Advice for those going long

I have been fortunate enough to have been given some tremendous advice from members of this forum. So I was thinking that this thread could contain titbits of advice that wouldn't normally make a thread of its own. Doesn't matter how small or important the advice is. There are so many bits and pieces that experienced triathletes have learnt that could help a newcomer to this distance.

I will kick off with a useful hint that was giving to me before my last HIM. I have always suffered from jelly legs after a long swim. I don't use my legs too much in the swim and was told to try and kick strongly for the last 50 metres or so to get the blood returning back to the legs. Seemed to work a treat for me.

Any others?

1. Set your watch to beep every 15 to 20 mins on the bike to remind you to feed. This is also a good time to get out of the saddle and stretch from the areo position
2. You don't necessarily need an areo helmet, look at Craig A and Chrissie Wellington
3. A TT bike is really only of value if you average over 30 to 32 km/hr. The money you save can be better spent of correctly fitted bike and running shoes.

My biggest tip comes from David H

Always have fun when you race and train. Smile to the crowd, give them Hi-Fives etc.

Don't get stressed, things will go wrong, just working through it and keep smiling.

You gain energy when you smile, you feel tired when you stress.

fluro

Make feeding on the bike simple. All gels (slightly diluted with water) in one see-through bidon and marked with an increment for each hour so you can track the rate you take it. Leaves more time on the bars than stuffing around in pockets.

For Half IM. A full water bottle at your bike. Run out of the water, turbo spray your feet with the bottle to remove crap, put on socks, shoes and run out with them on then get on bike.

Flying bike mounts take practice. So do dismounts. If you have a behind the seat bottle cage, when you are getting off at the end of an IM bike it is going to be pretty hard to swing the leg over.

Like Julie said but for extra emphasis, a full sick carbon TT rig is not going to make you ride any triathlon course faster than a properly fitting alloy clunker. As a specific example, I have sold my carbon TT frames and obtained an aluminium TT frame that has the dimensions I want to get the fit right. My ever evolving opinion is that if you need more than 10mm of spacers yoou do not have the best fitting frame. This does not mean that you don't have the best fit, just that the frame is not the most appropriate without modification with seat posts and spacers.

Mick B wrote:Make feeding on the bike simple. All gels (slightly diluted with water) in one see-through bidon and marked with an increment for each hour so you can track the rate you take it. Leaves more time on the bars than stuffing around in pockets.

Hey, this reminds me. I was watching the Coolangatta Gold and they were running with those squeezy Tomato sauce bottles like you get at the Hot Dog vans. It is something I am going to explore myself. I always used to run with my keys in my hand and feel naked without them come race day so the bottle may be a substitute.

Before I got a fuel belt, I used one of those long skinny kids juice bottles for a gel mix on long runs. Sauce bottle would be perfect.

Word of warning with the gel bidon in IM's though. I had 18 gels by 70kms the first year. Forgot to check the markings and was afraid of not fueling. Only realised when I got the empty squirt noise. Had it down pat for No 2.

Sunscreen - In an IM I usually carry a little container of it (about the size of old-school camera film - you can pick them up at Anaconda and adventure stores) and just slap a bit on face, neck and arms during the bike. The gradual effect of sunburn during the bike leg can cost you big time on the run and besides, slapping it on during the bike can bring some cool relief on a hot day.

Lubed Up Socks - For HIM and IM I coat the insides of my socks with vaseline to prevent blisters. Simply turn them inside out, coat with a thin layer, then turn them back the right way.

Tim K wrote:Sunscreen - In an IM I usually carry a little container of it (about the size of old-school camera film - you can pick them up at Anaconda and adventure stores) and just slap a bit on face, neck and arms during the bike. The gradual effect of sunburn during the bike leg can cost you big time on the run and besides, slapping it on during the bike can bring some cool relief on a hot day.

Lubed Up Socks - For HIM and IM I coat the insides of my socks with vaseline to prevent blisters. Simply turn them inside out, coat with a thin layer, then turn them back the right way.

Nice, like them both.

tape your nipples
make sure you dont have collars of tri suits etc or necklace between wetsuit collar and skin.

I also carry a small bodyglide stick in my back pocket. weights F-all, never used it since ive started carrying it. wish I had it in my first HIM though.

dunno about the sauce bottles thing - mentally I dont think i could squirt one of those in my mouth, maybe a small fuel belt bottle or gel flask.

tape 2 gels to your bike somewhere, and a couple in your shirt skyrocket. Use the ones in you skyrocket first when your less fatigued. Use the ones on the bars late in the bike leg when things are getting tough. with them being in your feild of vision they will remind you to feed.

CO2 canisters arent cheap, but ruining a race by not having enough is a hell of alot more expensive. Tape one to your seat somewhere.

Get used to what the 7 metres (drafting rule) looks like on the bike with your mates whilst training. to do this tie a peice of 7m string/ribbon to your seat and when your flying along release the string. the guy behind you will then get used to where the 7m is. this is alot better than being in the sin bin for 5 minutes or a DQ. Make sure you dont get the string stuck in your gears when u slow down.

Id love some tips with what to do to get the loved ones (wife and 2 girls under 5 years) to races and not be bored out of their heads.

Start your race week eating plan more than a week before the race. Allow your stomach to be relaxed and happy by only putting in foods which it'll handle easily.

During the race all the energy you're about to use has to be processed by your stomach. Your stomach is more likely to limit your performance than your legs are.

A diet of fish, vegetables and rice is more alkaline and easier on the stomach. Taking "Inner Health" a pro-biotic for a week before a race can help you dodge any stomach bugs in that time and it maximises your stomach's ability to absorb nutrition.

During the race all the energy you're about to use has to be processed by your stomach. Your stomach is more likely to limit your performance than your legs are.

This a good point. As IM athletes we are all quite fit. We all have the ability to run a slow marathon to produce a good IM run.

What lets us down is our ability to keep fueling that pace. We don't spend enough time learning how to do that. Sometimes we focus too much on getting fit, so much so that our ability to fuel that fitness gets worse the fitter and stronger we become.

It always good to make all the screws up in training, above and below race pace efforts, over and under with your race nutrition plan. Over time with enough experimentation you'll develop a body that will be able to keep fueling the muscles all day long, at a rate that will match your fitness.

fluro
P.S Welcome to the forum AP.


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Cameron G wrote:
....Id love some tips with what to do to get the loved ones (wife and 2 girls under 5 years) to races and not be bored out of their heads.

Give them some pom poms, it made 16.5 hours at Busso easy.

Get them excited and part of the adventure. Plan, together, what they will need, what to expect (I nearly failed at Busso due to hydration issues on the run). Plan spectating spots on the course so they can see you (and get a smile). Make them feel part of "Team Cameron G".

Most importantly get the pom poms.
(can't help with athlete tips, I am not Iron yet.)

Do it as a holiday and do some fun things with the family after the event. Also during the day of the event give the kids things to do, ie spot the pros or ones with silly outfits or how many have blue bikes etc.

Advice from my coach before my first long course: if you throw up on the run, make sure you replace what you lost at the next aid station. I'm glad I did not have to test that one!!

Gillian wrote:Advice from my coach before my first long course: if you throw up on the run, make sure you replace what you lost at the next aid station. I'm glad I did not have to test that one!!

I tend to think if you threw up then your body really doesn't need/want what it just threw up. Don't replace it. I think you would just take it as an opportunity to reset the nutrition plan and slowly start adding fuel again.

May seem silly to those that have done IM's but I didn't realise that someone took your bike at T2. I got off my bike and when some random guy went to take it from me I nearly decked him.

Where do you guys and gals doing IM put your tools and stuff for repairs? CO2 cartridges, tyre levers, multi-tool, tubes?

I was thinking about not putting on the storage bottle and putting everything in the back pocket of the tri suit, leaving me 2 places for bottles on the frame. Also not having the xlab wing on the back of the seat.

I only have one frame mounted bidon so I use an X-Lab. The X-Lab carries a spares 'bottle' and a drink bottle.

On a tight fitting tri-suit I'm not sure if I'd want to have spares stuffed in the pockets.

I use the pick that you have above to hold my spares. I carry two tubes and two CO2. The only thing I put in my back pockets are a tube and a couple of gus if that. I have a bento box and also 3 drink holders and I use two for drink bottles. I wouldn't put my spares in my back pockets, two reasons, it can get uncomfortable having something in your back pockets, aerodynamcis and one more thing it can get hot.

Cameron, Fold the tyre, Tape 1 lever (2 if clinchers) and 1-2 CO2 together using Gaffa tape. Not too much tape. Then squeeze it between the seat rails and secure with velcro strap. Won't move a bit. Looks really neat and is out of the way. See my profile photo. All of that stuff is up under my seat, nice and out of the way hey? A tip from a really good IManner I know is to leave the tubbies without glue opposite the valve stem. When you flat stick the tyre lever in and it will bve very easy to peel off the trye.

Xlabs are crap. IF you are going to use a behind the seat bottle holder just get the Minoura one, at 32 bucks it shits all over Xlab. I too was suckered into buying an Xlab, they just rocket stuff out the cages and after a while the brackets of the seat rails spread. The rocket problem can be solved with using Specialized Rib Cage bottle holders. The minoura sits the cages upright so no poblem there, its also more usable on a number of different seatstha Xlab. If you use the Xnut on the Xlab the CO2 cyclinders can vibrate loose over time and it gets annoying or they fall out.

Personally I would just tie a cage between the aero bars if my bike frame didn't have space for 2 cages. Anymore than 2 cages is a waste. People spend all that money on a fancy frame then hang shit off it so it look like a fillipino rickshaw on race day Concentrate your fuel and chase with water. Use the special needs station for a mid way pick up. Keep you bike as clean as you can and stick stuff in your pockets if you have to. I'mnot a very strong biker, the time I make up is by keeping it minimalist. The more crap you hang off the bike, the more watts you need to make.