How to Enter Your First Triathlon

First you will need the basic gear:

1) Something to swim in. You do not need to rush out and buy a fancy triathlete specific swimsuit just yet. A quality swimsuit (one piece for women is preferred and form-fitting trunks for men is ideal) will do just fine.

2) A bike. Most people you will see at will be riding what is called a ‘’. This is your basic pavement specific bike similar to what we all called ‘ten speeds’ back when we were kids. This is the ideal bike to own for use in a triathlon due to its low rolling resistance and – two things that ensure that the power you out into a pedal stroke is put down to the ground and not lost by pushing big fat mountain bike tires.

I have however seen hundreds of people at many of my early triathlons on all sorts of bicycles – mountain bikes, beach cruisers and even one chipper old man on a folding bike (I guess he wanted to travel light). The point is, any bike will work for your first race – borrow one from a friend or neighbor if you do not own a bike – just make sure that the bike fits you properly and that you can attach a water bottle cage to the bike to carry water during your training and racing.

3) A solid pair of running shoes. One thing I cannot stress enough to you is this – do not just lace up your old worn out athletic shoes and start running. Invest in a brand new pair of running specific shoes for this. Your feet will thank you and you will vastly reduce your chance of injury during your training while you slowly increase your miles and at your race. Any running specific shoe store can help you get into the right type of shoe for under $100.

Now on to the training! If you have 3 months until your triathlon then you need to start yesterday in your preparations. We all have hectic lives, I know because I am no different. As a I am constantly trying to find time to train in between photo shoots. Make a training schedule on a wall calendar and stick to it, no ifs ands or buts! Stay 100% committed to this change and your training.

Sample Training Plan

A sample training plan should start low on intensity to get your body used to the rigors of training and slowly ramp up until race day. Start with low intensity swimming for approximately 20 minutes two days, then run one mile the next day and then just spend about 45 minutes on your bike at an easy pace followed by a 1.5 mile run the following day for the first week.

Increase those levels over the course of a month all while listening to your body. If you are tired, take a rest day. If you are sore, take a rest day. Just do not make excuses and do not cheat yourself out of getting into great shape. This will ensure that when the gun goes off on your first triathlon, you are confident and raring to go! Good luck!!