It’s not uncommon for runners to dabble in the sport of triathlon! It can be a fun new challenge and a great way to avoid burnout from running 🙌
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👇Check out our tips for first time triathletes👇
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👓Get the right gear: A lot of gear is required for the three disciplines, and you want the right gear to make an already difficult sport a little bit easier on you. Biking shorts, wetsuit, anti-fog goggles, pouches and water bottle holders for your bike, etc. You can rent a lot of these things from local stores if you don’t want to dive completely in!
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🚴Get used to clipping in: If you’ve never clipped bike shoes in and out of a bike, chances are you will fall down a few times before you get the hang of it. You want to feel 100% comfortable with this by race day!
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🏃Practice running in your bike shoes: You have to run in your bike shoes during the transition from the bike to the run! It can feel weird, so practice it before race day
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🧱Do brick workouts: A brick workout usually refers to biking and going right into a run. This will help you practice a quick transition time between the bike and run during your race and will help you feel comfortable running off the bike with less-than-fresh legs!
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🏊♂️Practice swimming in open water: Open water is a different animal than swimming in a pool. You are dealing with the psychological effects of being in deep, open water along with physical effects like waves and no ropes to keep you swimming straight
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👀Practice sighting while swimming: When you swim in open water, you need to look up every so often to make sure you are still going straight/the shortest route. Every five or so strokes, practice lifting your head to the front to breathe instead of to the side
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🗓Plan your schedule strategically: Having to practice three sports can make you feel like you should be doing all the sports all of the time! As a runner coming into the sport, you need to bike and swim more than run. Biking takes up the majority of the time in a race, so you should be biking the most (time-wise) during the week!
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