Tips for Your First Triathlon

Image by Matt Coats

Don’t Think About It!

Just sign up…really. I know you might be nervous, but trust me, the rewards and feelings you will get after your first triathlon will far outweigh the pain of training or the race itself. In fact, during my first triathlon I was so exhilarated that I didn’t even feel pain and had a smile on my face the entire time! So if you are even thinking about running a triathlon, stop thinking and head to Active.com or Trifind and sign up for a race.

The Plan

Hopefully, you’ve allowed yourself at least a few months before your race, but if you didn’t that is alright, you’ll just have to work a little bit harder. It is never too late to prepare for a triathlon and it isn’t rocket science. The simple answer to finding a plan for your first triathlon is to take the total distance you will be swimming, biking, and running (by each event, not total) and then divide it by the time you have to train. For example, lets say you are doing a Sprint Triathlon (I highly recommend this as your first Triathlon unless you absolutely cannot find one) and you have 2 months to train. You will be doing approximately a 600 yard swim, a 17 mile bike, and a 5k run. Break the distance down by week (in this case divide by and swim, bike, and run that distance 3 times per week until you have worked up to race distance workouts. If that is too simple for you, then I suggest using 1 workout per week as a speed workout doing intervals, 1 workout per week as a brick workout, and the 3rd workout as your long swim/bike/run where you train at race distance or longer.

If you cannot swim, bike, or run the full distance during your workout then I suggest taking breaks long enough to allow you to finish that distance. If you need to take a break between laps in the pool or halfway through a run, go ahead…just make sure you finish the workout.

Triathlon Tips

Lastly, here are some tips to help you be prepared and have a good time during your first triathlon. I had no idea what to expect and still had a good time, so I expect it will be the same for you.

• Practice laying out your gear ahead of time and get a packing list together a week prior.
• Spend time practicing your swim in open water if you can. Swimming in open water is much different than swimming in a pool.
• Be ready for chaos in the water. There will be hands and feet all over the place. Take your time during the swim and practice good breathing habits.
• Pay special attention to your registration info to know when and where your group starts. Generally they will start the race in shifts and you don’t want to miss your group’s starting time.
• Make sure you’ve got a way to transport your bike. I totally forgot about this very important part of triathlon prep!
• Relax and have fun! You are accomplishing something many people only think about. Enjoy your moment!