Tips & Training

Do one longer workout in each sport once a week. If you are doing an Olympic distance triathlon, swim 2000, ride 25 miles, and run 6 miles. Doing this routinely will start to build endurance. 

Don’t wear anything new on race day!  You don’t want any unexpected surprises with chafing, fit, etc.  Wear what you’re comfortable in.

Wear the same thing throughout the race.  So swim in whatever you want to wear on the bike.  When you’re wet out of the water, it’s really difficult to put bike shorts on over a swimsuit, or pull a shirt over your head.  Unless it’s really cold, then it’s worth the extra time to throw on a vest or zip front top!  Speaking of bike shorts, you’ll want tri specific shorts.  Regular bike shorts will fill with water. It’s up to you what to wear on top.  Something fitted will have less drag.  Tri specific tops will have small pockets – great to take LUNA Sport Moons with you out on the run!

Since swimming is all about technique, drills are important for learning proper body and arm positioning.  For beginners, drills should take up a large portion of their pool time.  Advanced swimmers may work on drills only in the off season.  Here are my favorites:

One-Arm Swimming
This is swum like regular freestyle, but only one arm is moving for each length of the pool – allowing you to focus on and placement in water, the pull, and body rotation.  The other arm is stationary, either out front or against your body.  Practice this drill with the stationary arm in both positions. When your stationary arm is by your side breath towards that side (away from the moving arm). 

Fist
This drill allows you to feel how the pull part of your stroke is important and to get maximum efficiency. It is swum like regular freestyle, except you hold your hands in a fist.  Go back and forth between fisted and normal to feel the difference.
Work on pressing the water with the inside of your forearm.  With the elbow high, see how much of a paddle you can make with your arm.

Kicking
Kicking without a kickboard will allow you to perform your kick in the same body position of the stroke. Kick on your side with your bottom arm (the one closer to the bottom of the pool) extended straight out of your shoulder line before your head. Keeps your palm facing down and your extended hand about 8 inches under water. The top arm (the one on the surface of the water) should be relaxed at your side with your hand on your hip and out of the water.  Press your upper body toward the pool bottom to get your hip at the surface of the water.

You can either swim one length of the pool on each side, rotating your head and body to breathe.  Or you can alternate every 5-10 strokes, doing a slow swim stroke to get to the other side.  I like to use this switching of sides to do a mini fingertip drill, slowly dragging my fingertips across the water before I switch to the other side.

BIKE
The helmet on the bike’s handlebars, upside down with the front towards you, glasses inside.  Shoes open.  So when you come running up to your bike from the water you can slip your feet in the shoes as you’re putting on your glasses, then set the helmet on your head and buckle the strap.  Tighten your shoes and you’re off!

RUN
On your towel, lay out your gear from front to back.  In front, shoes facing the other direction open so you can slip your feet in.  If you wear socks, have those open and inside each shoe.  You could put baby powder in them so your feet slide in easily.  Then lay your race belt, hat or visor and nutrition behind your shoes.  When you come back from the bike slip your feet in the shoes and socks and tighten your lace locks or speed laces.  Then grab the rest and put it on while you’re running!

Special note on the SWIM:
Since we’re talking about speed, here’s how to exit the water.  Swim as close as you can to the shore and don’t stand up until your hands hit the bottom.  Faster to swim then dragging your feet through the water!  Start taking off your wetsuit as you’re running to the transition area and strip it down to your waist.  Then take off your swim cap and goggles – don’t do it first or you’ll be left with only one hand to navigate your wetsuit off!