Tri-shorts question

[rocknrollgirl]

Hi tri-ladies,
I have a question, pardon my ignorance....

I am doing an adventure race next weekend, mt biking, trail running, paddling, with "fun" team challenges in between each leg.
I recently spent some quality time in wet cycling shorts during a mt bike race that saw rain, sleet, hail and snow. It did not take long to realize that I could not do the adventure race in my bike shorts. First off if they got wet...yikes, and I can't run in them.

So I bought a nice pair of Shebeest tri shorts yesterday. I think they will work.

My question is this. During a triathlon, would you pull those shorts on over your swimsuit? I plan to go commando to cut down on anything chaffing. Can they be worn like that??????

Like I said, probably a dumb question, but who else am I gonna ask?

[Lise]

Hi--not a dumb question, but one that has an individual answer, I suppose.

I never wear a swimming suit during a tri, because I always wear a running bra. So if I can wear a wet suit, I wear my tri shorts and the bra under the wet suit. Otherwise, I wear a Sugoi trisuit, which is essentially tri shorts with an attached top. So I do the whole thing in the tri shorts only, always commando.

My experience is that tri shorts are bike shorts with less padding. Dries faster, easier to run with. Doesn't give as much padding on the bike. I'll be interested to hear what others say.

[rocknrollgirl]

When my bike shorts got wet a couple weeks ago, I could not believe how much water that padding held. It was disgusting, made worse bythe fact that the course was under 4 inches of running mud, which also made it through my biking tights, shorts, and chamois(sp?). Need I say more about where the mud ended up. YUK!

Ok....so this is a start...

one vote for commando....

[Running Mommy]

what Lise said...

[rocknrollgirl]

I just got back from a 6.5 mile trail run in the pouring, pouring rain. If you live anywhere in the NE you know what I mean...freakin' buckets.

So the tri-shorts got soaked along with the rest of me and they stayed comfy. No wet diaper feeling.

Good to go.....

Thanks Tri- Chicks!

[Lise]

You've gotta love a post in which the "problem" is not the fact of running 6.5 miles on a trail in pouring rain. The problem is what shorts to wear while doing it. Glad it worked!

I shudder to think of running in sopping-wet, mud-filled, thick-chamois'd bike shorts. Maybe a nice baking soda bath for the private parts, followed by a dilute vinegar rinse?

[rocknrollgirl]

Was actually a mt bike race, after which I had to change out of those layers of mud soak, soaking wet biking clothes in 34 degree weather in the back of our truck. I was so cold I had to ask a stranger in the parking lot to unlock the truck because my hands would not work. It was incredible. The race was fun....changing clothes was not.