MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Mrs J wants to do a triathlon - http://www.mytriclub.co.uk/kendal-sprint-tri-1-28th-april/
She'll have no problems fitness wise, but she is a little anxious about the technical side of thing.
What to wear, what to do in the transitions, etiquette etc.
[b]Obviously I'm going to google, but does anyone have an recommendations for websites or books where she can pick up the basics?[/b]
Also, would it be terribly frowned upon to ride a hybrid?
TIA
Ride what you like for a sprint.
rise whatever. Sprints are often used by folk new to the sport, and turn up on all sorts - big nobbly mtbs, clunker 80's bikes etc...
A tri suit is very useful, simply as you don't need to worry about what to wear or have the hassle of putting other clothes on in transition - wet bodies are not great for getting a t-shirt on post swim. You can get them cheap from zipvit or decathlon for a first timer.
talc in the shoes - lots of it (and in socks if using them).
tritalk.co.uk is a great resource
Nah... just go for it... Tri is super inclusive.
My club runs a try-a-tri race for newbies, last year marshalling I saw every type of bike imaginable from 10k worth of TT super machine to a fold up commuter "brompton" type thing and everything inbetween.
To wear... if you don't wanna shell out for a tri suit (bet she will once she's done one tri) then just pull a pair of shorts over the swim cossie and a put a top on if it's cold out or worried about looks... you really can't do anything wrong.... Well you can... but that's the point of your first Tri... You'll only get better and enjoy your next Tri more so for it.
geoffj, mrs stoner is a wimminz tri person. If his vanity search doesn't show up this mention, you should try him for some info.
Thanks folk I'll have a butchers at tritalk.co.uk and ping Stoner a PM.
It's a 500m swim so don't give a 400m swim time when you register as a lot of the people at my first tri did 🙂
I kid you not, there were shopping baskets (2!!) at my first triathlon. That's the beauty of the sprint format, its essentially a taster. Hybrid will be fine (but beware watching faster bikes will have the misses craving a fancy bike right away).
Tritalk.co.uk
220 triathlon.co.uk
[s]rimmers[/s]Runners world tri section
You will get lots of tips on all three. But the most important is just enjoy it. My wife still teases me about my first triathlon - complete dry down and change in T1. OK, not quite but you get the picture!!! Spend money only after you find that she enjoys it - she will!!!!
number belts are handy and only about a fiver, lotsof talc in shoes as has been mentioned, socks if using htem also lots of talc but have them rolled down so just slip toeas in the pull / roll the rest up, have shoes with socks on top of on alittle towel so she can stand on towel to pull them on. Don't go super hard in the swim, as can be the temptation, save it for the bike and run.
[url= http://www.simplyrunning.biz/triathlon_guide.shtml ]http://www.simplyrunning.biz/triathlon_guide.shtml[/url]
RM.
Yhe biggie if you don't have kit is to make sure Mrs J doesn't get nude in the transition - that's a big no-no! So you need to make sure Mrs J has a layer she can leave on the whole way through the event - be it a tri suit, swimwear, whatever.
Other than that, just have fun! As above, sprint tris are very inclusive - I've seen two 50+ ladies on shoppers having a chat on the way round the bike loop, and a Blur with knobblies in transition waiting to go out. It's all good 🙂
nude in the transition - that's a big no-no!
and for that reason, im out.
@ ebygomm
it's a 500m swim so don't get out after 400 m (as someone I know did - she still won)
One tip to tell Mrs J. Remove her helmet before heading out on the run, yes I did head off with mine still on. 😳
Being one of the first into transition following my swim (I'm not good, starts staggered, crap swimmers start first!) I also got ripped to shreds by the announcer for my inability to put a dry top on a wet body 😆
The bit that most folks get most anxious about are the transitions between sports. It's worth doing a run through of the transitions at home to get into the swing of it. When you get to the event walk the entry and exits from transition to your place on the racking so you can navigate there slickly in the race. I would often count running paces and identify obvious markers to help me find my bike quickly.
Also it's worth doing a few "brick" sessions, especially bike to runs. Just tack a 15min run to the end of a bike session to get used to running with trashed legs.
And enjoy it! I used to a be a relatively competitive triathlete (a bit of sponsorship, world champ appearances, gb teams from time to time) but after a few years away I'm having another go with a far less serious and less competitive outlook. Looking forward to being very slow but actually doing it for fun!