Some tips and ramblings

Hi all. I’ve been lurking for while so I decided to jump in. I have just completed my second sprint tri. The last one was done in intermittent rain. I’m by no means an expert but I have a few tips to pass on that I haven’t seen in any books so here goes some rambling.

Throw in a roll of Scotch tape and a small stapler in your race kit. The tape is handy when for mending those pull off parts of you race number that seem to separate when they get wet or mangled in your race bag. The tape and stapler are handy to attach the race number on your top tube of your bike. I refuse to attach a sticker to my frame. Also, for this past race, the organizers ran out of twist ties for the bike number. So I was going around in the rain taping and stapling my neighbor’s numbers. It looked weird but it worked.

A pen and old business card are handy for writing down your swim start times for pool swims. You can stick the card in the leg of your tri suit and ditch it before you start. I for one have too many other things to remember to do let alone what time I need to be at the start line .

Include a couple of plastic grocery bags in your kit too. Use one to lay your towel on. For this past race, the transition area was a parking lot. Keeping the towel off of a wet parking lot kept it a bit dryer. You can use this one and another one to put your wet stuff in after the race. This will make your spousal unit happy and you too if you are the one doing the laundry.

I ride with cycling gloves since I make my living with my hands on a keyboard. Use a pair that have large finger holes. They are much easier to get on and off especially when you are wet.

I also prefer to ride with glasses on too. I have had too many bugs and rocks bounce off my lenses over the years. Toss in a clear pair along with your sun glasses and use the clear ones for the rain. Some people use rain-X on the lenses. You can pick up a cheap pair of safety glasses at many flea markets which work great.

I admit to having a mild case of clostrophobia. I have found that putting my bike at the end of the rack gives me a bit more space and I don’t feel as crowded. It also makes it easier to find my bike. That being said, if you see a pink and purple Klein, move over, the end spot is mine .

My last tip is to have fun and just keep moving forward. Chances are ESPN isn’t at the race and even if they are they won’t be doing a close up of you. So don’t worry about your appearance, equipment, or how much you are walking during the run. Even shuffling your feet will get you to the finish line.

Thanks for reading and good luck!