Sprint Triathlon-Beginners Best Choice
Out of all the different triathlons that you can train for, these include Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman, and Iron-man, Sprints are probably the most common. The reason why they are so popular is because they are shorter in distance and so this gives beginners an opportunity to get in on the action.
What Sprint Triathlon Beginners Will Receive in this Article-Training
Within this article, I will discuss different beginner sprint triathlon training programs, plans, schedules, and tips, which will make your first sprint triathlon training a little bit easier. It will guide you as a beginner in training for swimming, biking, running, and transitions. I also have logged some information on how to relax when it comes to competing in a triathlon. And I provide a list or a guide of things you need to remember to have in your triathlon bag, as well as what gear, equipment, clothing, and accessories you will need to have.
You can use these links to go directly to the section in this article that interests you the most or you can read the entire article.
The Triathlete Beginners Training Programs
The first thing that you will be faced with is the decision to enter a Sprint Triathlon or not. This is by far the most important thing you can make as a beginner. Many beginners, and newbies, find it a scary thought to compete in one. Some have a fear of water, or they are weak swimmers. Other beginners may think that they cannot get into shape to finish a triathlon. These, and others, are legitimate concerns. And it's true that no one can tell you what to do, I can tell you this, if you decide to do it, it will pay dividends for the rest of your life. Once I made up my mind to try a sprint triathlon, I immediately felt better, I lost weight, and I gained a lot of confidence. Now I want to move onto the next level-an Olympic Tri.
But you do need to realize that once you have made the decision to do it, you don't want to let any obstacle get in your way from completing your goal. That includes you! There will be ups and downs and good days and bad days. You will have to learn to appreciate the good days and to realize that the bad days you will have are only temporary and you will be able to push your way through them. Small goals will help you to be successful and you will take pride in accomplishing them on the way.
So I must say, sprint triathlons are not for the wimpy, but they are also not too difficult for newbies and beginners to be apart of them. They are hard enough, so that when you get done you will feel really good about what you have achieved. The sprint triathlon race is composed of short distances and is a great way for new tri-athletes to get started. Most people are capable of doing all three events if they follow some beginner triathlon workouts, in fact, easy triathlon workouts! So if you are interested at all in finishing a triathlon, I highly recommend finding an event close to you and signing up. I would even recommend that you find a friend to join you. Beginners, your sprint triathlon training will pay off, trust me!
Triathlon Swim Training Plan for Beginners
Swimming is usually the weakest event for most beginners. If this is a weakness for you, then consider swimming lessons, or joining a swim club. The more you swim the more confident you will be. You will want to focus primarily on proper form and technique. Most swimmers will be swimming freestyle so learn how to accomplish this swimming style and practice your form along with your breathing technique.
As a beginner, triathlon swimming may bother you causing you to obsess too much with how fast you are swimming. Build up your endurance to the point that you can complete the swim distance without stopping. A good way to train or to practice for this is to swim farther than the required distance. If on race day you are supposed to swim .25 miles, then train to swim .3 miles or even go as far as .5 miles. This will build up your muscles and lungs, and it will build up your confidence on race day, because the distance you have to swim will seem shorter than your practice sessions and will help alleviate some worry. Speed will come as you get a few triathlons under your belt.
If your swimming workouts are mostly in a pool and the sprint triathlon is going to be in open water, such as in a lake or in the ocean, then I do recommend that you try to practice some in a lake or in the ocean. Swimming in a pool is very different than swimming in open water. If you can expose yourself to open water training then you won’t be totally surprised on race day. A pool is clear and smooth, whereas a lake is murky and slightly choppy. The ocean can be both clear and murky, and wavy. I began my training in a pool and thought I had it down pretty good, but when I tried swimming in the ocean I had a difficult time. I was having a difficult time swimming in a straight line and the waves sometimes crashed onto my head when I was trying to take a breath. I found myself stopping a lot as well. My training in the pool was from one end of the pool to the other end and then I would stop and do it again. This messed up my endurance for the ocean. I got tired more quickly because I was used to stopping every so often. Things got better when I focused all of my training in the ocean.
To make improvements in your swimming focus on some upper body workouts. Fit in a small workout program that will build up your upper body and your core. I added push-ups, shoulder presses, and sit-ups into my training and it made a world of difference. This will definitely help your swimming.
What I like most about swimming is that swimming is a low-impact way to build your up cardiovascular system. You can train a little longer and a little harder because it doesn’t tax your body as much.
Triathlon Beginner Bike Training
If you haven’t rode a bike for a while then it probably would be a good idea to start as soon as possible. Riding a bike will no doubt be the easiest discipline that you will have when it comes to a triathlon, however, you still need to get your body conditioned for riding, especially your rear end. I used to race BMX bikes when I was younger and I figured that when it came to riding I was going to be pretty prepared. Not my butt! Boy it hurt the next day, so take my word and get out their ride away, but be prepared for some tenderness in your bottom.
The nice thing about a sprint triathlon is it is short enough that if you do not have a road bike, you can get away with a mountain bike. Mountain bikes are probably the most popular bikes on the market so most have one. I recommend that you take the knobby tires off and add slick road tires. Find out the size of your tires, which can be found on the sidewalls, and then call your local bike shop to find out if they have road tires that match the size of your tires. I took my bike directly to the bike shop and they immediately knew what tires fit and gave them to me. I installed them myself, but if you are not familiar with out to do it, it doesn’t cost much for them to do it.
If your bike is not a road bike and it has shocks, find out if you can stiffen them. You do not need to have the benefit of shocks when you just riding on smooth roads for sprint triathlons. Check your owner’s manual for your bike to see how to stiffen them. I have seen all kinds of sprint triathlon bikes used, from BMX bikes, to ten-speeds. If you have some money to purchase a new bike check out some road bike reviews. Many bicycle magazines on the market do regular reviews of road bikes and some have had some great entry-level road bike reviews. But if you have a bike already, then it no doubt will do. Just make sure to do some maintenance on the bike, such as tightening all your bolts, making sure your brakes work properly, oil your chain with chain oil, and make sure that your seat and post are adjusted so that you sit higher and slightly forward. This will give you extra power in the gears so you can pedal at higher speeds.
Some triathlon bike gear that you may be interested in getting is some bar ends for your handlebars, if you have a mountain bike or a hybrid bike. These are only optional but they can make your ride a little more comfortable. Make sure that a water bottle bracket is installed on your bike so that you can stay hydrated as you ride. You may also check into getting clips for your pedals, or you may want to buy clip-less pedals. Clip-less pedals require you to buy clip-less shoes that have a special clip on the bottom that allow your shoe to snap onto your pedal. These obviously require that you buy special shoes, but these are very popular especially on road bikes. Do not try clips or go clip-less without practicing with them first. They’re a bit tricky to get used to at first, so don’t show up for a sprint triathlon without trying them out a couple of times first.
Practice riding a couple days a week and as you do so gradually increase your distance that you ride. After a few weeks you should be up to riding the distance that you need for your race. Once you’re able to ride the total distance you could continue with that distance each workout and try to do it faster each time. Or, you could add some additional distance with each workout to build up endurance. I like to do a combination of both. One time I may ride 11 or 12 miles at 100% effort, or I might opt to go 15-20 miles at about 80% effort. Mixing it up with your triathlon bike training will help you to get better.
When it comes to triathlon swim training, I mentioned above that beginners should not totally focus on speed, but rather on being consistent and completing the swim, the opposite is true with biking. If you are a little slower when you swim, you can make up a lot of time by being fast on your bike. Give some good attention bicycle training for the triathlon and you’ll do just fine.
Beginner Triathlon Running Workouts and Training
Most sprint triathlons have a 5k run. But you may ask, ‘how far is a 5k run in miles? To get the answer you need to convert 5k into miles and you can find kilometer to miles conversion calculators on the Internet. But I’ve already done that for you and so a 5k run is equivalent to 3.1 miles. That’s not too bad! Yeah, easier said than done, right? I started training on my bike months before I decided to race in a sprint triathlon; in fact, I was up to riding 50 miles a day. So I thought that running would be a breeze. WRONG! I was huffing and puffing after a quarter of a mile. Running works different muscles than biking does. So I felt like I was starting all over with my training when I started to do running workouts.
So I suggest that when you begin to start riding your bike, incorporate a day or two each week to running. Increase your distance gradually but don’t over do it. It’s very easy to over-train when you start to swim, bike, run for a sprint triathlon. Just like with bike riding you can gain some great time back if you are slower in swimming, running can be the same. I run exactly 3.1 miles when I train, but each time I try to run it faster than the time before. I really focus on running fast the first mile and then I level out for the next 1.5 miles. During the final running distance I begin to pick up my pace slightly and then I try to run as fast as I can the last 100 feet or so. Other triathlon running workouts are posted all over the web if you want to try something different.
Beginner Transition Training
Being that this is your first sprint triathlon, you may not know what a transition is, let alone train for it. A triathlon transition is the gaps between each event. After you swim you need to make your way to your bike for the biking part of the triathlon. This is called a transition (T-1). When you have finished riding your bike and you get off and begin to run this is also called a transition (T-2). You need to practice for these transitions. Why? Because they are apart of the overall timing of the triathlon and if you are slow in a transition this can affect your overall time. Make for yourself a triathlon transition checklist. In this checklist you want to include the following items:
1. A transition bag so you can store and organize all of your gear before and after the race
2. A towel or a mat, which of course is optional, but having a towel or mat can help you organize your triathlon equipment in an organized manner so that your shoes, race number belt, water bottles, helmet, sunglasses, shirt, etc. are not lying in the grass which could make it more difficult during the transition from swim to bike and the transition form bike to run.
3. I recommend that you have an extra water bottle or Tupperware, or equivalent, bucket with water to rinse off sand or dirt from off of feet when transitioning from swim to bike. It hurts to have sand in your socks, or shoes if you go sock less, when you are biking and running. The water will clean your feet quickly and make sure you have another towel draped over your bike so you can quickly wipe you feet dry quickly.
4. An air pump - if you need some extra air in your tires, it will come in handy.
These are the necessary items that you will need to make your transitions go smoothly. Make sure you practice putting on your shoes and your shirt if you have one. The first time I tried to put on my racing jersey when I was all wet was hilarious. It took me awhile because I was all wet. So practice this and tying your shoes because you will be nervous and you will be trying to go fast and if you haven’t trained for this it will slow you down.
Other Triathlon Gear for Beginners
Here is another list of gear, equipment, clothing, apparel, and accessories that beginners will need for a sprint triathlon:
Beginner Swimming Gear:
1. Goggles. Make sure before leaving your home that you have your goggles in triathlon bag. Also make sure that you have some defogger.
2. Swim Cap. This will usually be provided for you when you pick up your triathlon packet, but you will want to remember to have with you when it is time to race. It would be horrible to not be allowed to compete simply because you forgot your cap.
3. If the race allows wetsuits, you may want to bring yours.
Beginner Biking Gear:
1. Your bike. You probably wouldn’t forget your bike, but you never know.
2. Helmet. Most races require that you wear a helmet, so bring yours.
3. Water bottles. Make sure you bring your water bottles and any sports drinks that you may want to add to them.
4. Socks. These are optional, but if you trained with them on, then make sure you bring them, because it will affect your performance.
5. Gloves. These also are optional.
6. Shoes. Riding shoes and or running shoes.
Beginner Running Gear:
1. Running belt with your number
2. Hat or Visor. This is optional but recommended to block out the harmful rays of the sun.
3. Hydration belt. This is also optional but some runners like to carry additional fluids, gels, salt tablets, etc.
4. Running shoes.
5. Running socks. Optional, but needed if you have trained running with socks.
Triathlon Brick Workouts for Beginners
About 4 weeks out from your sprint triathlon event, you should start to add brick workouts to your training program or plan. To accomplish a brick workout, requires that you perform 2 events in one workout session. It can be 2 full disciplines, or it could be 1 full and1 partial. I use both. Once a week I will throw in a brick workout. I may swim my full distance and then go and ride my full-required distance. Or I might bike ride and then run afterwards. If I feel over-trained, I will only perform a partial brick, such as running the full 5k, but then only swimming have my distance.
Swim, Bike, Run Triathlon Training Reminders for Beginners
Beginners, the biggest reminder that I can pass on to you for your first sprint triathlon is try and to remember to have fun. Even though the training is hard work, it is all for the benefit of your body and mind. You body will thank you for trying to be healthy and your mind will gain a lot of confidence. When you complete one triathlon, you will know doubt want to compete in some more. You will have the assurance that you have done it before and you can do it again, but maybe even better. Good Luck!
Your First Sprint Triathlon-Conclusion
You will make a good choice if you decide to compete as a beginner in a sprint triathlon. Focus on your training when it comes to the swim, the bike, and the run. Remember to bring all of your bike gear on race day, such as your bike. If you need a road bike read some reviews. Don’t forget to add some brick workouts and transition workouts. Make a checklist for everything you need. You may be your first beginner sprint triathlon, but soon you will just be known as a sprint triathlete. Now that’s awesome!