Beginner attire

[deewfitz]

I am basicly a runner. I ride some on the side, when training for the Muddy Buddy. I have recently decided to try a triathlon. I don't want to spend a fortune on tri clothes until I know this is something I want to stick with, but do want to get a decent 2-piece swimsuit with coverage. My first tri(s) will be really short, 250 swim, 7-9 mi bike, 2 mi runs. Here is my question...has anyone tried to run in the swimsuits with thin straps? Will these provide support for a run or do I need to go with a sports bra style top? Thanks for the help!

[Tri Girl]

Welcome to tris!
If you're not super blessed on top, then running in a swimsuit would be just fine! I've seen people racing the whole thing in just a regular one piece swimsuit with running shorts thrown on for the bike portion. If you are super blessed on top (unfortunately I am), you might just want to try a bra underneath the top. Just make sure to try it out in practice a few times to make sure you won't chafe. Swim in it, then run to see if you'll have any chafing issues.
You'll not be surprised at all the various types of clothing you'll see at a tri. For my last race I wanted a new tri top, but didn't want to spend $50, so I just bought a compression type tank top (same type of material as a tri top) for around $15 at Target, and it worked great. In fact, I've been using it a lot latey. Wear whatever is comfy and works well for you. Just make sure you use tri specific shorts. The thinner/quicker drying chamois will make your life very pleasant (and they're meant to be used for all three disciplines).

[Kimmyt]

Hey, a friend of mine did a Sprint tri with a swim suit that had the thin straps and she seemed okay, not sure if the straps chafed but you could play it safe and put some bodyglide around them just in case. I had a suit like that for swim class and it ended up stretching after a while, so I would just say make sure you swim in it a few times and make sure it won't stretch in the strap area so that it gives you less support, particularly on the run. If you're bigger on top you could probably put a sports bra under it.

For such a short tri I think you'll be fine, no need to invest in specialized gear, but if you are doing several of them and think you'll continue, you might want to look into investing in some padded shorts or a padded suit.

K.

[deewfitz]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am not blessed at all up top, but the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became about the straps stretching. I ended up getting a Zoot short tri top and Zoot boy-cut tri briefs from Ebay and only spent just over $35 shipped! I figure if the tri thing doesn't work out I can still use the top to run and the bottoms I can swim in, ride in, and even run in since the pad is so thin! Again, thanks for the info.

[fidlfreek]

Hey guys I'm totally new at this and this forum is AWESOME!!!!

So, I am training for a sprint tri and need shorts advice. I am currently using a PI Short Attack Short and am very pleased with it. I have some gynecological pain issues that may me very wary of a thin little Tri short, even if I use it only for the race itself.

Is it OK to throw on my existing shorts over my suit? What about the leg opening seams? Are there boy shorts out there without a center seam that I could use, adding the PI shorts only for the bike leg? I don't want to use my regular suit with my butt hanging out there when I run!

[kacie tri-ing]

Hey!

On the run, I use a transition skirt from Skirt Sports. I can attach my number to it before we start. Then I just throw it on after the bike leg. They are really cute and suprisingly comfy too! That is how I solve the running with your butt hanging out problem!

[HillSlugger]

Hey guys I'm totally new at this and this forum is AWESOME!!!!

So, I am training for a sprint tri and need shorts advice. I am currently using a PI Short Attack Short and am very pleased with it. I have some gynecological pain issues that may me very wary of a thin little Tri short, even if I use it only for the race itself.

Is it OK to throw on my existing shorts over my suit? What about the leg opening seams? Are there boy shorts out there without a center seam that I could use, adding the PI shorts only for the bike leg? I don't want to use my regular suit with my butt hanging out there when I run!

There's certainly nothing to prevent you from wearing your regular bike shorts. However, it can be hard to get shorts on over a wet body. I recommend that you give it a try and see how it would work out for you.

[fidlfreek]

Thanks guys