefoot without being DQed? They (probably) won't pull you off the course for it. They just won't give you an official time.



EXTRA Info:

Smile. It should be fun or why did you spend the money and get up so damn early?

If you aren't comfortable in the water hang back, control your energy level, and survive it. Many triathletes do that.

Practice your transition plan and setting up your transition area a few times before race day. Race day, with a high heart rate and people going all over the place, is not the time to experiment.

When you get there, after you put your bike away in the transition area, walk the path from the Swim Entrance to your bike to the Bike Exit, then from the Bike Entrance to your transition area to the Run Exit. Few things are more annoying then getting lost in the transition area and not being able to find your bike/gear.

Have fun. Did I mention that aleady?

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
 
Awesome thanks for the tips

Awesome thanks for the tips DB. I am not sure about the barefoot question. I think I am going to just play it dumb? I really don't care if I get a DQ, like I commented maybe it can be construed as a badge of honor for doing it barefoot? I am going to drive the course to see what kind of a road the run portion is on. It is on a forest service road so it might be 6 miles of gravel...

Wet suits are legal for the race do you think one will help? Do they actually make you swim faster?

3 hours, I can only dream, I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
If you own a wetsuit and you

If you own a wetsuit and you feel comfortable in one (or want to rent one) then it will make you float better, which should make you faster. But if you're unfamiliar with wetsuits and how to wear one/swim in one/get easily out of one then it might not help you. They can be constrictive around the shoulders, messing with your stroke. I've never raced in a wetsuit so I can't help too much there. If it was me and the water was that warm I'd go without, but I'm a very comfortable swimmer.

Checking out the course is a great idea. Drive the bike portion too so you know what to expect.

Have fun!
 
I read the 2011 USAT rules

I read the 2011 USAT rules which govern this race and there is no provision that would dq a barefoot runner. So techinically the only way they could disqualify me is if I was doing something dangerous or had the potential to hurt someone else.
 
Well I survived, the swim was

Well I survived, the swim was rough. I took the elevation for granted and I couldn't catch my breath which freaked me out. I wanted to quit after 100m, but I stuck it out and finished. The bike went better, I didn't realize how slow mountain bikes are. The run was more difficult than I thought and I wore my vff's since the chip seal was too rough for me. Moka I had no idea about that hill. I was totally expecting a relatively flat run. I ended up walk/running up the thing I was so tired. Overall I was humbled by the difficulty of a triathalon.

It is a very well put together race and very scenic. The volunteers were awesome and even the passing traffic was very curteous and encouraging. It seems like triatheletes are a very accepting and helpful group. I would recommend it to anyone. The only bad part is not being able to run it barefoot.

Oh yeah I hit my goal of 3:30 and finished at 3:24. Not bad considering I didn't train at all.

Thanks again for your advice DB, I should have listened to your advice about not wearing a wetsuit. The water wasn't cold at all. And I made sure I was smiling the whole time. It is contagious, or maybe they were all just laughing at me riding my mountain bike in flip flops.
 
Congrats, Abide!  Love the

Congrats, Abide! Love the flip-flops! I would have been smiling at you too. ;-)
 
Sounds great! Glad you

Sounds great! Glad you enjoyed and fought through that swim. And flip-flops on the bike? Hardcore, dude. And a great way to keep smiling. And yeah, the run at the end of a swim/bike isn't easy, but way to get through it. Hope you find another one. Maybe a sprint distance. And boo for unexpected hills. Not an easy thing to see mid-run.
 
Thanks guys and gal (since

Thanks guys and gal (since everyone gets you confused TJ :) ), yeah a sprint seems like a much better possibility next time. Maybe one in a pool...