The Definitive Team Walrus Guide to Triathlon for Beginners

If you’re reading this, then you may be contemplating doing a triathlon. If so - great!! It’s a superb sport to get into for fitness, lifestyle improvements, socialising and significant financial loss. And the best thing is - contrary to popular belief - anyone can do one; you don't have to be an elite athlete. This article aims to help the complete beginner in understanding what can, at first, seem like an alien and unforgiving world, providing crucial practical advice for undertaking that first lycra-clad dip into the inky black water.

 
 

Where to begin?

At first, it can seem an insurmountable challenge, doing a triathlon from scratch. Where do you start? Well, the first thing to do is to get yourself the right kit. Unfortunately this does mean some significant financial outlay, but you can do it on a budget. We’ve put below some suggested items of kit for those starting out on triathlons, aiming to strike a balance between reasonable quality and good value.

KIT

Essentials, broken down by discipline:

Swim.

  • Swimming goggles and trunks (trunks for training, not racing). Top tip: get yourself some good goggles that can be suited for both pool training and open water (providing good fields of view). E.g. Aquasphere Kayenne - £15. For the trunks, ‘jammer’ types work well - £10.
  • Wetsuit if planning to undertake a triathlon where the swim is in open water (which ultimately all triathletes should aim to do). A good entry level wetsuit is the Foor Classic (£100).

Bike.

  • Road bike. If you’re planning to do cycling/triathlons for any reasonable length of time then it is worth investing in something reasonable at this stage, with good components (minimum ‘Sora’ group set) and well made. Realistically you’re looking at spending around £750-£1000 all in for something half decent. If you’re not sure about how much you plan on doing, then why not hire a bike for a season?
    •  
  • Cycling kit and equipment.
    As a minimum:
    1. Helmet (one with at least some aerodynamic shape to it, not a mushroom).
    2. Cycling shorts. The basic DHB ones from Wiggle will do you just fine to start, though for comfort we suggest bib shorts. Wearing bib shorts also means you minimise the risk of pulling them down in transition when you take your wetsuit off.
    3. Cycling jersey. Again, the basic DHB ones are great to start out.
    4. Cycling shoes suited to your pedals.
    5. Cycling socks.
    6. Base layer for cold weather, both top and bottom.
    7. Waterproof cycling jacket for wet weather.
    8. Small saddle bag (for your spare inner tubes and small pump).
    9. Small pump that either attaches to your bike or fits into the saddle bag.
    10. Spare inner tubes.
    11. Tyre levers.
     
  • Optional:
    • - Tri suit.
    - Wet-weather overshoes.
    - Cycling glasses.
    - Gas cylinders and nozzle (for filling tyres rapidly).
    - Garmin/other brand GPS watch.

Run.

  • Running shorts
  • Running tee shirt
  • Socks and trainers.

 

SIGNING UP FOR AN EVENT

Right! So you’ve got the kit. Excellent. What’s next? Well… technically the next step is to start some training, but you’re not going to do that without some motivation, are you! So really you should sign up for an event X amount of time away – X depending on your levels of fitness, motivation and insanity – to spur you on. Distance options, in case you’re unfamiliar with them, are as follows:
Super Sprint.
Super sprint triathlons are a great place to start if you’re new to the world of triathlons. The distances are usually short: up to 400m for the swim, between 5 and 20Km for the bike and then a 1.5-5km run. If you aren’t a great swimmer and feel that open water may not be the best place to start, then try and find one with a pool swim. Or if you’re raring to go into the inky black water of a lake, why not try the Eton Super Sprints? These classic triathlons are great for novices with flat terrain, a good road/run surface and a comfortable open-water swim in an iconic location.
Sprint.
Sprint triathlons are marginally longer than super sprint, usually consisting of a 750 meter swim, 20k bike ride and a 5k run, though distances may vary slightly from event to event. As with super sprints, sprints are a great place to start for novice triathletes, particularly those with reasonable fitness levels from other sports/physical activity. Again, there are plenty of sprints at Eton Dorney that provide a great place to start. Other, more interesting options would be the Blenheim Palace sprint – a stunning race in the grounds of this beautiful country house (where Winston Churchill was born). Pricey, though, and popular.
Olympic.
Now we’re getting towards the business end of the scale. Olympic distance triathlons are typically twice the distance of a Sprint: 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run. If you’re someone who doesn’t do things by halves, you could sign up for one of these straight away.
Half Ironman.
Not for the faint-hearted novice, the distances (113km total) are: 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and a 21.1km run – each of these is, you’ve guessed it, half the distance of a full Ironman. Whilst the previous three distances could be undertaken by a fit individual with some training under their belt, ndertaking this sort of distance requires significant, dedicated training. See http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/10-tips-for-stepping-up-to-the-half-ironman-distance for tips.
Ironman
An Ironman Triathlon (or just ‘Ironman’ for short) consists of a 3.86Km swim, 180.25Km bike leg and and a marathon (42.2 km) run. Most Ironman events have a strict time limit of 17 hours to complete the race. Most novices would be ill-advised to enter one of these without having undertaken a shorter race first (and most would build several shorter races into their training schedule). But hey, if you’re that sort of nutter (and we know there are plenty out there), then go for it!
 

TRAINING

So… presuming you’re not a real lunatic, we’re guessing you’ll have opted to start with a sprint or super-sprint to kick off your career, whether as a one-off event or as a stepping stone to doing a longer distance later on. What’s next? It’s time to start training and using that lovely new kit that your other half is so furious about, of course! Everyone will have a different training plan depending on other commitments, fitness levels, time available, level of fury of your other half, etc., so we’re just going to give you a few pointers and things to be thinking about:
1. Make a Plan
As far as possible, make a plan that builds up progressively to the distance you will be doing. One of our number attempted an Ironman on no training and suffered the consequences.
2. Variety is Good
Vary your cycle routes, run routes etc. Otherwise you will lose interest! If you’re interested in building some spin sessions into your routine and live in the Oxford or London area, have a look at the new Digme Fitness studios.
3. Keep it balanced
. Try and maintain your training in all three disciplines, rotating by day or every few days. This is good practice for general fitness training (as it means you won’t overwork one muscle group, giving time for recovery). That said, if you’re a weak swimmer, you’ll probably want to focus a little more on the swimming aspect. Keeping it balanced will also help you enjoy it more.
4. Do try and improve technique
Small tweaks to technique can do wonders for your time – particularly for the swim. Well worth getting some lessons if you’re not particularly confident/quick. Also, if you’re swimming in open water, the techniques are slightly different as you need to think about sighting (looking where you’re going), overcoming choppiness etc. There are plenty of great articles out there as well as specialist coaches to help.
5. Have rest days.
Make sure you don’t over train – it’s important to let your body recover as well as your morale!
6. Think about nutrition.
Do you really need a pack of Maryland cookies in your transition bag? Would a banana be better?

RACE DAY

Oh god, it’s here! Race day! What happens now? Well, first of all, read this piece for motivation. Secondly, read this article for key tips for novice triathletes on race day. Good luck and god speed.