Year of the Triathlons – Every Mile Becomes a Part of Me

Right before Memorial Day weekend an opportunity presented itself that I could not pass by without growing regrets.

I was offered the chance to take over a Lake in the Hills triathlon registration from a competitor that needed to withdrawal. And because in 2014, I declared on my “40 by 40” bucket list that I was going to complete a triathlon – this was a new adventure that I needed to seize!

In the past 3 weeks, I’ve had to get back on a bike after a couple of years of being out of the saddle & I had to dive into my first lake swim in over 10 years.

In a million years, I never thought that I would say that I feel more comfortable in my “runners” than in the water, but currently that is the case.

In my high school days I was a competitive swimmer & diver & then a life guard during my college days.

My Mom would tell you that I grew gills before I could walk! My comfort zone has always been in the water & that’s where I thought that it would always be until now. 😦

I’m not saying that I won’t regain my comfort in the water again, but I’m not sure that it will happen within 48 hours.

On Sunday, June 19th, I will be completing a sprint tri – 0.5 mile swim, 15.5 mile bike, & 4 mile run – in Lake in the Hills, Illinois.

I’d love to say that I feel confident going into this, but I am far from it.

I’ve had to take the crash course in “tri-ing” from a few of my experienced “tri” friends.

Here are a few of my lessons learned in the last few weeks:

Get a tri suit. Here is an example of a tri suit. You can wear this for the swim, bike, & run. There are also 2 piece versions. If you wear a wetsuit, you wear the wetsuit over this. Then in transition, you just strip off the wet suit & you are ready to bike. The idea is to have minimal changes of clothes. Tri Suit I went with Pearl Izumi Women’s Select Pursuit Tri SL Jersey – Black/Aqua Mint – Medium & Pearl Izumi Women’s Select Pursuit Tri Shorts – Black – Large.
Rent a wet suit over buying. There is a good triathlon store near here (i.e. Chicago, IL) where you can rent a wet suit for $50 a week. This is a cheaper option than buying – especially, if you won’t need to use a wet suit often. Wet Suit Rentals
How to wear timing chips. The timing chips in a triathlon are on a strap that you wear around your ankle. You wear it for the whole race & you should wear it on your left ankle so that it is away from all the sprockets on the bike.
A quick checklist of things to bring. Swim: Body glide to help with wet suit / tri suit chafing, 2 pairs of goggles (1 main (e.g. Speedo Women’s Vanquisher Mirrored Goggle – Clear) & 1 backup), the provided race swim cap, a towel to dry your feet, a towel to place your shoes on & mark your spot. Bike: Water bottles, nutrition, hydration, helmet, pump, socks, shoes, sunglasses, jacket to throw on if it is cold, race belt with number. Run: Nutrition, hydration, hat, shoes, extra socks.
Get there early on race day. Arrive early enough on race day to setup your transition areas – especially, if it is a point to point race where you need to setup two transition areas (i.e. T1 & T2). Make a list of what gear you need at which transition area so that you don’t forget something you need for the bike in T1 at T2.
Training Plans. There are a ton of training plans out there. Most of them are for around 12 weeks – review & adapt one as needed. Tri Training Plan
Pre-race practice sessions. Most races will offer pre-race practice sessions. On the Lake in the Hills Tri website, it says it will send out information to registered participants information on swim practices in the lake and bike sessions. Ask the person you got the race number from if they received anything. It is worth swimming in the lake at least once to get the feel for it so you don’t panic on race morning. And there is also a benefit to biking & / or running the course. For cycling practice, buy a decent pair of cycling shorts or bib shorts (Cycling Bib Shorts).
What to wear (or not to wear). Depending on the temperature you may need to add a layer. If it is cold, wear a cold wear compression tshirt under your cycling jersey. If warm, then nothing more than your tri suit. Most women will wear a sports bra under their tri suit so that if it is hot they can still vent. Don’t wear anything under your tri suit / cycling shorts. Underwear will chafe, & the chamois (padding) is made to wick away moisture and is usually antibacterial. You may find that Chamois Butt’r may help relieve some discomfort from the cycling.