Triathlon Blog

Janet Wilson recently wrote about how to swim level in water:

I got an email from a beginner triathlete that went like this: “Can you help me with my triathlon swimming? When I get in the water I sink like a rock and can’t keep myself near the top of the water. Any tips?”

This is a pretty common problem for triathletes struggling with their swimming. It is an important problem to fix, too. The more of your body (low hips and legs) you have to pull through the water, the slower you go and the more energy you use during the swim. Slower and more tired getting out of the water is not a good combination.

If your hips are sinking then you aren’t level in the water and that causes problems. Here are 5 tips on how to teach yourself to swim level in the water during your next triathlon swim.

1. One common misconception is that you need to swim “on top” of the water. The first thing you need to understand is that your goal is not to be “on top” of the water - you can work so hard on pushing your body up that your stroke suffers. Your goal is to be level in the water, with mainly your arms and mouth (during your breathing) out of the water. Swim some without your swim cap so you can feel where the water line hits your head. You want more than half your head to be below the water line - higher than that and you are probably holding your upper body too high, which can cause your hips to drop.

2. Take a big breath. When your lungs are full of air they act like a life preserver and make it easier to keep your whole body higher and level in the water. Use this as your “ballast” that you push to raise your hips (see tip number 3 for more about this). Practice holding your breath during most of your stroke, exhaling quick at the end just as you begin your next big breath.

3. A big part of swimming is just getting comfortable. Practice floating on both your stomach and your back. Practice rolling from your stomach to your back and then back to your stomach. Concentrate on pressing your chest (if you are on your stomach) or your shoulder blades (on your back) into the water. You should notice that your hips pop up level with the rest of your body.

4. Concentrate on your balance during drills. Swim lengths of the pool doing stroke drills where you concentrate on your balance and pressing your chest into the water.

5. Improve your kicking form. Many beginner triathletes kick by bending their legs a lot at the knee - this can definitely cause your hips to sink in the water. You want to stay very long in water, so your kick needs to be from your hips, not your knees. Swim some drills wearing flippers and concentrate on keeping your knees somewhat straight (they can bend, but only slightly). Flippers will also improve flexibility in your ankles, which will further improve your swim stroke. I sometimes imagine that I’m wearing flippers while swimming to improve my kick technique.

If you use these tips during your triathlon swimming training you should see your swim times drop and you should have more energy on the bike when you get out of the water. See my 3 minute swim lesson at Coach-Janet.

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

Janet Wilson wrote an article about getting your bike miles up:

I got a question this week from a triathlete struggling to build up mileage on his triathlon bike. This is a common challenge for triathletes. The trick here is to build mileage slowly and consistently. Here are some tips:

Remember to consult your physician before starting any fitness program.

1. Build up mileage slowly. Most triathletes are competitive by nature and they tend to push themselves to the limit. Out of frustration they might try to do a 4-hour bike ride when their longest ride before that is only a couple of hours. This is very risky and counterproductive.

If you overtrain like this you are likely to injure yourself, which can take you out of the game for weeks. Even if you manage to finish it without injury, your body will take a long time to recover from the workout and you may lose a lot of the benefit you might have gained from the long ride. Instead you want to build up slowly over time, adding maybe 25 to 50 percent to your base long ride (based on time in the saddle not mileage) every couple of weeks (see my sample plan to do this below).

2. Take time to recover and adapt. The goal is to slowly build up the length of your longest training ride while building in time to recover. Get to a plateau, ride there for a week and then try to extend it (see the sample program below).

3. A beginner can build effectively riding just 2 to 3 times per week. You don’t have to build your endurance by riding 3 or 4 hours every time you get on your bike. Instead focus on one long ride each week (time not miles). Your ultimate goal should be to ride for as long as you think your complete race will take you to finish. Your other rides during the week don’t need to be as long, but you might want to add some strength or technique training to these rides (like hills or cadence work).

4. Sample triathlon training plan Let’s say that your goal is to finish an olympic distance triathlon in around 3 hours. “Leg time” for this race is 2.5 hrs or more. Building your bike to 2.5 to 3 hours will help build the endurance needed for this event. Let’s make your goal to do a long ride of around 3 hours about a month before your race. Today you can easily do two one hour rides per week. How do you get to your goal?

By the way, you don’t have to be able to do a 3 hour ride to finish your first olympic distance race, but it is a good goal. As you advance you might try to increase the number of miles you finish during your long ride (see tip 6 for more on this). Here is an example of a basic plan to get you to your goal:

Building Bike - Time goals for your one long ride per week. Other workouts for the week would be based on your personal level of fitness.

a. Week One: Ride = 1.5 Hours
b. Week Two: Ride = 1 Hour
c. Week Three: Ride = 2 Hours

At this point you’ve doubled your long ride. Do you need more time to recover? If so then start over at Week Two and then do Week Three again. If you recover better then move on to Week Four. Do the same thing after each week that you build mileage - if it takes more than a couple of days to recover go back to the next lowest recovery week and start from there.

d. Week Four: Ride = 1.5 Hours
e. Week Five: Ride = 2 Hours
f. Week Six: Ride = 1.5 Hours
g. Week Seven: Ride = 2.5 Hours
h. Week Eight: Ride = 2 Hours
i. Week Nine: Ride = 3 Hours

Note: All rides should be ridden fresh with no hard workouts at least the day before and the day after. The pace should be in a comfortable easy pace (you should be able to talk or have a conversation while you are riding during the majority of your ride). Learn to “spin” or use your easier gears to prolong your muscle endurance.

You did it! At this point your long ride is now 3 hours and you have made a great improvement in your endurance. Next you will want to start working on other things like speed, terrain, etc.

5. Make sure that you are eating and drinking during these rides. If you are hungry or thirsty you waited to long to eat or drink. Right now you are asking your body to do things it hasn’t done before, you will need the calories. Eventually you will get more efficient and may not need to eat as much.

6. Time, Mileage or Heart-rate? Eventually all three of these measures will be important. When I start training someone we focus first on time at a comfortable pace. Next we add a heart-rate monitor to the mix and shoot for time within heart-rate zones. Finally we start working on the number of miles covered, heart-rate, and time. I suggest you start the same way.

If this sounds too over-planned, simplify it. Last winter I started training for a spring Century ride and my workout plan was just to add an hour to my long ride every 3 weeks until I got to 6 hours (although remember that I was starting from a pretty strong base and I didn’t train much in the other disciplines, I did hit the weight room 1 time per week, and the Yoga mat a couple times a week). The key is to do what works for you. Use this plan to adapt something for yourself or for you to present to your coach.

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training plans, triathlon bike tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

Janet Wilson wrote an article about race day nutrition:

I am often asked by triathletes, “What should I eat to kick butt in my next triathlon?” The answer is, “It depends.”

I’m not a nutritionist, but I have learned a lot about my own nutrition planning through years of training experience. Each individual is different, and if you really want a personalized plan you should seek out a professional nutritionist.

Some basic tricks to proper triathlon nutrition include figuring out what will keep the athlete fueled for optimal performance (and help them recover quickly after the event or workout). Here are the 3 key factors to consider:

1. What are you doing (i.e. swimming, biking or running - or all three) and how intense will you be exercising? 2. How long will you be training? 3. What can you stomach or tolerate?

There is no one diet plan for all triathletes. Nevertheless, there are some rules of thumb you can use to figure out your very own high performance diet.

The first thing you have to figure out is your fuel needs - in other words, how many calories do you need to consume to prevent your body from shutting down and your performances to whither.

The amount of calories you need to consume will alter based on Key Numbers 1 and 2 - what are you doing that day and how long will you be doing it?

The basics:
1. Before your workout/race: Start increasing carb and fluid intake an hour or more before your workout. This will help build up carbohydrates that your body will need for fuel during your workout. It will also help keep you hydrated.

For shorter workouts, maybe half a nutrition bar and 10 or more ounces of water. If you plan to work out longer than an hour, maybe eat a PBJ and drink 8 ounces gatorade and 8 ounces of water.

2. During your workout/race: One rule of thumb that many start with is 100 calories per hour. If you are working out more than an hour you will need to replace carbohydrates during your workout. Make sure you are drinking 4 to 8 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes (this should replace both carbohydrates and sodium). You want to consume around 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour - this can come from an energy drink, fruit, energy bars, gels or any other source you tolerate. Experiment some while training to find the best sources for you.

3. After you workout your body needs fuel to recover. If you are doing endurance work (training in one of the three disciplines) you need to consume some carbohydrates to replace energy you burned as soon as you can - no later than an hour and a half after the workout. After every workout I try to also eat some protein to help with recovery. There are several “recovery drinks” on the market. While some may not taste to great, remember getting the nutrition down is important. You may have to base what you use more on how it works than what it tastes like. Some good real food choices are bananas, nuts, electrolyte drink like Gatorade, milk, or PBJ.

4. Between workouts I have had good luck eating regularly throughout the day (5-6 small meals). I try to eat both a carb and protein serving at each meal. This keeps my blood sugar levels regulated and decreases the mid-day energy slump. When I eat out I’ll eat half the meal at the restaurant, and the rest later or for lunch the next day. I also make sure one of these meals happens around 2 hours before a workout session.

5. Know the amount of liquids your body loses. Occasionally do a test by weighing yourself before and after workouts to get an idea of how much fluid you lose. Drink 24 ounces of fluid for every pound you lost during your workout.

If you use these tips as a starting point for your triathlon nutrition plan you will see your body recover faster from workouts and your performance improve. You need to self-experiment with your nutrition plan - everyone is different - and see a nutritionist who specializes in sports nutrition if you experience any problems or just want to take your nutrition plan to the next level.

An easy way to estimate your daily calorie needs is to go to this website: http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/calories.shtml

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, nutrition, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

I won’t participate in any Ironmans this year. I cannot get ready for it in time. Hopefully, I can get ready by next year. I just have to keep training.

I have to overcome a few obstacles first. Most of all, my feet start to hurt once I run more than 2 miles at a given time. That significantly hinders my training.

I do all my running at night, because it is too hot during the day. I hope to get out cycling more during the day. I want to think of somewhere to which I can cycle, because I would prefer doing that to cycling around aimlessly. Do you cycle anywhere, or just go around in a loop? Tell me at the Triathlon Forums.

Janet Wilson recently wrote an article entitled Keys To Improve Your Triathlon Swim Stroke:

Swimming is the hardest of the three triathlon disciplines to master for most of the triathletes I coach. Probably the biggest reason is that swimming is the most “technique dependent” of the disciplines.

If you just jump in a pool and start flailing around you not only won’t improve, but you may actually “groove” a bad stroke and make it even harder to train yourself correct form. Regular swim stroke analysis is critical if you are going to groove a good, consistent freestyle stroke.

Here are 5 keys I use to evaluate the swim stroke of the triathletes I coach:

1. Hand entry - If your head is at 12 o’clock, your hands should enter the pool at 1 and 11. This helps prevent “cross over” which basically makes you swim like a snake back and forth through the water. You lose a lot of energy constantly trying to keep going straight. This also prevents over-rotation of the shoulder and hips which can also bleed power from your stroke.

2. Hand glide position - This is where you start your pull. You want to make sure you hand reaches to the pool wall and glides for a moment at head depth before you start your pull. This lets you get every last bit of forward momentum before starting your pull and lets you get some “glide time” for a second or two on each stroke - that way you are fresh when you get out of the water.

3. Kick - You want your kick to be efficient and you need to conserve energy here for the upcoming bike and run. Your legs should be straight behind your body with no bend at the hip - not stiff, but also not too loose. Your kick should start at your hips. I like to pretend that I am wearing flippers while kicking.

4. Level in water - You want your head, shoulders, hips and legs to be in line and at the same level under the water. Watch to make sure your hips and legs don’t sink below the level of your arms, head and torso.

5. Hand exiting the water - Make sure your hands exit the water at the bottom of the hip - not at waist. This will give you an extra boost at the end of your stroke and again get the most forward momentum off of each stroke. I notice that students start pulling their hand out early when they start to get tired.

A lot of time it is better to see this in action to really get a picture of it in your head. I have posted some video of me illustrating each of the 5 triathlon swimming keys at my website (I call it the 3-minute swim class). That is a good way to study the keys.

You can use these same 5 keys to evaluate your own stroke as you swim. Try swimming a few warm-up laps at the beginning of each triathlon swimming workout focusing on just one key at a time. If you have a friend who can help you videotape your stroke you can also evaluate your stroke that way - it is really helpful to see yourself swim and you’ll see big improvements if you make stroke analysis a part of your swim training.

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

Janet Wilson recently wrote an article with 7 triathlon training tips:

If you are a beginner or just getting started in triathlon, here are 7 more tips on how to train smart for triathlon:

1. Try the distance – Do a “practice event” at your own pace a week or two before the event. You will learn a lot that will help you during your race. Think about things like:
- Pacing (for example, what pace do I need to do the swim in so the bike and run are doable?)
- Practice your transition strategy.
- How will you feel after riding and then transitioning to the run?
- Can you do the entire swim without resting? (most pool swims will let you rest at the wall but get out of the way of other competitors)

2. Do some “brick” workouts – Practice switching from the bike to the run by following up a long bike with a short run every once in a while. Yes it’s uncomfortable. But you can teach the body to adjust and it can get more comfortable (well, at least everything hurts the same.)

3. Don’t do too much the week before the event. A well-rested body performs the best. Don’t push through a tough workout the week of your first race. If you feel you need more workouts before your first event then skip this one and sign up for one next month.

4. Don’t let a hilly or challenging course be a surprise. Train on similar terrain.

5. Know the course. How do you enter and exit the transition area (swim to bike and bike to swim - sometimes they happen in different places)? Where are the turn-arounds? If you know what to expect the day will be a lot easier. Also know the rules - the USAT website has them posted.

6. Don’t try anything new on race day. No new breakfast or new triathlon shorts. Use your race suit in your training - especially during your practice event. Use nutrition choices that you know you can eat and equipment you are used to.

7. Check the bike carefully before the race. Especially look for the following:
– Tire pressure
- Check brakes for rubbing
- Make sure the handle bars, profile bars and seat are all on tight
- Check that the bike is shifting correctly - put the bike in the gear you will want to start out in (do you start by climbing a hill - if so you need the bike in an easy gear). That way you’ll be ready when you grab the bike.

Hopefully these triathlon training tips will help you get ready for your next race. For more triathlon training tips check out my web site.

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

Janet Wilson recently wrote an article with 6 swim tips for your first triathlon:

Are you a triathlon beginner intimidated by the swim? Don’t feel bad - most beginners find the swim the toughest of the three disciplines. Here are 6 swimming tips to help you perform well during the swim at your first triathlon or to improve your swim time as you advance.

1. Swim technique. The more time you work on your technique, the more efficient your stroke and the less energy you will use during your swim. You can find 5 key techniques on the triathlon swim tips page on my site. You can also seek out help from a masters swim program. Sometimes even places that teach kids how to swim will also help adults who want to swim competitively. One of the best self-taught programs I’ve seen is from the “Tri Swim Coach” Kevin Koskella.

2. Repetition is the key to becoming a strong swimmer. The only way to improve your swimming is to keep doing it. If you are doing a race with an open water swim you should definitely add some practice open water swims to your training plan - you especially need to practice “sighting” in the water (swimming straight to a location). The good news is that swimming is a low-impact way to build your cardiovascular system.

3. Swimming with a group can keep you motivated. A group can keep you challenged to improve. A coached group is also a good place to start. A coach can give you feedback about your form or technique.

4. Upper body strength will help your swimming. As you develop your weight training program, don’t forget to work on upper body and core strength. This will definitely help your swimming.

5. What to wear during triathlon swimming. A snug fitting swimsuit - some people wear bike shorts - is best. This makes sure it doesn’t catch water during the swim. For lake swims, if the water temperature is 78 degrees or below you can wear a wetsuit. Most people will wear one if they have the option because a wetsuit helps add to your buoyancy in the water and keeps you warm. If you don’t have a wetsuit you need to get used to swimming in cold water.

6. How far do I have to swim to do my first triathlon? This is probably the number one question I get from beginners. It’s obviously a good idea to be able to swim at least the race distance (usually 500 meters in a sprint race) before you do your first triathlon. However, if your race has a pool swim don’t be worried if you’re not sure you’ll be able to swim without stopping - most pool swims allow you to hold onto the wall at the end of the pool to rest (just remember to keep your feet off the bottom of the pool - check with the race director before your race).

Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com

Dom Clacy recently reviewed the Dambuster Triathlon:

It was the day I had been waiting for…further that, the day I had been training for. The winter base and months of following training would all amount to this race, the Dambuster.

The Dambuster Triathlon, one of pacesetter events finest would be my first Olympic distance event. Not only that, it would be the qualifier for the world championships later this year in Hamburg Germany. How badly did I want to qualify? Badly enough to have already written the date in my diary and ensured that there would be nothing going on in the two weeks before the event so I could progress through my taper without any disruption!

Set in some of Leicestershires most spectacular scenery with the centre point being a Dammed lake in Rutland I would never have even dreamed of the gruelling challenge that lay before me.

Upon arriving at Rutland Water on the Friday (22nd) me and my dad, who I must add always travels with me to all my events, set up camp near to the lake before heading off the check out the course. We had already driven the famed ‘Rutland Ripple’ on the way in, a punishing set of up hill drags that seemed keep repeating themselves just when you thought they were over! My dad of course, always keeping a sensible head reminded me that “For every up, there is always a down!”, a comment that would stick with me when edging up those hills the next day. The swim was a diamond like route, 1500m around 5 buoys, fantastic! There is nothing worse for me than a straight out and back swim, it just looks so far! Onto transition to find that I actually had me own named area of transition set apart with a little sticker, I would have felt like a professional had the same not been done for everybody else. Still a great touch, well done pacesetter! The run route would take me and all the other potential qualifiers around the lake and out to the dam where an interval type sprint out and back across the dam twice before heading back to the start would make up the 10km. With everything planned out it was back to the tent for some sought after grub!

A typical campsite, with groups of men/women all staying together would typically be expected to be noisy through most of the night. One of the things I absolutely love about triathletes that would seem peculiar to anyone not accustomed to the sport is that we all need our sleep, and we know it! Half past ten and the campsite was dead to the world, not even a whisper! Fair enough really when the first wave of swimmers was off at 06:40! In fact even if you weren’t in the first wave, you still had to be in transition for 06:00, that mean getting up at 5:00 for me for an early breakfast!

Oats and bananas, thats what I have found works best for me over the last year or so. Still feeling full after a mountain of pasta the night before I had to keep breakfast reasonably light. I decided to get into my trisuit early, why not be prepared? I`m the kind of person who needs to have everything planned, probably due to the fact that I have to live my life by timetables in order to fit all the training in for 3 sports. As well as this I have a girlfriend, Rachael, probably the most understanding person in my life, who always stands by me with my sport but I would hate to take more time than necessary away from her. Hence all the timetables;to ensure I am getting everything done at times when it doesn’t affect anything or anyone else, this normally means the mornings! After racking up I applied the baby oil and got into my wetsuit. It was 0630 so I headed down to the water.

The mass start for the swim was brutal, I didn’t want to start at the front because I didn’t deem myself quick enough, there were 90 of us in the 18-24 category and I was in the middle of the pack. After a few kicks taken and a few handed out I found a bit of space and swam parallel to another guy, who I kept track of because I recognized his Orca wetsuit. I find normally when I swim I pass the time by counting my strokes per length, in open water there are no lengths…the swim seemed to go on forever! 26minutes to be exact, 4 minutes over my pool time. I couldn’t believe it, to qualify I needed to be in the top 4, I was 50th out the water!

After a reasonably quick transition jumped onto my bike and begin to pedal….there was a problem, I was spinning more than a washing machine….my chain was off. What are the chances, the most important race of the year and my chain fell off! After solving the problem I knew I had to make up alot of time, it was a case of just putting your head down and pedalling. After 6 or so miles we hit the Rutland Ripple, I say we because it was almost like a queue of traffic up the hills. This was where I could make up my time, I was used to hills, I train on hills and so I decided to stay in the saddle and spin up the hills. It hurt, the expression on my face in the photos says that, but I managed to overtake a fair few cyclists until that is, on the second hill, half way up my chain came off again….I cannot state the words that came out my mouth! But it had happened, so I jumped off, flicked it back on and continued with the struggle!

On the hour I had completed 22.5miles and so coming back into transition I had a fairly fast time of 1hr 12mins for 26.6miles. My legs felt good and I had pulled back a number of places. Now I was onto the run, I ran off the bike quickly, with my dad running parallel shouting advice. The run was mainly track but also a little cross country. The backdrop of the lake was great if you wanted to take your mind off the run. I decided to run the first 2km under 20min 5k pace. I wanted to get under 40mins for the run so badly, I originally opted for 36mins. I can run a 17min 5km and so though 36mins for 10km would work. Straight away I knew that was out of the question. Still I stuck with my plan for 2km and then cooled after a little for the next 4km. Running out and back across the dam meant I could see the opposition heading back the opposite direction. They were fast, some wearing GB tri-suit-what was I trying to do? Qualify against these guys…still anything was possible. I tried to run the last 4km hard but I was already too far behind. I finished the run in 40mins 30secs. Not fast enough but still a personal best over 10km.

I ended up 17th in my age group and so didn’t qualify for the Worlds. Disappointed…yes but coming back from 50th to 17th is something I am personally proud of. I have the Wakefield triathlon in a couple of weeks, a last change to qualify. Although this will be the national age group championships as well and so the race will be by no means easy. I just hope that since there are 8 qualifying places per age group I will stand a better chance of getting a place!

http://mylifestyletriathlon.blogspot.com

Janet Wilson wrote an article with 7 tips for triathlon beginners:

As a beginner to triathlon, you probably have a lot of questions. The best advice I have for a beginner’s first triathlon is to take it easy and to have a good time - it’s not brain surgery and should be fun.

Here are seven tips for the triathlon beginner:

1. For beginners, triathlon training should be targeted to a shorter distance race - almost always a sprint triathlon. Sometimes you can even find a beginner triathlon advertised in your area. Today races fill up pretty quick, so pick a race and sign up now (this will also give you a goal race to keep you committed).

2. Come up with a triathlon training plan. There are some great beginner triathlon training plans available on the web.

3. Triathlon beginners usually need to work on their swimming. So the next step is to find a pool where you can train. If you can find one with a swim coach or masters swimming program that is ideal. Otherwise, try to get a more experienced triathlete or certified triathlon coach to help. You’ll find several additional swimming tips here on my site.

4. Beginner triathlon training mileage should be reasonable. You will be tempted to over train at the beginning, especially if you are already a strong athlete. Try to resist the temptation. Triathlon beginners should work on their weakest event the most, and just make sure they can finish the other events. You can build speed after you finish your first race.

5. Practice your transitions, but don’t go overboard. A beginner triathlon bike leg transition is especially good to practice by doing a few “brick” workouts - where you complete a bike workout and then go for a run before you cool down. But take it easy. Just make sure you have all your triathlon gear ready and that you know how you plan to get it on and off in the transition area. That is plenty of preparation for your first triathlon.

6. Listen to pre-race instructions carefully and ask questions if you have them. Everyone was a triathlon beginner once, so don’t be embarrassed to ask questions. It seems like almost every triathlon has some slightly different setup, so even professionals have to ask questions about things like where to rack a bike, how to get from the swim area to the bikes, where the bike dismount area is and other details. If you have questions, ask.

7. Relax and enjoy your first triathlon. Don’t forget to have fun during the intensity of the race. Take pride in the fact that you reached your goal. If you have any challenges (the most common are mechanical problems on the bike) just remember that this is your first race. Remind yourself that you are just “learning the ropes” - don’t add performance pressure until you have first proven to yourself that you can do it.

If you follow these seven tips you’ll have a great first triathlon - and be on your way to going from a “beginner triathlete” to a “competitive” one.

http://www.coach-janet.com Triathlon Coach Janet Wilson is a USAT certified triathlon coach and ACE certified personal trainer. Janet is an accomplished and nationally-ranked amateur triathlete and she coaches triathletes of all skill levels, from a triathlon beginner to Hawaii Ironman qualifiers. To learn more about triathlon training, swim tips, coaching programs or just great tips on how to stay in shape visit her website at http://www.coach-janet.com