Beginner Triathlete

[EastCoaster]

Guys,

Any advice for a new triathlete? I’ve been a runner since high school but never jumped in to the multi sport realm. Signed up for an off road tri this year because I already have a mountain bike. Also, a very good swimmer due to surfing for about as long as I have been running. I’m a little nervous about the nutrition and training volume/schedule. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[snowynock]

I'm probably not the best to give advice and I never really did training volume. I've done 2 sprint triathlons and 1 70.3 Ironman(DNFed by 5 minutes). I never followed any training guide - I did 1 small group swim class in 2023 6 months prior to my 70.3 Ironman and only managed to get 1 3 hour bike ride in prior. I do tons of running and I swam minimum once a week at my local YMCA to prepare.

You have everyones most hated sport(swimming) nailed it sounds like and already a runner so you just gotta concentrate on the biking portion. There are a ton of guides out there and everyone has different ideas about brick workouts.

My 2 cents - just get comfortable on the bike, get your nutrition/hydration dialed and work on your transitions and you'll be fine. Transitions eat the most time - my swim to bike transition ate 10 minutes when it should have only ate 5 minutes.

Most triathletes I know(I'm a member of a local tri club) find out what companies are sponsoring the race and train with that because they don't have to bring their own.

With everything else it comes down to your comfort level in the sport and relying on your training.

One thing I'd highly recommend - get yourself a tri-suit and practice in that as that's the 1 article of clothing you'll wear for the entire race(the trisuits have pockets for gels).

 

[EastCoaster]

Thanks man! Yeah, I’m hoping to be on the mountain bike twice a week and use the peleton for when I can make it to the trails. One day I will get back on a road bike but it is really sketchy to ride around here. It would open up a lot more races though.

 

[Wolfshead]

I used to be a triathlete until injuries sidelined me permanently.
From my experience at your level I would concentrate on my swimming.
You’re a runner to begin with so you know that and have the experience to train in running and what it takes.
Biking is important as are the others, but swimming in my experience is where you can find a good advantage.
Being a good swimmer and swimming in a tri are too different things.
I was WSI certified and thought in my first Tri I would do well.
I did not!
My advise for you is to look into some training routines for swimming, make it your priority before running and biking second to running.
One of my best workouts was pyramids.
I would swim one length rest for so many seconds swim back rest so many seconds. Swim two lengths rest swim back two, swim three lengths….
To a certain number of lengths and change the rest periods in between. Work on your form and try to become as efficient as possible (many YouTube videos that can help there)
Just my advise, take it as you will.
Best wishes!

 

[timekiller13]

The importance of the swim is distance dependent.

If you are a great biker and great runner, then that completely negates a mediocre swim (this is for 70.3-140.6 distances). If you are talking sprints or Olys then you better be great in all of them.

I’ve done sprints, Olys, Half IM and Full IM.

Training for a full is brutal, and the race is pure hell. Anything less distance, training isn’t that bad and the races aren’t that bad.

I honestly thought the Full IM was going to kill me. Both the training and the actual race. The volume of training is nuts, especially when you juggle full time employment and full time parenting. 14-16 hours a week of training is no joke.

My advice. Swim some. Run a lot. And Bike a shit ton.

 

[Poser]

Nothing to add other than one of my best friends was deep into doing Ironmans for a long time. He always emphasized that regularly practicing your transitions (not the week before the race, but your entire training block) cannot be emphasized enough. Apparently, most first timers are shocked at how much faster the serious competitors are transitioning from one event to the next.

 

[OregonSteeler]

Guys,

Any advice for a new triathlete? I’ve been a runner since high school but never jumped in to the multi sport realm. Signed up for an off road tri this year because I already have a mountain bike. Also, a very good swimmer due to surfing for about as long as I have been running. I’m a little nervous about the nutrition and training volume/schedule. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

My advice is don't set too high of expectations and enjoy just being there and finishing. After your first, then you can determine if you want to up the training to get better/faster/longer distances. Sounds like you're already pretty athletic so as long as you train appropriately and enough, you will do well.

I've always loved the statement: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Same thought process, start with manageable training goals and gradually increase them.

As far at nutrition goes, there's a ton of stuff on the internet/Reddit that will help you put something together. Anything less than a half IM, you don't need to worry too much about eating (caloric intake) during the race.