Becoming IronAdam

I get a lot of questions from people about the basics of a triathlon. What do I wear? How do I change? Etc…So I figured I would take a post to address several of these questions, and if you have any more, comment below or email me and I’ll be happy to answer based on my own experience (which obviously may not be everyone else’s).

What type of bike should I use?

This is a very open ended question. Depending on the budget and how seriously you want to take the sport, the more you might invest in some top notch equipment. There are some things that will make you faster, but what I’ve learned in my short triathlon experience is that the main issue with speed is generally related to your own weight, so you can save a few grams here and there, but if you don’t lose weight yourself, it’s not doing much for you.

With that being said, I have two bikes: a Scott’s CR1 Pro and a Scott’s Plasma 20. I think both bikes are awesome. The key thing to note is that one is a road bike and the Plasma is a triathlon bike. The main difference here is that triathlon bikes are like time trial bikes (and more differences are explained here). Your butt sits higher and you are meant to ride it in “aero” position where your arms are extended down the center of the handlebars, not on the sides like traditional bikes. Triathlon bikes are more aerodynamic and aren’t meant to ride alone. Keep in mind they are more difficult to climb in since the aero position is not the best for climbing, which is where a road bike really comes in handy. People can use either in triathlons, but if you’re doing fairly flat tris, an tri bike will be faster.

What goggles/running gear should I get?

For goggles, I wear Aqua Sphere Kayenne. I’ve tried a lot of googles from TYR to Barracuda’s, and the aqua sphere’s are the best. I like the Kayenne’s because they don’t fog up easily and fit my eye very well. I like aqua sphere’s because they generally have more peripheral vision and are very easy to adjust. I have three pair: clear lens, smoked lens, and a blue lens. I use each one in different light situations (smoked for heavy light, blue to simulate little light, and clear at night time).

For swimming trunks, I tend to swim in either Speedo long cut or Zoot’s tri shorts. I’ll talk more about tri shorts below.

For running gear, I wear mostly Brooks. I’m a Brooks ID member, so I get a discount on there stuff, but after wearing it for nearly a year now, I’ll buy Brooks forever. Their infiniti notch short is so comfortable (built in compression is awesome) and their HVAC tanks and shirts are so cool. I love their shoes as well. I wear the Brooks Ravenna. I’ve tried nearly 7-8 pair of Brooks shoes, and I’ve found these work the best. I’m a slight over pronator, and I need a mild stability shoe.  I also wear Newton’s, and I just got the Newton stability racer, so I’m excited to try that one out. These shoes promote more forefoot running, which I think is key to staying injury free.

What is best to wear during a triathlon? Do people change?

In a triathlon, I like to wear tri equipment so I don’t have to change. In the ironman I’m signed up for, I am debating whether to change into more comfortable clothes for the bike and run, but to be honest, the Zoot tri shorts are very comfortable and have enough padding to use on a bike. I’m used to training in these. I swim in them, then hop on a bike (where they dry in about 10-15 minutes), then I run in them. It takes some time to get used to wearing such tight clothes in public, but eventually I learned that function trumps appearance

I usually wear the tri shorts/tri jersey underneath my wetsuit, yank off the wetsuit in transition, and hop on the bike. If the tri is short enough (sprint or olympic), I even clip my bike shoes into the pedals and run out of transition barefoot. I hop on the bike and then slip my feet into the shoes. I use Shimano tri shoes to do this as they’re designed to drain water, wear sockless, and be easy to slip in and out. My race report from my first tri has some more info about this, but it’s not as specific as this.

Do you wear socks? If so, what kind?

I try to avoid wearing socks, but this depends on the event’s distance. In my first tri, I went sockless on the bike wearing the Shimano shoes mentioned above and I wore a pair of Zoot triathlon shoes for the run, which are designed to be sockless, breathable, and drainable. This was fantastic. No problems, no blisters, no pain. In my half iron this year, I went sockless on the bike but decided to put socks on for the run. I blistered by mile 8 and had a terribly painful last few miles. In my ironman, I plan to wear socks on the run, but wear my normal Ravenna running shoes and not the tri shoes. I also will debate putting socks on for the bike. I always like to calculate the time given up to do this RELATIVE to overall time. In a sprint tri, this is meaningful. In an ironman, it is not.

I believe in paying for socks. When you’re out there pounding out miles, it’s critical to keep your feet healthy. I mostly buy brooks socks, and I always buy the best performance socks I can get. I opt for the low cut, thinner socks. I have tried the Injinji socks with individual toes, and they’re ok, but I don’t notice much of a difference from regular socks.

Do I need a wetsuit?

No one needs a wetsuit. It’s not a requirement. But in water temps <70 degrees F, it REALLY HELPS! It also is great for buoyancy. Your hips will definitely sink less, which means you can swim faster due to less drag. If you do use one, try practicing in one. It’s definitely more restrictive when you swim, and if you swim a lot with your shoulders (like I have and many triathletes do), then you may get tired a bit faster from the restriction.

What do you eat? How do you fuel during training/racing?

I posted on this one here. Hopefully this helps. If not, let me know.

Thanks everyone for the great questions. If there’s anything else you want to know, please let me know!