Information for first time Triathletes

[DavidF]

Now we have quite a few people starting out in triathlon this year. It can be quite daunting - what gear do I need, am I doing the right training program, what's this transition thing all about. So here's a thread where the more experienced triathletes can maybe point the new people towards some useful online resources.

I will get the ball rolling - here is a useful website with lots of info (recommended by Siobhan)

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms.asp

[Siobhan]

Here's more..................
http://www.220triathlon.com/training/beginners

[racing795]

Beginners Triathlon Guide courtesy of Siobhan

[DavidF]

myself and barry used this when we started swimming, found it very good

http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html

[RGough]

Hi Guys, Ruairi here, If I want to get the beginner gear for this season, what do I need? I was thinking tri suit and cycling top. With the tri suit, should you get the exact measurements to fit, or would you recommend getting a size smaller or bigger? Also, would I be better using running runners, or is their a cross breed shoe for cycling and running?

[DavidF]

ruairi, here's my tuppence worth

re clothing - its really about personal preference whether you go for tri suit or seperate top and shorts. best thing to do is borrow some and try both before you decide. fit is a bit weird on some of the tri stuff! i know barry, jim martin have seperates and i think pj and peter have tri suits so try and get a loan of some of theirs before you commit. Same goes for the cycling gear.

re shoes, - no there is no do-it-all shoe. if you are not using clipless (clipped in ) pedals and cycling shoes then you just use your runners for bike and run. if you are using cycling specific shoes then you change into your runners in the transition between bike and run. Get a pair of elastic laces for your runners like these, makes them much easier to get on/off

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=46768

and if you want to see how to do it FAST then watch PJ ! he is the expert

[BarryB]

for what its worth I went for seperates for 2 reasons
1. I bought a club tri top and a plain black tri bottom saves a few quid
2. when buying gear you dont get to try on I try and eliminate variables ie the seperates you only have to worry about width with a tri suit you have to worry about width and length and I dont need to tell you where the pressure will come on if its too short. there is lots of gear around to try on now so maybe not such an issue anymore.

On the shoes there is a school of thought that for sprint distance tri's unless you are a really good cyclist and very fast in T2 (PJD) you loose a lot of the time made up by wearing clipless by having to change out of them into runners. What I'm saying clipless are by no means essential. David is right we could all learn from a PJD transition lesson and I second the elastic laces handy for small money.

[DavidF]

you loose a lot of the time made up by wearing clipless by having to change out of them into runners

IMG_3044.JPG (116.74 KiB) Viewed 11581 times

[BarryB]

true there is also the possibility of losing the shoe completely and having to run back for it while getting a sympathy clap.
but keep in mind this type of behaviour (below) in transition will not be tolerated!

transition-2.JPG (67.22 KiB) Viewed 11561 times

[pcoulahan]

myself and barry used this when we started swimming, found it very good

http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html

You might have to take another look given your other post

Ruairi ,

my tuppence......

Clipless shoes are a hell of lot better than runners for cycling if you want to get a decent times. They make climbing and cycling in the wet a lot easier and give a much better power transfer from your legs to the pedals. As Barry has said though, you will loose some time in T1 / T2 putting them on or taking them off. If you're as slow as I am it doesn't make that much of a difference, maybe another minute in transition. You can have the shoes on the pedals and jump into them coming out of T1 to save time but that can have its dangers- as per photo of Barry making a balls of it above.

On clothing, seperates or tri suit - its personal preference. I wear a tri suit when I can but for some races I use tri shorts and a cycling top. Oner thing to remember is that if you go for tri shorts and a tri top (as opposed to a cycling top) there can be a gap between the top and shorts on the bike making for a cold back; and if you are on the larger size (like me) tri shorts and tri top combinations can look a bit........muffinish