Heather Fell: Are you ready to take the plunge and enter your first triathlon? Maybe you've
been recently inspired, or it's something that's always been on your bucket list and you've now
plucked up the courage to give it a go. Mark Threlfall: Well, naturally, you're
going to have a lot of questions that you'd like to ask, or at least you should have. Now,
we were really fortunate when we first started doing triathlons that we were able to ask
a lot of friends and even some pros in some cases and well, we think it's about time that
we pass on and share some of that knowledge and experience that we've gained with you guys, too.
Heather: Today, we are going to be covering everything you need to know to do your first tri.
[music] Mark: Right then,
let's start with the training. This should come first both in terms of priorities, but also in
order of addressing the areas of preparation. Now, training for each person from one to the other is
going to differ significantly depending on their starting position, their sporting background,
and also the event that they're planning to do. For those very reasons, I'm not going to give you
an exact number today or the hours that they should be doing for training, however,
we would suggest that you have some level of experience or you're at least able to swim,
bike and run to some degree, and hopefully for a sustained period of time.
Heather: Yes. Once you've built up to being able to cover the distance for those individual sports,
you then need to think about putting them all together, and that might sound a little bit
daunting, doing them all one after another, but we're not telling you that to put you off, we're
telling it so you know what to actually expect when it comes to a triathlon. With that in mind,
I think we should introduce the brick session. Mark: Now, if you're not familiar with
that term, you might be wondering what on earth we're on about or what on earth we've
got in store for you. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it may sound, however, your legs
may feel like bricks when you're doing it. That is the reason why we want to practice it in training.
Now, essentially, a brick session is doing one discipline to the next in quick succession,
and most popularly we do it as bike to run, because we are using our leg muscles in both
those disciplines, but in very different ways. Heather: Obviously, after the bike, you will
have spent a considerable amount of time sat down, but in a flexed position, working your legs,
and that is an extremely different to suddenly being in a weight-bearing, more upright position
and as a result, you need to just practice getting used to this quite dramatic change. When
it comes to training, it's a really good idea to just incorporate to start with some really
super short runs at the end of your bike ride. Make sure when you're heading out on your bike
ride, you leave your trainers at home, preferably ready to go so you can get back off the bike,
slip your shoes on and go out. Even if it's just for a few minutes to start with, it just
helps you start to get used to that sensation. Mark: Well, the brick sessions are as much
about getting used to the feeling of going from one discipline to the next and knowing
what to expect as they are the training benefit itself. It's hard to say as to whether they
actually get easier with time or you just get more used to it, but as with anything,
the more practice, the better. Now, we would advise as you get closer to the
target race, to the event, is you actually start doing some race pace efforts off the bike,
and we do not suggest you start going and doing the full race distance but simply just 5 to 10
minutes or short intervals at that race pace are going to help and get you used to that feeling.
Then in regards to swim to bike, well, don't worry about that so much, just simply from
a logistics standpoint but if you can, at your local open water venue do a short run off after
the swim as a great way of getting used to that shunting of blood from the arms to the legs.
Heather: Talking of open water, if the triathlon you've entered is going to be in the sea,
the lake or river then you need to have some sort of experience of open water swimming. It is fine
to do the majority of the hard work in a pool, but it is a very different type of swimming and
a different experience. Beyond that, whether it's purely in the pool or preferably open water, it's
a good idea to have some practice, just swimming with some other people, even it's just a couple
of others because when it comes to race day, you will have fellow athletes surrounding you.
[music] Mark: Now for equipment. Equipment
goes hand in hand with training to an extent because in order for you to be able to swim,
bike, and run, you're going to need a kit to be able to swim, bike and run but beyond that, you're
going to actually need some triathlon-specific gear too. Now, you can of course, and I would
advise is try and borrow some gear, whether that's from friends or a local triathlon club,
just to be able to figure out what works for you, or to actually just get you through that
triathlon without breaking the bank all together. If you are to invest in anything, I would firstly
recommend getting yourself a tri-suit. It's not essential, you can, of course,
get changed in each transition but this thing is designed to get you through all three
disciplines of a triathlon and it's designed for the job, they're super comfortable. Yes,
definitely recommend one of these. The next thing would be a race belt. Now, in any triathlon
that you do, you'll be given a number, and that's to identify you as a competitor.
Normally, you're given one that you would put on your back during the bike, and then you'd have it
spin around or put on your front for the run. Now, the race belt allows you to- attach the race belt,
pop it on in transition, and then spin it around after the bike, so that you have it on your front
for the run. You can, of course, make your own, but these things are made so well and they're
only about £5, so it's a no-brainer, really. The next thing, well, it's the wetsuit. Now,
of course, this is only relevant if you're doing a cold water swim or an open water
swim for that matter, but these are designed to keep you warm, keep you afloat, and in some
cases are essential because you will not be able to race without one. Again, this is a sort of
thing you may want to borrow initially and just try out, so finding out which one works for you.
You can also hire them, just make sure you get one that fits you because that is really important.
Beyond that, there's a couple of other things but one that I would recommend
you explore is elastic laces. Now, this is probably the cheapest and best upgrade that
you can make for a triathlon. Literally, it costs you a few pounds, but it allows you to
slip your trainers on quickly in transition, and really initiate yourself as a triathlete.
[music] Heather:
You've acquired the kit, you've got the training covered, it's now time to rewind a moment and
actually work out a goal that you want to work towards, you need to choose an event. When it
comes to choosing which triathlon to enter, there are several factors you need to consider, and the
order in which they come in is going to depend on your personal priorities, but let's start by
looking at the distance that you want to cover. If you're doing your first triathlon,
it's a good idea to keep it short but they will range from anything as short as a super sprint,
covering a 400 meter swim, a 10K bike, and a 2,5K run through to a full Ironman, but we suggest you
leave those long distances to later on in your triathlon career and stick
to that super sprint, maybe a sprint distance, which is a 750 swim, a 20K bike, and a 5K run.
If you already got a good base in the sports and you want a bit more of a challenge,
you can look at an Olympic distance, which is double that, or even pushing it to a half Ironman,
which consists of a 1,900 meter swim, a 90K bike and a 21K run. However, bear in mind
that the longer the distance you're going to attempt, the longer that preparation period,
and the more training that will be required. The location of your event and the cost of entry
also need to be considered. Now, on the whole, the more local the event, the cheaper the entry fee,
and also you're going to save money on the cost of getting there. Plus, you're going to have added
benefits of knowing the local area. If you're really close, you might even be able to ride
on those roads or swim in the swimming location. Beyond that, there's a few other things you need
to think about when you start to hone in that search. Ask yourself, do you want to be in open
water or would you prefer a pool swim for your first triathlon? Do you like hills, or do you
prefer to ride and run on the road, and if it's on the road, maybe you're not a fan of traffic. Now,
on the whole, most of us do tend to be on open roads because it costs quite a bit to
close them but if it's quite a short event, some of those are on closed circuits and it
might be something that's worth considering. You've also got the option of off-road triathlons.
If you're doing one of those though, make sure you've got an appropriate bike for it. Then for
the majority, probably 99% of amateur triathlons, they are going to be non-drafting events,
which basically just takes out you having to worry about people being close to you on the bike.
[music] Mark:
Now obviously, when training for triathlon, you are going to start to naturally learn when your
body needs more fuel, you need to refuel, and hopefully be able to take that forward into
race day too. Now obviously, nutrition on race day does depend very much on the length of the race.
For instance, for a super sprint, it's unlikely that you're going to need to refuel massively with
carbohydrates during the race, but you'll probably want to take some water on the bike and perhaps
even the runs that you're rehydrating on the go. Heather: Yes, but when it comes to a longer
distance triathlon, then you are going to need to make sure you've got some sort of
fueling strategy, whether you're keeping things fairly simple with, say, an energy bar and some
Jelly Babies or if you're going a little bit more technical with a sports specific drink and gels,
you need to make sure you practice it in training. It's a bit of a skill really, learning to take on
solids and liquids whilst you're working at quite a high intensity, and it will take your stomach a
little bit of time just to get used to that. Mark: Yes, absolutely. Well, hopefully,
you have got the point today. Preparation is key to enjoying your first triathlon,
and aside from just watching this video today, it's now a case of taking some of
this information forwards, and practicing it yourself if you haven't done so already.
Heather: Basically, I think what we're trying to say is the more you've practiced,
the more you're going to be able to go there and enjoy your first triathlon and most importantly,
be back for a second. Well, good luck in that first triathlon. If you've enjoyed this video,
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