5 Tips for Your First Triathlon : A Weekend Update

This past Sunday, five club members proudly represented Purdue University in triathlons across the midwest. Caitlin and Kara Nelligan, Patrick Martin, and I travelled all the way to Grand Rapids, Michigan to compete against other collegiate athletes and earn some MECTC conference points. Caitlin and Patrick are both veterans of the race, and convinced me it was well worth the trip. They were so right. The race was well hosted and many people sign up to PR on the flat bike course. I did just that without much of a taper. Caitlin said, "I'm proud of my time and hoping to improve even more this summer" after coming in hot and taking fourth place in her age group. All in all, our team seemed pretty content with our performances at the end of the day. Plus, we all got a kick out of the professional wetsuit strippers, but more on that later.

Meanwhile in Columbus, OH, Brian Long raced in the Berkshire Triathlon. "This was [the race's] sixth year", he told me, "and it has grown from a backyard triathlon to over 150 participants. All of the money raised from participant fees to donations goes directly to Flying Horse Farms. This charity is a summer camp for hospitalized children. It is a way for them to forget their illness and enjoy camp just like any other child."

Grand Rapids Triathlon Start Line

I asked our athletes what advise they would give a new triathlete who was preparing for their first race, and they gave me great feedback. Brian is a rising sophomore, and it wasn't too long ago that he did his first triathlon, so he still remembers what it's like to be new to the sport.

His advise to you?

Tip #1: Try a non-compatitive race.

The Berkshire Triathlon was unlike any other triathlon I have seen. It was non-competitive, which means that there was no timing, and really no rules. The whole purpose was to participate. There was no pressure to even complete the entire distance if we felt like we needed to stop. For this reason, I think this is a great triathlon for anyone just starting. The atmosphere was very welcoming and relaxing for anyone that might not have known what they were doing. If you’re wanting to try a triathlon, I highly recommend the Berkshire Triathlon or other similar triathlons.

Next up, triathlete Patrick has only been racing two years, but he is by no means a novice. Like many new triathletes, going from running to cycling seemed like a natural transition to him, but conquering the swim was daunting. The following is his advise for new open water swimmers:

"Trust me, I'm still not a fan of the open water swim."

When I started triathlon I had no swim background and have had to overcome many obstacles to become the average swimmer I am today. Suffering a panic induced asthma attack in my first tri start (didn't make it past 300m) and not knowing how to breathe correctly until my third (apparently you've gotta breathe out while your head is underwater?!), I have had my fair share of struggling through the first leg of the triathlon. Since then I have not only become a lot faster in the water (cutting a 40 minute 1500m swim to 27), but I have also become a lot more comfortable, here are some of my tips for getting there:

Tip #2: Practice Makes Perfect

Obviously the best way to get better at open water swimming is to get into the open water when you're not racing and not surrounded by 20-200 other people who are all thrashing through a liquid medium to round some inflatable orange triangles, it'll take a lot of the stress out and allow you to just focus and relax. You won't always be able to make it to a body of open water however, and one way I was able to get used to the dark, murkiness of the open water was by closing my eyes in the pool and swimming (only recommended if you're alone in the lane).

Tip #3: Draft

Drafting either by swimming behind someone or right off their hip will make the water a little bit easier to swim through making you swim a bit faster, but I feel that there's also a lot of mental benefits to drafting someone. Not only do you feel like you have a "friend" to be with (or other options for the sea monsters below to eat, remember don't make yourself an easy target), but it also is super distracting trying to follow their bubbles and stay with them, which for me helps distract me from the horrendous activity I am taking part in.

Tip #4: Focus on Swim Mechanics

Another way I'll try to distract myself from the panic is to think about the mechanics and form of my swim. The way I like to do this is by setting my watch to buzz every 5 minutes or 300 meters or so and every time it buzzes I focus on a different aspect of my form. I usually start with steady breathing as the beginning is always so hectic and can often get you into a panicky state with unsteady breathing. Other aspects I'll think about is a high elbow pull, looking straight down, hip rotation, pulling all the way through to my hips, long arm entry, whatever the aspect may be pick one and focus on it for a while, not only will it distract you but it will obviously improve your form and potentially your time in the water.

Wow! Thats great advise. Before I wrap it up I have tidbit of my own to share.

Tip #5: Practice Transition

This is a particular weakness of mine, and something I still have to do after more than two years in the sport because it's my biggest weakness, but I mention it to new triathletes for a few specific reasons:

If you watch me try to strip off my wetsuit after the swim you may mistake me as fighting off some ferocious floppy monster as it attempts to trip and strangle me. Fortunately for us, this weekend there were wetsuit strippers, and the seriously professional attitude they had was pretty comical. One guy yanked the suits off people so fast that he kept whipping people who stood too close. (Ow!) Having a guy like that is a luxury I've only ever experienced this one time, so its important to learn to stand on the suit with one foot to get it off the other foot. If that doesn't make sense, you may need more practice!

Make sure to buckle your helmet before you mount the bike!

Also, if you make it out of transition without your helmet buckled and you mount your bike, you could get DQ'ed (disqualified). Its one of the rules they take seriously before and during the race. Practice so you don't make that mistake when it counts.

All in all, Purdue Triathlon had a great time last weekend. If anything we talked about during this post resonated with you, and you want to join the club, go ahead a sign up for our mailing list for the latest updates on practices and callouts. If you liked this article and want to read more like it, subscribe here for more. Have a great weekend!