To Pee OR not to Pee...

I say pee if you're in a race.  It's almost clear anyway if you're well hydrated and it is sterile unless you've got a kidney infection.  Also, I've never been in a race where there was any sort of bathroom close to the course outside of the start and being a chick, I would likely get in trouble for exposing myself if I tried to squat somewhere.

The only problem I see with it is getting it in your shoes.  Then again, considering how much water I splash on my head when I'm running, my shoes are usually pretty wet anyway.  I wouldn't do this in a training session, however, because there's just no need.

I haven't peed before in tri shorts, but you've already swum in them anyway, so I wouldn't think it would be a problem.  I've let some go while I was running the Peachtree Road Race (just as much as necessary to allow me to run comfortably), but I was running through sprays of water coming from fire hydrants and residents' hoses so you couldn't tell.  To actually find a bathroom off of the course would have taken 10+ minutes.

I would suggest, though, that any peeing that needs to be done should be done gradually (think Kegels) so that it's harder to detect and less likely to hit anyone around you (esp. if you're on a bike).

I haven't noticed any change in my need with the weather being colder.

And that would be a stinky badge!!!! 

In the sprint and Oly tris I've done it hasn't been an issue.  But now I'm doing a half IM and I'm in my 50s (yes you young'uns, as you will some day find out, age makes a big difference) the pee issue suddenly seems germane.  My first choice would be a roadside rest room if any were available, then going in the great outdoors assuming there are not throngs of onlookers or passersby, and lastly just plain going if none of those options are available.  I don't stand to win anything but I sure don't want to go several minutes out of my way to make the race any longer than necessary.  That reminds me of an anecdote.

Sally Edwards tells a story in her book of a triathlete who was searching for a place to pee, saw that she was close to her hotel, detoured there for relief, and never got back out on the course. Just decided to shower, change and call it a day since she was so far behind the leader in second place.  She later learned that the leader also dropped out and that she would have won had she continued.  Said she felt so bad that afterwards she went back out on the course to finish.  Where else would I get a chance to tell a good pee story, except on BT of course!    

1) WOW! It's hard to imagine watering outdoor living plants in the end of December... Chicago is a frozen wind whipped tundra. Any uncovered flesh, (including the watering hose.. ahem!) will be frost bitten immediately upon exposure!

2) I pee in the water... I try to make sure I get it all out. I pee obviously before the race starts... but  I make it a point to pee    again once I'm swimming. Land peeing in my clothes just doesn't seem right. Too bad for the person swimming behind me...

3) I've only done Sprint and Oly distance races... We will have to see how this goes for my Half IM. If I have to pee, I have to pee... and I'll stop someplace and do it. I can't see myself doing the whole "flow on the go" thing. Who knows. I'll report back in September and let you all know what happened.

Whizzzzzzzzzzzz  (no pun intended...)