Transitions, Part 1

In this first of a two part series on transitions, we’ll take a closer look at how best to prepare for the first transition, also known as T1– the swim to bike.  Every triathlete has a different ‘system’ that they’ve adopted out of trial and error that works best for them and as you complete more triathlons, you’ll discover a specific order in which you prefer to make your transition.  Even though I’ll include my own opinions, the point of this post is not to provide an order of operations for T1, but to provide awareness of all the necessary tasks required for you to get on your bike.

Pre-race Preparation

As soon as you arrive at the triathlon, you need to check in then rack your bike.  At higher profile events its common to check in and rack your bike the night before, but at most sprints and Olympic distance races, this isn’t necessary.  It’s good to get there early for two reasons; first, the racks usually are perpendicular to the entry and exit points of the transition zone so the closest spots go to the earliest arrivers.  If you’re concerned about your time, you could waste precious seconds running down the isle to your bike.  And second, by getting there before everyone else, you’re guaranteed room on the ground for all your transition gear.  You’ll notice that many people like to lay claim to a very generous amount of ground space but don’t be afraid to crowd them, ask them to give you some space, or flat out move their stuff over.  You paid the same entrance fee as them so you’re entitled to the same amount of transition room.

(More after the break)

Preparing for Race Day, Part 1

Nutrition:  Food = Energy

Week prior to race - Eat food and drink plenty of water.  Sounds like ‘well duh’ but it can be easily overlooked.   My dietary guidelines are always to eat food that I can recognize and pronounce.  Look at the ingredients and if there are more than 5 or if you cannot pronounce them don’t eat it because it’s not ‘food’.  Do not try to cut calories or diet.  If you are hungry, eat.  This food will be your energy on race day.

Night before - To carb load or not?  I say not.  Carbohydrate loading is a science that takes weeks-months to perfect.  For shorter races and if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, don’t bother.  Eating pasta the night before is not carb loading.  My suggestion is to eat a meal that your body is familiar with and you are certain will digest without difficulty.   That may be pasta but it doesn’t have to be.  Whatever it is, eat plenty of it.  Don’t go to bed hungry.  This is your direct energy source for the race.

Race morning - What to eat on race morning is very specific for each person and really is only perfected with trial and error.  An example is Odwalla.  Schuyler drinks an Odwalla before every triathlon but when Tara does she burps/pukes the entire swim.  A good rule of thumb is to eat 2 hours before.  Choose something that your body is used to and if you have a sensitive stomach or anticipate nerves then eat something pretty bland like toast, bagel, oatmeal, etc.   Have a bottle of something to drink with you from the time you wake up until the swim start.   Don’t chug it, just take small sips all morning to make sure you’re plenty hydrated.  For a sprint tri I don’t give up coffee.  I drink my coffee first thing and then work on rehydrating.

During the race - The rule of thumb is to consume calories if you will be working out for over an hour.  I anticipate it will take most of us between 1 ½ to 2 hours to complete the sprint.  That means you should consume 100-300 calories.  Ideally you would eat ½ way through your bike, but unless you have practiced this and feel very comfortable on your bike don’t try it for the first time on race day.  A safer alternative is to eat during your swim to bike transition.  Don’t eat much just a Gu, Chomps, Waffle, etc.   Another acceptable form of calories is a sports drink in your bike bottle.  During bike to run transition if you feel fatigued consider a second Gu.  Remember calories = energy but calories are also not as well tolerated when running so if you’re feeling pretty good skip it and finish strong!

Just remember, this is the LAST thing you want to do:

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Swim Goggles.

Everyone at one point or another has had problems with their goggles – sometimes they leak, sometimes they fog, or other times they don’t stay on very well.  This isn’t a big deal if swimming in the pool, but what about your longer open water swims?  Or when you’re doing a triathlon?  Luckily, there are some simple solutions to remedy your basic goggle issues. 

Leaking

Leaky goggles are caused by not having a good fit around your eye socket.  This can be for a number of reasons.  You may need new goggles but chances are the leakiness can be fixed by adjusting the goggle strap and nosepiece.  First, tighten the strap a little bit.  You may already have it tight but remember, those goggles are putting up with a lot of resistance travelling through the water, in order to function properly, they need to be tight.  Next, look at the plastic nose bridge.  There are usually groves that allow you to widen or narrow your goggles based on the width of your nose.  If you have a narrower face, try using the using the smaller setting and vise versa if you have a broader face.  If this doesn’t work, it may just be best to replace your goggles.  If you do decide to replace your goggles, be sure to try them on at the store.  As a rule of thumb, a good fit can be determined in the store.  Adjust the nose piece to where you think it best fits you, then without putting the goggle strap on, try to ‘suction cup’ the goggles over your eyes.  If they stay on for a few seconds independently then you can assume that is a reasonably good fit. 

Fogging

Goggles that fog are caused by you – the harder you work, the more they fog.  As you perspire (yes, even around your eye socket) you warm up the air in the goggle making it warmer than outside while at the same time raising the moisture content.  This moisture sticks to the inside of the goggles and won’t dissipate until you regain equilibrium with the outside – but that’s not going to happen anytime soon unless you take your goggles off. 

There are 3 easy tricks you can use to help with foggy goggle syndrome. 

1.      Spit – simplest and oldest. Just get a little spit inside each eyepiece and rub it around. I know, doesn’t seem the most hygienic but it will work for that swim workout.   
2.      For a less bacterial intensive solution, you can use anti-fog drops. Most goggle manufacturers make their own. They’ll even tell you that their anti-fog drops ONLY work with their goggles.  For the most part this is false, but we found it actually is true for AquaSphere.
3.      Shampoo. A nice substitute for anti-fog drops.  Since goggles sit so close to your eye, I would even suggest using baby shampoo. Just dab a little on the inside of each goggle and rub it around.  Just remember, a little goes a long ways.

Generally, it’s a good idea to keep your fingers out of your goggles.  By touching the inside of your goggles, you’re spreading dirt and oils from your skin.  It may not seem like much, but these tiny dirt and oil molecules actually attract moisture and will cause your goggles to fog quicker. 

Luckily, fogging is temperature dependant.  While this may be a problem you struggle with a lot in the pool, it happens less frequently when in the open water. 

Strap doesn’t stay on very well

I’ve heard from many people that their goggles don’t leak when worn correctly, but they have a hard time keeping the straps in the right place.  Like leaky goggles, I suggest tightening the strap.  If this doesn’t work, try wearing your goggles under a swim cap.  The cap will help keep your goggles in place.  If this also doesn’t work, you might want to get new goggles.  There are many kinds that offer split or double straps to get a better fit. 

Event Swimming

If you’re participating in an open water swim race or triathlon, I suggest everyone wears their goggles under their swim caps – you don’t want to loose your goggles midway through a race!  You never know what’s going to happen, you may accidentally run into someone on the back half of their stroke and they catch your goggles with their pinky and slip them off.  If this happens, stay calm, pull up and reapply your goggles.  You’ll be glad you had them on under your cap.

Also, don’t worry about learning how to swim without your goggles.  We’ve all heard the story of Michael Phelps winning one of his eight gold’s in Beijing with goggles that had flooded, but you’re not Michael Phelps.  Nor are you in the 200-meter fly in the Olympic Finals.  You’re swimming a distance event in the open water; your time will be more affected by not correcting your goggle problem than by trying to swim through it.  

Prescription Goggles

If you’re like me, you have the unfortunate situation of being optically dependant.  Sorry about that, I feel your pain.  And as a swimmer, I’ve always just swum ‘blind’.  I can’t stand contacts but I’ve heard they are hard to wear under goggles anyway.   A few weeks ago, a friend of ours turned me onto this site where I was able to find prescription goggles for less than 20 bucks!   I had always assumed they would be expensive and never looked into it, but I am overjoyed to report that I can now see when I’m swimming!  Now I can’t wait until my next open water event!   All you need to know is your negative diopter number.  Then, come find me in the lake and join me for a swim.  I’ll be the one who can tell where he’s going!

Happy swimming!

New to triathlon? Getting cramps?

There could be a handful of reasons why athletes cramp, but a common newbie mistake is dehydration.  Staying hydrated will promote weight loss, overall good health and is crucial if you are training for any distance event.  80-120 ounces of water is recommended per day depending on your size and how much you are exercising.  For a 160 pound, moderately active, person that’s about 3 Kleen Kanteens or  2.5 Nalgenes.   If you drink coffee or alcohol add 2 glasses of water for each drink you consume to make sure you’re replenishing appropriately.  There are lots of numbers out there for how much you should drink while exercising.  The keys to come away with are drink before, even if your not thirsty, drink every 10-20 minutes during and drink after until your urine is clear again.  If you are working out for longer than 1 hour consider a sports drink to ensure you’re not losing too much sodium.

Tips:

-Always have a water bottle with you.  At work, in the car, on your bike, etc.

-Drink a full glass of water with every meal, first thing in the morning and right before bed.

-It sounds gross, but look at your urine.  It should be relatively clear.  If it’s yellow or stinky drink more water.

If these tips don’t help and you’re still cramping consult a naturopath to investigate other possible causes.

Schuyler 2011 10 minutes after finishing Ironman Coeur d'Alene

This is a really poor example of adequate hydration, but sometimes you've just got to do what you got to do!!

Sign up and we'll figure it out

We’re not tall, fast, or super skinny.  We won’t break any records or even come close to going pro.  In anything athletic.  But we push ourselves.  We set goals, work hard, and do what it takes to meet them. And along the way, we’ve created some wonderful memories and have had so much fun.

Tara never swam a lap in a pool until she was 24 years old and never dreamed of climbing mountains until well into her 20’s.  Schuyler grew up climbing and hiking but never amounted to much of an athlete.  But when we met, our interests and strengths merged and we began our adventure.  Every year our activities get more and more interesting… or you could say challenging.  After dabbling in climbing, backpacking, and cycling, in 2010 Tara got sick of hearing Schuyler talk about how cool it would be to do an Ironman and just told him to ‘sign up and we’ll figure it out.’  Schuyler had swam in high school (over 10 years ago), commutes to work on his bike, but never ran a day in his adult life due to horribly painful shin splints.  At first he thought Tara was joking, but she wasn’t.  So, Schuyler signed up.  And a year later after hundreds of hours of training, working closely with a physical therapist, and eating right, he became an Ironman.  Ever since Schuyler crossed that finish line we’ve been hooked.  Along the way we’ve discovered we love helping others realize their potential just as much as we love realizing our own.  You may think Tara’s suggestion is crazy, but trust us, if you put your mind to it – it works.  ‘Sign up and we’ll figure it out’.

Oh, and just so you know, Tara too, has since become an Ironman.