Really basic questions about first race

Depending on how the race director has things laid out, you may not have access to the pool changing room or any other changing area, and in any case you should remember that time spent in transition is still part of your race time.  So (assuming you're talking about something like a sprint distance) you should plan to do pretty much the entire race in the same outfit.

You can probably wear some sweats over your suit to the pool, leave them there and pick them up after the race.  You'll be able to throw on a top in T1 (swim to bike) but shouldn't plan on being able to change shorts--you can either ride and run in your swimsuit or get a pair of tri shorts which are like bike shorts but with a thinner, quick-drying pad.

If it's rainy you can put your stuff in a plastic bag to keep it kinda sorta dry in transition.  As for being frozen and missing your fluffy towel, the popular expression is "HTFU." 

Welcome to BT, and good luck in your race! 

This is pretty much exactly what I did for my first tri (except there was no chance of rain, so that was good). It was probably about 45 degrees outside coming from the indoor pool. The badasses wore trisuits the whole way, but first-timer me wore tri shorts and a bra top to swim in, then trotted out to T1, quickly toweled off to put on a long-sleeved shirt and vest and bike shoes.

If there had been any chance of rain I would have made copious use of gallon-sized ziplocs.

double post 

Man up.

Leave your clothes in transition. Swim, run to transition, put on your clothes and go. You want to go as fast as possible in transition. Since you won't be using a tri top that you can swim in, I would have a small towel in transition to use to quickly dry off so that you can get your shirt on more easily. If you used a tri top I would not even recommend using a towel. Just put your stuff on and go.

ETA: I would take a change of dry clothes to put on AFTER the race is over.

Thanks for the advice guys. Though I think you must live in a warmer climate than me - I can well imagine frostbite setting in between pool and transition...

At my first tri it was 45 degrees and raining.  I placed a towel at the end of my swim lane to grab after the swim on my way to t1.  I found it to be more trouble than it was worth.  I put on my cycling rain shell for the ride, which worked fine, kept me warm enough.  Left the shell at t2 as I tend to get too warm running in it.

Have a good race.

There is a triathlon here in Indiana that occurs in April that most of the time starts out in the low 40s. It was a pool swim then outside to transition for the bike and run. They had a bag drop last year where I could wear my sweats into the gym and when it was my time to swim, I just dropped them off at the bag drop then proceed to the pool. That was the easy part. After the swim was over I ran outside into the cold and toweled off as quickly as possible then got dressed for a winter ride. I put on a jacket, full finger gloves, and a head warmer under my helmet. My legs don't generally get cold so I skipped the pants. After the bike, I was so hot that I took off the gloves in transition and dumped the head warmer. I should have lost the jacket too but wasn't sure if I was over-reacting. After the race they had changing rooms available and I brought some fresh clothes with me so that I could go out and eat afterwards.

You have to see what works for you and practice first. The day before last years race I jumped in the shower and then ran outside to towel off and try to put my jacket on. I needed to know if I was going to be able to put on a jacket while I was still wet. It also gave me a chance to practice the transition. Even though my neighbors thought I was insane, it really helped me to calm down for the race. When I was on my last lap for the swim all I thought about was how I practiced the transition and how I was going to do the exact same thing here. It helped me to stay focused and go faster which also helped me spend less time messing around in the cold. 

We didn't have the rain that you might have to deal with, but bring a garbage bag and throw your stuff there. Practice, practice, practice what you are going to do so that come race day you don't have to think about it. Remember to put on your helmet before ever touching your bike so that you won't accidentally jump on without your helmet and get DQ'd.

Just a quick note too because this happened to a mountain bike guy next to me at a race last year, make sure you have an approved helmet, a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), for the race. The guy next to me was all set to start the race and as we were leaving transition the official came up to him and told him that he couldn't race because he was using an unapproved helmet.

Good luck on your race. Take time to really enjoy your first one. Even though you may be cold and wet, it really is an amazing experience to finish your first one. Take time to thank the volunteers along the way and encourage your fellow competitors. What they say is true, you do one and you'll be hooked for life!

Only 23 more days until my first race of the season, hopefully I won't have to worry about being cold if this weather holds out.

PS. Don't forget to write a race report so you can look back and remember this race!

Not if you're full-out sprinting it... 

Thanks bo4 for such a detailed reply! Will report back if and when I do it!