Do Life by Ben Davis

Author:Ben Davis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2012-12-02T05:00:00+00:00

triathlon tips and terms

Bikes: This seems obvious, right? It’s a bike. What could there possibly be to know? The answer is: a lot. First, which type of bike will you use—road bike or mountain bike? Road bikes are much more convenient, speedy, and lightweight than mountain bikes, but cost a little more. Mountain bikes are rugged, heavy, more stable, and will handle most types of terrain. Your first time on a road bike will likely feel a little tense. There is no give in a road bike—no shocks—it’s a very rigid experience. You’ll be fine to compete in a shorter-distance race with a mountain bike if it helps you feel more at ease, but if you’re at all serious about triathlons, a road bike is an investment you’ll want to make.

Brick Workout: A brick is any training exercise that combines two disciplines back to back. Most commonly, it will put the two distances that go with each other—swim/bike or bike/run—but I’ve done my fair share of swim/runs, too. Bricks are imperative to get you used to the sensation that comes from transitioning from one sport to the next.

Transition: During your triathlon, there will be areas for you to transition between the different courses, named, appropriately, transition areas or T1 (swim-to-bike transition) and T2 (bike-to-run transition). You will drop all your gear off at transition areas prior to the race (either the night before or morning of) to make the transitions as smooth and speedy as possible. T1 will hold your bike, most importantly, your helmet, and shoes, but put other helpful stuff there as you need it: towel, change of clothes, sunscreen—anything that you think you might require to get you on the road prepared.

Clipless Pedals: If you’ve ever seen a serious cyclist spinning through town, chances are they were wearing those odd-looking shoes that click when they walk. Ninety-five percent of the competitors at triathlons will be wearing these shoes. They clip into the pedal, giving the rider a more powerful spin cadence. (This way the rider is pulling up while simultaneously pushing with the other foot, something not possible with standard pedals.) I will say, however, that in my five triathlons and years of training, I’ve never used a pair, so don’t fret if you don’t want to pony up the two-hundred-dollars-plus for special pedals and shoes, particularly if you’re looking at the shorter triathlons.

Open Water Swim: Exactly as it sounds. This means you go to your local lake, river, or ocean, hop in, and do your training swim. Swimming in the open water is much different from swimming at your local YMCA, and you need to feel comfortable doing it so that you don’t have a panic attack when you are in thirty-feet-deep water three hundred yards from shore. Many people tie a rope to their waist dragging a flotation device ten or fifteen feet behind them in case anything happens while they’re training alone.

Wet Suit: Wet suits will make your swimming life a living dream. For one, you’ll be more hydrodynamic, cutting through the water at lightning speed.

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