Make sure that you plan long ahead of time by making a list of the materials that you are going to need in order to participate in the swimming portion of your triathlon. Here is a list of basic supplies that you are going to need for your training regimen and the race itself.

• Swimsuit
• Cycling shorts or racing suit
• Goggles
• Cap
• Anti-Fog Drops
• Wetsuit (In races where it is allowed)
• Lubricant (Anti-chafing)
• Water Bottle for pre-race hydration
• Watch or heart monitor
• Plan for using all of these items

Training Tips:

Make sure that you are not overdoing your swimming workouts. For most triathlete participants, an adequate workout is between 30 minutes and 60 minutes, and you can have one workout per week that is 75 minutes to 90 minutes if you want a long and straight swim.

In order to set a goal time for your swimming, you need to determine what your threshold swimming pace is for 100 meters of swimming, then add 5 % or 10 % to accommodate navigation issues and also to compensate for a lack of walls, and then multiply that amount by the distance of the race. This time should be generally pretty accurate barring any strange occurrences such as being kicked in the stomach by a passing swimmer.

You need to learn how to swim smart, and you need to learn how to make yourself as efficiently as possible through the practice of good swimming technique. While improvement is capable of being measured by creating faster times, it is also capable of being achieved through the same amount of elapsed time by having to put less effort forth or having a lower heart rate. This will leave you with more reserves for the biking and the running legs of your triathlon competition, and it will allow you to result in a faster race time over all.

When you arrive at the site of the race, and you have finished setting yourself up for the race, you should head for the swimming part of the course and spend some time warming up. As you begin to do some swimming, you should be looking around for any navigational landmarks that are all around you. Think about where the sun is and make sure that it will not provide you with any swimming difficulties. Are your goggles, wetsuit and cap feeling okay, or do adjustments need to be made before the race is ready to begin?

Now you can line up for the start. Line up toward the front of the pack on the outside. You can drift back to your own pace more easily rather than having to work your way through a thick mass of swimmers and their splashing, after all.

Photo Credits: eric.surfdude

Originally posted 2009-08-07 05:55:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here are some tips for any triathlete when it comes to training and then racing in the swimming leg for any triathlon competition. The first leg for any triathlon is going to be the wettest one, and yet it should be the one that is the most relaxed and the most enjoyable as well. The swim does not have to be the hardest portion of this event, and yet it is critical that you perform well in order to correctly set yourself up for a productive bike and run.

Your swim should feel like it is a good effort and yet it should also feel relaxed, and this should be able to allow you to move confidently through the water but with the least possible expenditure of energy. The swim has to be fast enough that you can get to the bicycling portion of the race within a reasonable period of time, depending on what your personal goals are for the race at hand. The swim has to be controlled so that you maintain a feeling of confidence all throughout the leg, and you should stay positive, especially during the transition phase between swimming and bicycling.

Swimming efficiently and swimming within your own personal limits should be able to accomplish each and every one of these goals. You should design a personal training plan that allows you to do at least three or four effective swimming workouts every single week. Here are a few things that you are going to want to consider:

• You are going to want to include a warm up period and a cool down period in every one of your work outs.
• You are going to want to include some technique work for swimming in every one of your work outs.
• You are going to want to incorporate easy swimming and good effort swimming levels of exertion in every one of your work outs.
• You are going to want to participate in open water sessions whenever possible so that you can work on improving your navigational techniques in open water.
• If you plan on using a wetsuit, then you are going to want to practice in one as well so that you can experience the differences between wetsuit swimming and swimming without a wetsuit prior to the day of the race.
• You are going to want to make a list of all of the items that you are going to need for the entire swimming portion of the race, including what you need before the race, during the swimming leg of the race and during the transition phase between the swimming leg of the race and the bicycling leg. This will help you prepare for training and for the big race day as well.

Now go swimming!

Photo Credits: KWentin

Originally posted 2009-12-03 03:35:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Triathlon races are among the most challenging things people will do in their lifetime. This is true no matter what your athletic level is. This is because you challenge your body to stand up to the abuse from three different sports back to back. Racing in one of the sports is enough to wear most people out. To complete the triathlon with a good time, you will need the right kind of training. This includes training in each other events as well as making the transitions from one event to the next.

Practicing Transitions

One place where people lose a lot of time is when they are transitioning from swimming to biking or from biking to running. The challenge you run into is the fact you will be wet from swimming and from sweat at every point in the challenge. This is why when training for triathlon races, it is important to train in changing your equipment from one event to the next in the fastest possible time. While you will not be able to have instantaneous changes, you will be able to shave off precious seconds from your final time.

Practicing Your Start

The norm for triathlon races is to start with a run into the water for your swim portion. You should practice being able to easily transition from a run into swimming. Some people prefer to dive in while others prefer to get under water and push off from the sandy bank. Choose the one which feels right to you and improve upon it. Time yourself in your ability to go from shore to full swim. The faster you are swimming, the faster you will reach your destination. Do not waste your time wading in as far as you can before you start swimming. Start swimming as soon as the water is almost to your groin.

Using a Training Schedule

Plan out how you will train for your triathlon. Proper scheduling is the only way to make sure you will be properly prepared for every part of triathlon races. You will be able to not only schedule out when you will be training and in what ways. You will be able to keep track of your progress and make expectations of how you will perform in your next training session. This will give you an accurate indicator of how you are progressing.

Use Dry Runs to Your Advantage

While you might not have the route of triathlon races available to you for training, you can create your own route for a dry run. Have a friend help you to make sure your equipment is in the right place and is left alone. This will help you to concentrate on making your transitions as well as running through the actual event. The first dry run should be much shorter than the length of the race you are competing in. As you get closer to the race, improve the length of the dry run. You will notice your endurance level increasing and your time decreasing.

Photo Credits: Mat Honan

Originally posted 2010-03-24 03:15:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

When training for a triathlon, it has been proven a good triathlon schedule will help you to improve your performance. This is because you will be able to create a good training plan and make sure you are able to stick to your plan. You can decide on which days you will accomplish which training tasks. This way you will not skip such important things as running a practice triathlon before the actual event takes place. The right planning is all you need to make the difference between finishing and doing your best.

Swimming Schedule

In your triathlon schedule you need to have the right percentage of time dedicated to swimming. This should be anything from drills to a long, steady swim sessions. Giving yourself some variety in your swimming will help to keep things from getting monotonous. This is especially important if you are unfamiliar with swimming as an exercise. Take the time to concentrate on your swim stroke as well as your endurance level. Because the swimming is only one part of the event, you want to make sure you will still have a lot of energy at the end of the swimming portion.

Running Schedule

Running is another part of the triathlon schedule which must be planned out. People will make a lot of excuses as to why it is not a good day to go running. Buying the right rain gear will help you to run in the rain if you have to. While the treadmill is not the optimal training environment, it is a lot better than taking the day off from running. It is important that you learn the endurance which will only happen from putting in the time on the ground.

Cycling Schedule

The cycling part of the triathlon schedule is perhaps the easiest part to keep motivated with. This is because many people view it as the easiest part of the triathlon. Make sure this does not cause you to take the portion any less seriously. You should always be pushing yourself to ride faster and improve upon the cycling leg of the triathlon. This will help you to make up time you might have lost in other portions of the competition. Make sure the schedule you create will include a rigorous training schedule on the bike. This should include climbs even if there are no climbs in your route.

Practice Triathlon

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the triathlon schedule is the dry runs. To complete these, it is a good idea to employ your friends to help you. This is because you need someone to be able to help you if you are in trouble. Your friend can also make sure you have what you need where you need it. The last thing you want is to set out your equipment only to find it lost or stolen when you go to retrieve it. Go as hard and as fast as you can in these dry runs to see how prepared you are and improve.

Photo Credits: BotheredByBees

Originally posted 2010-03-25 03:17:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Some people think competing in a triathlon means wearing what you would normally wear in the different individual sports. This is not accurate. In fact, you should have special triathlon equipment to help you get the highest level of performance possible. Make sure you choose the equipment which is recommended by those who have competed in triathlons before. You should try the different components if possible to make sure they will work for you before using then in actual competition.

The Triathlon Wetsuit

The wetsuit is what you will start your competition in. This is dubbed as one of the more important pieces of triathlon equipment available. There are different styles which are available to you. In colder weather events, many people will opt for the long sleeve wetsuit. In warmer weather, most people will opt for the shorts only. Some people will simply wear the swimming trunks to start out the race when in warm months. Choose the one which will make you comfortable as you enter the water, swim and exit for a transition.

The Triathlon Bicycle

While it is possible to complete a triathlon with a road bike, the triathlon bike is considered to be much better. The specialized piece of triathlon equipment highlights a handlebar which has bars which will allow your skeleton to support your upper body. This will prevent stress on the back while you are riding the bike. This will make the transition to the running section a lot easier. You will notice other changes in the dimension of the bike including a frame which is lower to the ground and a more forward leaning angle to the seat tube. This is a good bike to buy if you plan to race in more than one triathlon in your life.

The Right Shoes

The shoes you wear are very important pieces of triathlon equipment. You should have different shoes for biking and for running. This will help you to perform at the top of your game. Your ability to change your shoes between sections is part of what will help to make a difference in your overall time. You do not want to lose what you are gaining by having the right equipment simply so you can have the ability to put it on.

Training Schedule

One of the most important pieces of triathlon equipment is something you will not even physically have during the race. This is the schedule you will follow as you are training for the event. Creating the right schedule is important to keep you on track. You will be able to create a schedule which will keep you challenged and will improve your endurance and strength. By following the schedule you create, you will have all of the tools you will need to succeed on the day of the race. This is the best way to make sure you will do your absolute best when it really matters.

Photo Credits: Mat Honan

Originally posted 2010-03-23 10:12:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Swimming in the triathlon is different from any other kind of swimming. There are tips which will allow you to perform well in this portion of the competition without sapping all of your energy. This is important seeing as you will still have two kinds of competition to engage in after you are done swimming. If you wear yourself out in the swimming portion, you will have nothing left for the rest of the competition. The tips include what you should do in training as well as what you should do in the competition.

Enter the Water Fluidly

One of the first tips for swimming in a triathlon you should know is how to enter the water. Unlike a swimming competition, you will not start with a starting block. This is because you will be starting with at least a hundred other contestants. It is not feasible to start in waves. The majority of competitions will start on the shore of a lake or other body of water. The object is to get as far into the water as possible without slowing yourself down. Once the water is between the knees and the groin, it is a good time to dive in. Practice this on the shore of a body of water to get the timing down right.

Saving Your Energy

It is important when you are done with the swimming portion of the triathlon that you still have enough energy to complete the rest of the triathlon. Among the tips for swimming here will be to find a nice steady pace. This is something you can train yourself to do. Many swimmers have taken to using the long stroke. This is because you will get a lot of power out of every stroke without having to take a lot of strokes to generate the power.

Concentrate on Your Stroke

The more power you get out of every stroke, the less energy you will have to put into swimming. Good tips for swimming will always teach you the best method to produce power in your swim stroke. This includes using an S-Stroke. This stroke finds new water which will propel you faster through the water. You will get more out of every stroke so that you will not use up all of your energy before you ever straddle the bike.

Save Your Legs

Knowing you will have to ride a bike next, good tips for swimming in a triathlon include saving strength in your legs. This means not putting a lot of emphasis on your legs to propel you through the water. When training, it is important to use floaters to develop your upper body strength. This will allow your legs to be as fresh as possible for the rest of the race. After all, the swimming portion is the only part which uses the muscles in the upper body. The rest is all about the lower body. Saving your leg muscles will allow you to at least get across the finish line.

Photo Credits: Eustaquio Santimano

Originally posted 2010-03-20 10:59:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The most effective stroke for people in a triathlon is the overhand crawl. This is a style which is also known as freestyle. The swimming kick used for this stroke is very important to your performance. It is also the most undertrained part of most people’s stroke. It is taken for granted as something which cannot be improved. In fact, you can train your leg muscles to be stronger and more effective. You can also train your kick to be more effective by creating less drag and more push. By following some simple advice, you will turn your kick into a propeller.

Developing Strength

One of the best ways to develop strength in your swimming kick is by using a kickboard. This is little more than a piece of Styrofoam. What you do is rest your torso on the board and then kick your way from one side of the pool to the other. The board will stop you from using your arms to pull you through the water. The board will also create extra drag to make it even more difficult for you to kick your way from one side to the other. You will have to train your feet to be like flippers.

Flipper Training

While using the kickboard to develop a stronger swimming kick, you might want to also use flippers. This is because the flippers will help to show you the angle which your feet should be when you are kicking. You will be able to feel the difference when your feet are angled correctly and when they are off. By using the flippers you will also create greater strength in your legs because of the excess force you will need to push the water.

Keeping Your Legs Together

Floaters are a great way to train your legs to stay together. This is an important part of the swimming kick because if your legs are far apart, they create more drag. By clenching a floater between your thighs, you force your legs to stay together. If you allow your legs to separate, you will know it right away. This is because the floater will come loose and float away from you. The other added benefit you get from the floater is that it will create extra drag. This is important to develop better strength in your upper body as well as in your legs.

Photo Credits: hectorir

Originally posted 2010-03-19 10:53:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Competing in a triathlon is one of the most challenging experiences you can hope for. This is why so many people look for good triathlon tips. This is because while many will be happy just to finish, others would like to move up in the rankings as they compete in more competitions. There are many tips out there, but it is not always easy to find the gems of wisdom. This is because not all tips work for all people. There are tips, however which work for everyone. Following these tips will help you to perform better in your next event.

Train with Your Race Bike

You probably spent a lot of money on a good triathlon bike. This is why you do not train with it. You want for the bike to last you as long as possible. Actually, one of the best triathlon tips goes directly against this mentality. You see if you are used to one bike from your training, you will not do as well in the actual race. This is because the gears will catch in different places and the overall bike will feel differently. Training with the race bike will allow you to become intimate with the bike you will use in the race. This will help you to perform much better and prevent unnecessary problems.

Allow Your Body to Rest

Among the most ignored triathlon tips is in regards to resting your body. People will feel inclined to work out as much as possible up to the date of the race. This is a problem because you can injure yourself. Even at extreme fitness levels you can cause deep muscle tearing if you do not allow your muscles time to relax. This means taking at least one day off completely from any training. You will be stronger and have greater endurance if you do so. You will also have an easier time of avoiding injury.

Swim in the Water You Will Race

Completing swimming drills in a pool is good to build strength, but you should make every effort to train in the water you will race in. This is one of the triathlon tips which are not possible for everyone to do every day. You should do this as often as possible for the reason that you need to learn the proper cadence for your swimming. This can only be learned when you enter the body of water like you will in the race and are allowed to swim continuous.

Find a Good Pace

It is easy to spot someone who did not look into triathlon tips before the race. This is because they will attack the swimming portion with all the energy they have. This will cause many people to drop out quickly once they get on their bikes. Find a good pace in your training and stick with that when you start the race. Keep your pace throughout the race. The only time you should actually sprint is when you near the end of the race.

Photo Credits: Grayskullduggery

Originally posted 2010-03-18 10:47:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Even the fittest individuals need extra training when they compete in a triathlon. Your training for triathlon means setting a schedule and sticking to it. This is important not just so you will do better in the actual competition. It is important so you will be able to avoid injury both in training and during the competition. With the right training, you will also avoid some of the common errors which some athletes commit when in a race.

Creating a Proper Schedule

The right kinds of training schedule for a triathlon includes making sure you get the right amount of rest. Training for triathlon is not an all-day everyday kind of thing. This kind of mentality can lead to serious injury. Examples of injury include deep muscle tearing and pulled tendons. Your muscles need to relax for at least one day out of the week. This will allow you to catch your breath and your muscles to mend.

The right schedule is also important because it will give you the chance to make sure your training for triathlon is varied enough. You do not want to train heavy on one aspect and neglect the rest. All aspects of the race are important for a good finish. If you feel you are not performing as well as you should in one area, simply push yourself harder when in that training section. Do not allow yourself to reduce your performance capability in one section just to improve your performance in another. This is counterproductive behavior. If you have any question about your training schedule, you can take a look at what others are doing. Do not follow theirs exactly as all schedules should be individually tailored to your needs.

Learn a Rhythm and a Cadence

One mistake people will make often when training for triathlon is to not make dry runs. This is important for you to be able to learn a good pace for how you will run the race. You need to learn at what level you are performing at your optimal level. The right pace will help you to not waste all of your energy in the early parts of the race. Conserving your energy will allow you to pass those who were passing you earlier in the race. Run your race rather than being sucked in to running at the same pace as those around you.

Train with Your Race Equipment

Another very common error athletes make when training for triathlon is training with one piece of equipment and racing with another. You should be as familiar as possible with your race equipment when you are racing so that you can perform your best. This includes the bicycle you will use in the race as well as the wetsuit. If you train with one thing and race with another, you run the risk of being unfamiliar with how it operates. You can end up really damaging your performance even though the equipment used in the race is better than what you trained with.

Photo Credits: Wootang01

Originally posted 2010-03-17 10:43:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Are you planning on training for your first triathlon? This is not an easy task for anyone to master if they do not know the ropes. There are three completely unique disciplines that are involved, and you are also going to need to be lifting weights and training in other ways. How are you going to find the time that you need in order to achieve this goal? This particular answer is actually a great deal easier than you think, if you have prepared yourself by choosing the right first triathlon.

In other words, let us start by selecting the right first triathlon. There are four different triathlon distances that you can choose from. The shortest distance types of triathlons are known as sprints. Because they are so short, they really are more like a sprint in nature, and therefore are typically regarded as the hardest ones to master. The second type of distance for a triathlon is twice what the sprint typically is, known as the international distance or Olympic distance triathlon. Where the sprint would end with a 5K run, the Olympic distance triathlon is going to end with 10K run. The Olympic distance type of triathlon is generally the most common one that you will find.

Once you have mastered what the sprint as well as the Olympic triathlon lengths have to offer, the third type of triathlon is the half ironman triathlon. This is a race that concludes through a 13.1 mile run. The final type of distance is the ironman distance, which ends with a 26.2 mile run. If you are doing your first ever triathlon, then you should be avoiding these two types of triathlon for fairly obvious reasons. Even if you do believe that you have the stamina as well as the endurance necessary for such a length, triathlons are about more than simply physical fitness. You need to work all of the kinks out with one of the smaller triathlon events in order to prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for the longer triathlon events.

The sprint distance is typically 400 yards worth of swimming, 5 miles worth of biking and then 5K worth of running. You can spend time practicing for all of these triathlon events together, but if you do not learn how to transition from one to the next, and the second to the third, then you really are not as prepared as you think you are. Your goal for your very first triathlon training event should be to combine your running days and your biking days. Each and every single time that you get off your bike, you should begin running, even if you are only running for a few hundred yards. There is a serious muscle transition that needs to occur from pushing on your bike pedals to running. This particular muscle transition needed to excel in triathlon competitions is difficult to achieve unless you have spent time practicing, so do so!

Photo Credits: Ben Lawson

Originally posted 2009-06-26 16:22:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter