Tips to Get You to the Start Line
8 Weeks Out: Develop a schedule of consistent endurance training. Try to find a nice balance of swimming, cycling and running depending upon your schedule (work, family and other obligations). You have 2 months until the event, so get into a routine of regular training that you can feasibly follow through May. (read more) ...
The key is ‘feasibly follow’. It may help to write things down. Print up a 2-month calendar, and write down what you can do each day. Maybe you can swim on Tuesday and Thursday, run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and ride your bike on Tues, Thursday, Saturday. This is purely up to you, but writing down what you intend to do each will will hold you accountable for your training. Try to have a ‘focus’ for your workouts, as well. Perhaps you can do a longer swim set one day and some sprints another day, one long bike ride (2 hours) on the weekend and a couple of shorter rides (1 hour -1:15) during the week. For your runs, try to find a few different places to run than just Town Lake Trail. Head to some hills for strength work.
7 Weeks Out: Work your weakness. This is something that we do not always ‘like’ to do, however come race day, it pays off. If you are naturally strong on the bike but struggle in the water, try to add a swim session each week or even get some help from someone who can give you advice on your technique. (read more)...
The beauty of triathlon is that we all have a strength and a weakness. Therefore, we always have something we can improve upon, while we can also have respect for our competitors who exhibit strength in our ‘weaker’ sports. Use your resources, and if you are weak on the bike, find a group of friends or a local cycling group to ride with on the weekends. Strength in numbers is very true, especially if you need to push the volume on something you do not enjoy. Set up a time to meet a couple of friends for your long weekend runs together, but make sure that you all are close to the same pace so that you are not working too hard (or too easy). Try to allocate a bit more training time each week to your weakness, so maybe you do 2 bikes, 2 runs and 3 swims each week if you are tentative about the swim segment.
6 Weeks Out: Practice in open water. The swim for Skeese Greets Women’s Tri will be in a small lake, that is not too deep and ‘should’ not be too cold. That being said, the water temperature cut off is 78 degrees and the decision will be made the week of the race. So, be prepared and swim in your wetsuit a few times before the event. (read more)...
If you have a wetsuit, practice swim in this 2-3 times before the race so you are prepared for how it will feel. They make you faster, however they can also feel ‘restrictive’ at first if you have never worn one. Another important thing about swimming in open water before the race is so that you are accustomed to how it differs from a pool. There will be a bit more waves, and of course you will have a lot of others around you as well. If you have experienced this beforehand, you will not feel as intimidated on race day. So, head to Barton Springs (maybe even go with a few friends to practice swimming together), ‘suit up’ and splash around a bit. You will be glad you did come race day when you know how it feels to use the wetsuit (if it is needed) but also when you are aware of open water conditions.
5 Weeks Out: Incorporate some speed. This may be your first triathlon, but you can still benefit from adding a bit of speed to your training. Perhaps you add some shorter, faster efforts to one swim, bike and run workout each week. These can be simple and straight-forward, they do not need to be complex. (read more)...
For example, in your swim workout add a set such as: 10×50’s with 30 seconds rest. If you a more experienced swimmer, try this: 8×100’s with 30 seconds rest. Work these fast, at the high end of your intensity range. For cycling, do something like: 8×1.0 min on/1.0 min off, focusing on maximal efforts and maintaining a very high cadence. These will get your heart rate up quickly but for a short, sustained time. For running, do some speed play work such as: 5×2 min on/2 min off, focusing on speed, relaxed shoulders and good foot turnover. Even though these ‘sets’ are pretty short, they will train your body to work at a high end intensity and help you feel what you may feel on race day. In the heat of the moment while racing, you may find yourself wanting to ‘go harder’. These will make that ‘harder’ effort feel a little easier.
4 Weeks Out: Get your gear squared away. You are 4 weeks away from the big day! Start to think about what outfit you want to race in. Be sure to wear this a few times beforehand to be aware of any potential chaffing. Do you have an approved helmet? I hope so since you have been training! (read more)...
Make sure that your helmet is ANSI/Snell/CSA certified (there should be a little sticker inside that you can verify). Think now about what running shoes you will wear, and be sure that you have run in them at least a few times between now and race day. What will you eat before the race, on race morning? Now is the time to ‘nail down’ your pre-race meal, something that you know you can stomach a few hours prior to the event. A common breakfast is something light yet filling such as a bagel with peanut butter and jam, and perhaps a banana. However this is up to you and what you know sits well on your stomach. Aim to eat this meal 2-3 hours before race start, and try to get in 400-600 calories. Be sure you have a light and a dark pair of goggles that do not leak, so that you are prepared for a sunny or a cloudy morning.
3 Weeks Out: Practice transitions. If you are new to triathlon, there is no need to ‘worry’ about this part of the race, however you should simply know what to expect. You will transition from swim to bike and bike to run, so think about what you will need for each leg of the race. (read more)...
You will have your own little ‘area’ right by your bike on the bike rack to set your things. Some simple recommendations are for the swim to bike, you’ll need your biking shoes, any clothing you’ll want for the bike (or you may choose to wear your swim outfit only), helmet, sunglasses, and any nutrition. The water bottles should be on your bike, and your gels could be on the bike or in a pocket. Once you finish the bike, you’ll need to rack your bike, take off your helmet, and take off your bike shoes. For the run portion you’ll need your race number (this is often times on a race belt), a hat or a visor, sunglasses, and of course running shoes. You can take a gel however they will probably have water on the course.
2 Weeks Out: Decrease your volume and go ride the course. You only have 2 weeks to go, so start to back off your volume, especially if you are tired. It may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the race course as well. (read more)...
If you have time, get together with a few friends and drive out to the Texas Ski Ranch. Map out the bike course, and ride the course together. This way you know what to expect and where the turns are. As silly as it sounds, people do sometimes go the wrong way in the race! I am sure this will be a well-marked course, however it does not hurt to prepare adequately. Also be sure that you start to rest a bit, you can decrease some volume of training but keep some short high intensity efforts in there this week. These efforts will keep you ‘sharp’ for next weekends race.
1 Week Out: Rest, recover, and relax! The work is done, and now it is time to get excited about this weekends race. Check the website frequently to see if there are any changes or updates, and focus on eating well and getting some good sleep. (read more)...
As the saying goes, “The hay is in the barn!” Try to get some good rest this week and eat consciously. Do not change things significantly, but focus on getting enough carbohydrates especially a few days leading up to the race and be aware of your hydration. If race day is expected to be exceptionally hot, try to slightly increase your salt intake, as you will be sweating heavily and will need the extra sodium for electrolyte balance. Stay up to date as to any changes due to weather if this is a concern. If you have made a pre-race checklist, be sure that you have all your ‘ducks in a row’ a few days out. Most of all, relax and get excited to go out and have some fun on race day! You have worked hard, this is your reward.