New to training - Overwhelmed with products

welcome to the sport and obviously the tri bug has bitten. cool !

you can easily dump a lot of $ into this, and it really depends what you want out of it. If you are looking to get on the podium and be the best you can be, then I'd say a coach is necessary. Things get a lot more complex when you are going for the best possible performance, so that is up to you.
If you are more interested in having fun racing, then simple gear, reading books and getting online plans will suffice.

As for gear that you absolutely need for training, I'd say:
Swim : goggles, cap, suit
Bike : bike, shoes, helmet, shorts, and jersey
Run : shoes

Race : tri suit, and maybe a wetsuit

Heartrate monitor watch & strap (Timex $100)

You don't need a GPS watch, but it's nice to have.

Bike trainers for indoor workouts:
http://bestreviews.com/best-bike-trainers

If ALL you're trying to do is complete the distances, you only (IMO) need the swim equipment cited above (and, since you've completed a couple tris, I'm assuming you have these). You can absolutely buy time.....on a "more" tri-specific bike.....but, it's not mandatory. I'm also guessing you can ride all winter, outdoors, on HHI.

So......what do you "need"? Need for what? What are you looking to accomplish?

Thanks for the help.

The end result is to finish the 70.3 in no more then 6 hours.
:45 - SWIM
3:00 - BIKE
2:15 - RUN

Already pretty fit, I work out doing crossfit 5-6 days a week already, I also do ICT in the afternoons if I get time.

Been looking on Craigslist trying to find a trainer for cheap. Should wrangle one in soon. I think I will deffinetly need that, so I don't just completly disappear from Family life. I can get some work done in the garage while kids play outside..


HHI 70.3
Course is laid out and approved. Just need Ironman to make it official.
If it doesn't end up happening I will just utilize the training on another race.

Edited by thegigz 2015-10-13 8:47 AM

You're gonna need to ride something you can average 19mph on to meet your goal.

If you can do that on your current bike, then you already have everything you need.

You're in the same situation I was in just a couple short years ago. My wife and I got into it and were on a tight budget, so we bought a little bit at a time in case we didn't enjoy the sport. Here's what we did. We had to buy two of everything since we were both getting into it, so that made price more crucial.

Swim: goggles. Swim trunks. Our local HS has a pool so we swim there. Bought a wetsuit because we knew we'd be using it a few times and we didn't want to deal with renting. We were on such a tight budget we just bought super cheap ones that are actually surfing wetsuits. Partially a rookie mistake, but it is what it is. We're in the sport as a hobby (we're both incredibly slow), so they keep us warm in the chilly water - that was their only purpose for us, since it was before I knew that triathlon suits actually help with speed. You should have caps already from your sprints.

Bike: bike - we bought entry level bikes new, but you're good there. Pedals and shoes. Again, super budget. Shoes were on sale at the store for less than $100, pedals bought online for IIRC about $40. We didn't even buy pedals/shoes until after the first season since our entry level bikes came with platforms - that was sufficient for us at the time. One of the more inexpensive helmets that are certified to the proper specifications (don't recall it at the moment). They were about $40, IIRC. Sunglasses, anything that will work.

Run: shoes. We use run apps on our phone to map, and just use cheap armbands for the phones.

As winter got near, we got trainers. Just went on amazon and got the least expensive ones that had decent reviews. They were around $70-$80 (A similar one is in the link that is posted earlier in this thread) and they work just fine for us. We used to run at the local HS on their indoor track, but we're getting a treadmill for this winter.

We went incredibly minimalist for a few reasons. No coach, no fancy gadgets (oh yeah, we did get a bike computer, again a cheap one, one that just does speed and time) because we didn't really need them. Bought almost everything new, but entry level. The only thing I regret thus far is the wetsuit thing - I would have gotten tri/swim ones the first time around had I done more thorough research. They were only about $160 each though, so it could have been worse. Though everything else is basically the cheap version, it's just fine for us. As we get better and faster, we may upgrade some equipment, but I'm still fine with having the entry level stuff as a back-up if/when we do upgrade.

WARNING (that you may have heard already and will definitely hear again): the sport ain't cheap. You can try to tell yourself you're buying economically, but if you do tell yourself that, spread it out over months so you're able to fool yourself into thinking that haha. Then factor in entry fees, travel (getting the bike to the race one way or another - $$$), etc and...well, just don't add up your receipts haha. BUT you have a bike so you can delay buying a road/tri bike for a while, I'd imagine - that's the biggest cost by far.

I still consider myself a n00b to the sport, but have done a lot of research and am much more comfortable with it now. This site has helped tremendously, so if you ever have any questions don't hesitate!

Oh yeah... You Deff. got bit by the tri bug

I, for one, can tell you that upgrading your equipment over time is the way to go. 3 years in and I am just finishing my first year on a "real" tri bike... that I got used... like 2007 used

Anyway, I'd say the best investment I made early on was a watch. I had a basic endurance road bike with areo bars like you. I would get some cheep road bike shoes and clipless pedals. Then a GPS watch. I use a Garmin 310xt. I got it new but a gen. behind. Now it's 2 gens behind and I'd say you can find them on here in the classified forums for $75-100. I wouldn't pay more than that. But use that and some FREE program to log your training. That is absolutely the BEST step for someone in your position.

I use the free edition of Trainingpeaks to log my training and set my goals. It's great and auto uploads from the Garmin so there is no hassle there.

As far as a trainer goes, CL is great as already mentioned, but I got a new one from performance bike. Their in-house brand "travel track" is perfect for beginners. I got the fluid version, but the mag trainer is good too. DCRainmaker recommends those as the best budget trainers out there.

Welcome to the family and have fun!

picking up my $65.00 used cycleops trainer with front wheel stand. Got it on craigslist.

I been messing around with both TWINPEAKS & BT training calanders. I don't start full training till December so I have time to find what I like. Sort of like this site better right now.

Start swim lessons next week. 45 minutes twice a week for the next 4-5 weeks. $40.00 per lesson. so that will be a good clip $$$ spent but it will be worth it. He is highly recommended and I need it with swimming.

Once I pick a site to use, I will make sure I get a GPS watch that works with the site. I am really liking the Garmen Forerunner 920xt, very pricey but seems worth it (I am a technology nerd). Anyone have one of these watches? whats your thoughts??

Shoes and clips will come before the season starts. If I can get up to speed without, that will be all the better when I race..

My plan just to throw it out there.
For the next 6 months continue on with spicific weight training program (build core). I am part of the crossfit cult, so I plan on staying there.
Come December I will start adding workout with swimming/biking/running. As the training goes on over the winter I will add more S/B/R and lessen the weight training.
This will end at the beginning of the season. I will enter Sprint and Olymic events while transitioning to a 70.3 Ironman training program.
Everything goes to plan I will be ready in October for the Hilton Head event (providing they sanction it).