I have listed some of the best rated and recommended triathlon books and products that I have either used myself or had others recommend. There are some books of accomplishment that may serve as inspiration for others and some are pure triathlon training books to help you perform your best. I hope you can gain some knowledge from the resources I have provided. Good luck!
10 Must Have Products For Triathlon Swim Training
10 Must Have Products for Triathlon Swim Training
1. Swim Coach or Comprehensive Swimming Plan
2. Swim Goggles, Mask & Snorkels
3. Swim Towel/Chamois
4. Pull Buoys
5. Swim Fins
6. Kick Boards
7. Swim Paddles
8. Men's/Women's Swimwear
9. Gear Bags and Backpacks
10. Ear and nose plugs
If you have these you items, you should be ready to take on the swim! You can find ANY Tri Swim Gear you need here.
1. Swim Coach or Comprehensive Swimming Plan
2. Swim Goggles, Mask & Snorkels
3. Swim Towel/Chamois
4. Pull Buoys
5. Swim Fins
6. Kick Boards
7. Swim Paddles
8. Men's/Women's Swimwear
9. Gear Bags and Backpacks
10. Ear and nose plugs
If you have these you items, you should be ready to take on the swim! You can find ANY Tri Swim Gear you need here.
Tips When Traveling To A Triathlon Race With Your Bike
Flying to a race with a bike is a pain in the butt! It is no fun packing it safely, dragging the bag or box around, and paying the excess baggage fees is frustrating, but it’s a necessary part of our sport. Let's try to make the experience as low-stress as possible by taking a few precautions.
There are two ways to get your bike to the race site: you can either ship it days before your race, or bring it on the plane with you.
The easiest way is to find a bike shop where you will be racing and find out if they will accept and assemble your bike for you. There are usually options for this for the larger races. You can have your local bike shop pack your bike and ship it for you.
Many athletes take their bike on the plane with them. Taking it on the plane with you has its benefits and drawbacks. You’re always with your bike (unless the airline loses it)you can ride it the day you pack it and as soon as you reassemble it at the race site. On the other hand, you’ll need to find a vehicle big enough to transport the bag or box to and from the airport and it’s going to cost you excess baggage charges unless it’s an international flight.
There will be an excess baggage charge on bikes for domestic flights, hopefully none for international flights if you have only 2 pieces of checked baggage. The high fee to me says that the airlines would really prefer not to take checked bikes, and this attitude often comes across through ticket agents and baggage carriers.
Once you believe baggage handlers really don’t want to deal with your bike, you’ll understand why you’d better pack it carefully. I’ve seen bikes dropped from significant height and otherwise generally handled with no concern for their well being. I'm sure these are rare instances, but they do happen.
The care you take in packing your bike can make all the difference. There are padded nylon bags with supportive metal frames inside, hard 'sandwich style' cases with foam layers inside, and hard cases with a metal framework inside to secure your bike’s frame. All the different types of bike cases work well, but none is a guarantee that your bike will be impervious to damage. If you don’t want to spring for the $250 to $350+ price to buy your own bike case, you can look for a bike shop that rents them for a fraction of the cost.
If you’re doing the packing job yourself you’ll need some basic tools and minor disassembly/assembly skills. You’ll need to remove wheels, handlebars, seat, and pedals, then reassemble it at your destination. Teaching you how to do this is a job for a bike shop or a mechanically skilled friend, but here are a few packing tips.
Your goal is to crush-proof the bike and avoid any metal to metal contact. You need to also pack the necessary tools to reassemble your bike when it arrives at your destination. Be sure to bring everything you will need so you don't stress out trying to find something that you forgot in a strange place where you may have never been before. Use yor cases space as needed for your gear, but don’t overload it, as heavy bike cases may make for irate baggage handlers.
Allow extra time when checking-in with your bike. Make sure you have an extra day at your destination before the race. Bikes often don’t make it to your destination with you. Most airlines have a policy of delivering luggage for free to you at your destination. If the bike doesn’t make it with your other luggage, don’t panic. It will be delivered to you within 24 hours in most cases. But just in case it doesn’t, make an alternative plan. Perhaps a loaner/rental from a local bike shop could save the day. Traveling with your bike is a drag, but it could be worse. I've traveled with surfboards and it is a nightmare (an expensive one)!
There are two ways to get your bike to the race site: you can either ship it days before your race, or bring it on the plane with you.
The easiest way is to find a bike shop where you will be racing and find out if they will accept and assemble your bike for you. There are usually options for this for the larger races. You can have your local bike shop pack your bike and ship it for you.
Many athletes take their bike on the plane with them. Taking it on the plane with you has its benefits and drawbacks. You’re always with your bike (unless the airline loses it)you can ride it the day you pack it and as soon as you reassemble it at the race site. On the other hand, you’ll need to find a vehicle big enough to transport the bag or box to and from the airport and it’s going to cost you excess baggage charges unless it’s an international flight.
There will be an excess baggage charge on bikes for domestic flights, hopefully none for international flights if you have only 2 pieces of checked baggage. The high fee to me says that the airlines would really prefer not to take checked bikes, and this attitude often comes across through ticket agents and baggage carriers.
Once you believe baggage handlers really don’t want to deal with your bike, you’ll understand why you’d better pack it carefully. I’ve seen bikes dropped from significant height and otherwise generally handled with no concern for their well being. I'm sure these are rare instances, but they do happen.
The care you take in packing your bike can make all the difference. There are padded nylon bags with supportive metal frames inside, hard 'sandwich style' cases with foam layers inside, and hard cases with a metal framework inside to secure your bike’s frame. All the different types of bike cases work well, but none is a guarantee that your bike will be impervious to damage. If you don’t want to spring for the $250 to $350+ price to buy your own bike case, you can look for a bike shop that rents them for a fraction of the cost.
If you’re doing the packing job yourself you’ll need some basic tools and minor disassembly/assembly skills. You’ll need to remove wheels, handlebars, seat, and pedals, then reassemble it at your destination. Teaching you how to do this is a job for a bike shop or a mechanically skilled friend, but here are a few packing tips.
Your goal is to crush-proof the bike and avoid any metal to metal contact. You need to also pack the necessary tools to reassemble your bike when it arrives at your destination. Be sure to bring everything you will need so you don't stress out trying to find something that you forgot in a strange place where you may have never been before. Use yor cases space as needed for your gear, but don’t overload it, as heavy bike cases may make for irate baggage handlers.
Allow extra time when checking-in with your bike. Make sure you have an extra day at your destination before the race. Bikes often don’t make it to your destination with you. Most airlines have a policy of delivering luggage for free to you at your destination. If the bike doesn’t make it with your other luggage, don’t panic. It will be delivered to you within 24 hours in most cases. But just in case it doesn’t, make an alternative plan. Perhaps a loaner/rental from a local bike shop could save the day. Traveling with your bike is a drag, but it could be worse. I've traveled with surfboards and it is a nightmare (an expensive one)!
Faster Triathlon Transition Times
Begin practicing fast transitions now
Many times, athletes wait until the week before the race to practice triathlon transitions, if at all. You need to practice now in order to have the fastest triathlon transitions possible.
One way to practice is to include transitions in your brick workouts. Set aside some practice time to work exclusively on faster transitions. This can be scheduled on an off or light recovery day. This works well because you don't worry about an aerobic workout that day and you still have trained some..
You can leave your shoes in the pedals and use rubber bands
Pro and Elite athletes leave their shoes in the pedals for the first transition (T1). After they exit the swim, they only have to put on their helmets, grab the bike and run out of the transition area.
They attach one end of a rubber band around the shoe or through the heel loop of the shoe, and the other end to a rear stay on the side of the bike. This is done in order to keep the crank arms and shoes from rotating and jamming into the ground. You will have to experiment to see which locations are best for your rubber bands depending on your shoe size and frame size.
The rubber bands will easily break away when you mount the bike and begin pedaling. At this point, your feet will be on top of the pedals. Slide your feet in your shoes once you are rolling at a good pace. Do not try to do this unless you are up to a good speed as you will wobble if you are going too slow and that is dangerous to both you and others.
Put your sunglasses on while pedaling
Instead of putting your sunglasses on in the transition area, put them on once you are rolling on the bike. If your helmet has front air vents, see if you can secure the sunglasses there. If your sunglasses will not stay secured on your helmet, fasten them to the top of your frame with a small piece of tape.
Use elastic laces and no socks
There are elastic laces available at most stores that stock triathlon supplies. Elastic laces allow you to easily slip your feet into your shoes, wasting no time to secure Velcro or old-style lace locks on regular laces.
Before you decide to race with no socks, do a few practice runs at home. Some athletes can run with no socks and not have a single blister. Other athletes will develop hot spots on their feet that eventually bloom into blisters.
On your test run, carry a lubricant such as Body Glide. When you feel a hot spot beginning to develop, stop and apply the lubricant to the shoe surface causing the hot spot. This is the same location you will apply the lubricant on race morning when you set up your transition area.
Use a flying mount and dismount
The elite racers are going as fast as possible at every moment during a race. They mount their moving bicycle with a flying mount, which looks something like a cowboy jumping onto a moving horse.
Before they approach the dismount line at T2, they remove both feet from their shoes and continue pedaling in a manner similar to when they began the bike leg. Near the dismount line, they swing one leg back and over the bicycle so it's behind the other leg on one side of the bicycle. At the dismount line they are off the bike and running to the transition area. This particular move is advanced and takes plenty of practice.
Use a movie camera
Have someone record your T1 and T2 in a practice session or during a race. Use a watch and time both transitions. After reviewing for ways to improve, do the transitions repeatedly until you think you have the fastest transition time possible.
Another way to improve transition times is to tape some of the top age-group and elite racers to see how they're doing transitions. You may pick up some additional tips that you can use to better your times.
If you're looking to get the edge on your competition without additional training, take a look at your transitions. Thinking about where you can save time during transitions is a fun addition to your training and it may even put you on the podium.
Many times, athletes wait until the week before the race to practice triathlon transitions, if at all. You need to practice now in order to have the fastest triathlon transitions possible.
One way to practice is to include transitions in your brick workouts. Set aside some practice time to work exclusively on faster transitions. This can be scheduled on an off or light recovery day. This works well because you don't worry about an aerobic workout that day and you still have trained some..
You can leave your shoes in the pedals and use rubber bands
Pro and Elite athletes leave their shoes in the pedals for the first transition (T1). After they exit the swim, they only have to put on their helmets, grab the bike and run out of the transition area.
They attach one end of a rubber band around the shoe or through the heel loop of the shoe, and the other end to a rear stay on the side of the bike. This is done in order to keep the crank arms and shoes from rotating and jamming into the ground. You will have to experiment to see which locations are best for your rubber bands depending on your shoe size and frame size.
The rubber bands will easily break away when you mount the bike and begin pedaling. At this point, your feet will be on top of the pedals. Slide your feet in your shoes once you are rolling at a good pace. Do not try to do this unless you are up to a good speed as you will wobble if you are going too slow and that is dangerous to both you and others.
Put your sunglasses on while pedaling
Instead of putting your sunglasses on in the transition area, put them on once you are rolling on the bike. If your helmet has front air vents, see if you can secure the sunglasses there. If your sunglasses will not stay secured on your helmet, fasten them to the top of your frame with a small piece of tape.
Use elastic laces and no socks
There are elastic laces available at most stores that stock triathlon supplies. Elastic laces allow you to easily slip your feet into your shoes, wasting no time to secure Velcro or old-style lace locks on regular laces.
Before you decide to race with no socks, do a few practice runs at home. Some athletes can run with no socks and not have a single blister. Other athletes will develop hot spots on their feet that eventually bloom into blisters.
On your test run, carry a lubricant such as Body Glide. When you feel a hot spot beginning to develop, stop and apply the lubricant to the shoe surface causing the hot spot. This is the same location you will apply the lubricant on race morning when you set up your transition area.
Use a flying mount and dismount
The elite racers are going as fast as possible at every moment during a race. They mount their moving bicycle with a flying mount, which looks something like a cowboy jumping onto a moving horse.
Before they approach the dismount line at T2, they remove both feet from their shoes and continue pedaling in a manner similar to when they began the bike leg. Near the dismount line, they swing one leg back and over the bicycle so it's behind the other leg on one side of the bicycle. At the dismount line they are off the bike and running to the transition area. This particular move is advanced and takes plenty of practice.
Use a movie camera
Have someone record your T1 and T2 in a practice session or during a race. Use a watch and time both transitions. After reviewing for ways to improve, do the transitions repeatedly until you think you have the fastest transition time possible.
Another way to improve transition times is to tape some of the top age-group and elite racers to see how they're doing transitions. You may pick up some additional tips that you can use to better your times.
If you're looking to get the edge on your competition without additional training, take a look at your transitions. Thinking about where you can save time during transitions is a fun addition to your training and it may even put you on the podium.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
