Newb question

[HillSlugger]

If the water is dripping into your shoes, do you wear your bike shoes? Or old shoes that you don't care about getting wet?

Is there a real sense of panic in the transitions? And how do you keep track of your stuff?

One thing I need to do, I guess, is time myself at swimming. Have not done that yet. I can swim across a pond, but I have never timed myself!

No, I wouldn't say panic. However, many people are well organized and methodical while others are rather less so. Some take a very leisurely attitude while others are quick like a cat.

It can get a bit chaotic especially when people are poorly organized or clutzy.

Try to take the time to practice your transitions: set up your stuff outside the pool and have someone watch over it. Go swim, run outside all wet, get on your stuff to ride, go for a bit of a ride, come back and get ready to run, go for a short run.

Try to take as little as possible into the transition area and set the stuff out in the order you will use it.