Triathlon Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Starting in the sport of triathlon can be a bit scary. I was lucky enough to have a partner to join me so we could figure it together. At the beginning of the year I knew nothing about this sport and now it consumes me more than I care to admit. I wide range of people read this blog - some of you are brand new to the sport and others have been doing it for years. Hopefully this advice will help some newbies.


1. I volunteered at a race before my first event. We volunteered at a few duathlons before our first tri and it really helped calm my nerves for my first race. I learned so much by watching the other race participants. Some things were big like helping me decide that I need to spend the money on a road bike and bike shoes. Others were small like realizing the benefits of having a race number belt. The other perk to volunteering at races is that you can sometimes get free or discounted entrance into other races and you usually get a t-shirt and post race snacks.

2. If you buy a new bike, go to a shop that includes a professional fit. I would count this as the biggest and most expensive mistake I made this year. We did shop around at a lot of bike stores but we really had no idea what to look for in a bike shop. Many shops will include a free or discounted professional fit with the purchase of your bike. I originally thought that a professional fit was really more for "professional" cyclists. But, this is not the case. Everyone can benefit from a professional bike fit. It really does make all the difference in your ride comfort and efficiency. If you are going to spend this much money then you should get it right the first time.


3. Read tri books and blogs. I also learned a lot by riding other tri blogs and books. They are educational, motivating and create a sense of community. The also make you feel a bit less crazy for obsessing over this sport.

4. Get a bike computer with cadence. You don't really need a bike computer, but if you are going to buy one then I think it is worth it to get one that includes cadence. When reading about different types of workouts you can do on the bike cadence is usually a big factor. We paid around $30 for a bike computer that includes speed, mileage, time, etc. I wish I had bought one with cadence off the bat so it would be there when I need it.

5. Just sign up already! If you are thinking about doing your first triathlon just pick a race and sign up. It will be the motivation you need to keep trying. I would recommend a sprint distance to start (typically a .5 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run). This distance is short enough that even if you are not as trained as you want to be you can probably finish it without too much trouble. You may have to doggy paddle the swim, walk your bike up a hill, and walk the run, but you probably aren't going to have to quit. If you are having trouble picking what race to do I did a post about this earlier in the year.

Does anyone else have advice to add? What did you learn in your first year of triathlon?