More Training : Triathlon Supreme

Hal on his Triathlon Supreme Program

SWIMMING: A simple bathing suit will suffice. No flippers, but you may want to purchase a wet suit to keep you warm if the water is cold. Wet suits also provide a degree of buoyancy that will make swimming easier. Noseplugs and goggles are a necessity. If you live near a lake or the ocean, and it is summer, that may be your best training venue. You can also train effectively in a lap pool, but remember that almost all triathlons are in open water. If you are not a good swimmer (and few runners are), consider engaging a swim coach to teach you how to do the strokes right. I offer some tips on form in my Interactive program. Mainly, you need to swim well enough to get you through this first triathlon leg without drowning, no small feat in itself.

BICYCLING: Biking can be an expensive sport when it comes to equipment. If you don’t care that much about speed, you can pick up a fat-tired bike for a couple of hundred dollars that will carry you to the finish line. High-tech bicycles will get you to that line faster, but they also cost thousands of dollars more. Specially designed pedals, handlebars and wheels also can improve speed, but at a cost. As for training, I suggest you just get out and ride at whatever speed seems comfortable. If you have a fat-tired bike like mine, you can sit up and enjoy the scenery more than the serious cyclists who ride in chains at speeds faster than 20 mph. I designed this program to prepare you for a sprint triathlon, not Ironman, so you might as well enjoy your training, not flagellate yourself.

RUNNING: The simplest of sports, the main equipment needed is a pair of shoes which you also can use for biking. If I am right in assuming that most individuals signing up for this Triathlon Supreme Training Program are runners, you already should have your equipment in place. Plus you should know how to train. Just go out and run at whatever speed seems comfortable. You can save the speedwork for your next 10-K, or if and when you do decide to move up to the next level: an Olympic-distance triathlon.

TRANSITIONS: To avoid wasting time, you need to learn how to do transitions, the period between the swim and the bike and the bike and run where you change clothes and equipment. Doing workouts where you swim first and bike second or bike first and run second will teach you to make smooth transitions. Consider that in a sprint triathlon with short distances, it may be just as easy to bike and run while still in your swimming trunks and wear your running shoes during the bike leg.