HELP! Giving tri clinic and my brain is mush!!

[Running Mommy]

I really should NOT have commited to doing a tri clinic to a group of newbie women less than two weeks from Ironman. My brain is MUSH and I can't think about what to say. OY!
I was going to open by telling them my story, and how I came to be an Ironman.
I was then going to talk about what to expect on race day, give them a run through of race morning, and then open it up to questions.
One thing I wanted to do was give them a hand outs of "do's and don'ts".
You know those little tips of "I wish I had known"...
So could a mushy mind Ironman get a little help here??
What is it you wish you had known before your first tri??

Thanks in advance!

Ironstressedoutworkingtoomanyhoursandundertrainedmom

[knapplaura]

Denise,
Go get the new issue of bicycling magazine. There is an article in there on starting triathlon. Also Her Sports Magazine should have an article on line about beginning triathlon.

Quick tip: practice the transition and walk the transition area before the race, count bike racks and steps to find your bike. Navigate your exit from the transition area on the run.

Wash your feet before putting on running shoes. Wear socks unless you are a contending champion; blisters not worth it.

race belts are great but you can just use a piece of elastic and safety pins too.

Don't be afraid to bike in a swim suit for a sprint tri; people are not looking at your body. you don't need a big pad in a sprint tri.

Don't go too hard the first 50m of the swim and get anaerobic. Stay aerobic the whole swim. If you panic, Breastroke!

[alpinerabbit]

Things I learned/took home from a newbie seminar & camp:

give them a pre-race checklist to take home
give them a training tipsheet (?)

Ask them to give you questions at the beginning of the clinic, then do something else, then answer questions (and some more)
We learned how to fix a flat. May be useless for a sprint, but gives the mind a break.

lay out a transition for them (maybe even let them practice?)

Final maybe useless stuff
Show equipment (regular bike clothes, tri specific)
Put up some bikes as enticers. Perhaps explain about seat angles, aerobars

[Bron]

give them a pre-race checklist to take home

This would have been so useful for my first tri.
Maybe a list of thing to remember on the day too: register, go to portaloo, set up bike, go to portaloo, look at course map go to portaloo again..(maybe that´s just me).

My biggest worry in my first tri was the swim - open water and mass start. I think really all I needed was reassurance that I wasn´t going to get swam over or eaten by sea-monsters. Strategies for dealing with the swim?

Second worry was that everyone else was going to be tall, bronzed athletes who did ironmans before breakfast.

[alpinerabbit]

Maybe a list of thing to remember on the day too: register, go to portaloo, set up bike, go to portaloo, look at course map go to portaloo again..(maybe that´s just me).

Strategies for dealing with the swim?

No, it's me too.

yeah, stand at back and side of the pack. Which meant I ended up passing a bunch of folks but that is ok.
We also did a simulated mass start in the sea - that was fun.

one thing to take along into transition, for me, is a bandana to tie to the rack where my bike is. Ok, shoot - my second had no rack, only a floor stand.
Instead of washing your feet a towel is ok too.

Taper week and race day nutrition. Depending on distance of course.

First things of all, ask people about their goals. No use filling their brain with IM stuff if they all are first timer sprinters.

Do they know about heart rates? Training and race day.

[skinny_kitty]

Did anyone find their first tri so unexpectedly hard? I mean, I looked at the times from the previous year and thought, "Gee, I could do that swim time, and oh! That bike time is easy...and hey, I can run that fast (if I was being chased down by rabid wolverines during the apocalypse, that is...)" But I didn't realise just how hard it is to put it all together in one single event. After the swim, your legs feel heavy. After the bike, those same legs can't figure out what it is you want them to do. It might just help if people new to triathlons could keep finishing well as an initial objective -- finishing well in terms of their own individual capabilities.

Oh, and you might want to mention the porta-potty and sleepless-night-before-thing, too!

[alpinerabbit]

I found the swim took forever, everything else was ok.

[roadie gal]

Definitely a race day checklist. They will love you forever if you print out something they can take along with them.

I agree with the others, the swim is the scariest part for the first (or even second or third) timer. I think the best thing I was told was to start at the back or the side of the group and to swim my own speed. Don't worry about anyone else. There will be people faster and slower. Don't let them psych you out. Also let them know about all of the safety people that are around to help them if they get in trouble. Try to make them as comfortable as possible with the thought of the swim.

2+ on the portapotty laps. I go, then get back in line, go again, get back in line ...

Lastly, let them know that no matter how long or short the race, going the distance is a HUGE accomplishment.

[rocknrollgirl]

Never, ever, ever pee in your wetsuit....Never. Yoda taught me that....

Seriously, the best workout that I did before my first race was a day or two of transition practice.

[alpinerabbit]

You never told us how it went and what you ended up doing?

[SlowButSteady]

I've had trouble with my bike in two races.

Check it before you leave it on the rack in transition.

Check it before you leave transition pedaling upon it.

Twice, either the brakes have been knocked off or the gears have been "messed with" between the time I racked it in transition before the race and the time I got onto it out of the swim. I always suspected that someone "messed with" it because I was a Novice.

The first race I did, I pedaled 9 miles before really, really realizing that my brake pad was snugged up against the wheel. After the 9th mile, it was too late to get off the bike and adjust. The pad wore down enough that I didn't notice it too badly.

The third race, my chain was off when I exited transition.

Your friend's husband is nice, really nice, but don't trust him to handle your bike.

My wise-*** two cents' worth: being a triathlete is as much a test of how you fare against yourself as how you place against others. By entering a race in the first place, you've set a high standard for yourself, but cut yourself some slack, too.