Beginners Guide to Triathlon

Triathlon is a sport rapidly growing in popularity, and is based on the three fundamental sports of running, swimming and cycling - all of which you probably did as a child. What is more many competitors are completly new to the sport, and not necessarily existing runners or swimmers looking for a change. They are real people looking for a challenge, an excellent fitness level and a great physique, and you can be one of them.

Triathlon was first conceived back in 1974, where a group of friends from the different disciplines started to train together and became competitive as to who was the fittest. Soon they began organising events combining the three sports, and the sport has taken off since then.

Variety is key to the appeal of triathlon. First you get a mixture of environments, perhaps a sea swim, followed by a cycle through the countryside, followed by an off-road run. The mixture of disciplines also keeps training interesting and varied. You train on all three sports, together with a combination of endurance, skill, speed and intense workouts. This does require careful planning to get the balance right, but it is both invigorating and motivating, and the mixture of training sessions reduces the risk of injury.

Then there is the triathlon community. There are triathlon clubs, magazines and websites across the country and there are numerous races that you can enter even as a complete beginner. Many races are run in age groups, meaning that you compete directly against athletes at a similar level.

Triathlon Formats

Any event involving swimming, cycling and running is a triathlon and as you look at local races, you will see a large range of distances are used, however the main lengths are:

• Sprint - 750m swim, 22km cycle, 5km run. These shorter events are now the most common events, and provide a readily achievable goal for a beginner to aim for. Each race lasts less than 90 minutes and typical training time can be as little as 5 hours a week.
• Olympic - 1500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run. As the name implies this is the distance raced at the Olympics. It is best suited for newcomers with good endurance in one of the triathlon sports, or someone who has completed some sprint distance events previously. Races take two to three hours to complete, and typically you need to train for 8 to 15 hours a week.
• Iron Man - 2.4mile swim, 112m cycle, 26.2m run. The ultimate endurance challenge, with the biggest event being the Hawaii Ironman. This should only be attempted by very experienced triathletes, with significant time to invest in training. Often there are also half distance ironman events staged, which can be used as a stepping stone to the big one.

You race against the clock, over the total time for all three aspects of the race. As a result the transition from swimming to cycling and from cycling to running is also important, and is often called the fourth discipline in the sport.

Team relay competitions are also becoming popular at many events. Here teams consist of a swimmer, a runner and a cyclist who each complete one stage of the triathlon, giving athletes of one discipline the opportunity to experience the world of triathlon.

Starting Out

The first step is to assess your current level of fitness and skill. This is important so that you can focus your training on your weaker disciplines and plan how much training you need to do. Likewise you need to think about your swimming skills - the one discipline which requires technique over fitness. Thinking about your swimming skills will also help you to decide on which event you want to compete in first - i.e. a pool swim triathlon or one with an open water swim.

Next you need to establish a realistic goal, and it is best to find out about local races and pick one, with a realistic distance to aim and train for. Before selecting your first race look at the course to decide how suitable it is for you. How hilly is it? Is it an open water swim? Are there a large or small number of entrants etc.

Having established what you are aiming for you need to set up a training plan, in calendar format, working back from race day in weeks to the present day. The general concensus is that training in phases is the optimum approach.

These phases are broadly:

• Base training phase - concentrating on endurance training with gradual increments and safe adaptation to each discipline (usually at least 3 months for a beginner)
• Build training phase - increasing emphasis on speed and efficiency (usually 1 to 3 months)
• Race phase - a period where you will simulate races similar to what you will be doing in the final race (usually 1 to 2 months)
• Taper phase - a short period where you will rest and reduce your training level prior to the actual race that you have entered (typically 1 to 2 weeks for a sprint distance event)

You will of course need certain clothes and equipment to allow you to train and compete in triathlon. The most important kit is summarised in the triathlon kit section of our website.

Individual Discipline Skills

There are a huge variety of books available that will give you detailed guidance on setting up a training plan, and improving your skills in swimming, cycling and running. The books section of our website, provides links to some of the best books available to you.

Swimming

This is the only discipline where technique is actually more important than fitness level. Beginners are strongly recommend to take a swim class at the local leisure centre to improve technique. They are usually fairly cheap and a qualified coach can make a big difference to your performance. It is vital that you learn good technique, and this is achieved through training drills and technique work, rather than just swimming length after length. The optimum swimming style for triathlon is frnot crawl, and you need to keep your body flat, with your head down and under the water.

Cycling

Cycling is usually the most time consuming section of a race. For example you may spend 15 minutes swimming followed by an hour of cycling. Therefore there is much more scope to reduce your overall race time by improving your cycling fitness, rather than in the swimming section of the race. Therefore you really need to invest time in cycle training, as you also need to come off the bike with enough energy left to complete the run. This is generally considered to be the hardest of the changeovers in the sport.

When training make sure that you stick to the rules of the road for your own safety and where possible avoid the busy roads. Country lanes are safer and also more enjoyable. It is also important to ensure that your bike is set up properly so that it is comfortable and that you are in an aerodynamic position.

Running

The running section is usually the last leg of a triathlon, and when you have drained your legs on the cycle it often feels the toughest. As a result correct pacing over the whole event is very important. When training, wear good running shoes, comfortable clothes and don't worry about walking some parts if you are new to running. Also be safe - avoid isolated dark areas and don't run with headphones. You need to build a solid base of running endurance, steadily increasing the time you train each week. You can mix in other training styles such as hill runs, interval training etc as you become more experienced and enter the build phase of your training.

Race Day

When it comes to race day, it is important that you arrive early, and if possible have a look around the course the day before. This will enable you to familiarise yourself with the route and look out for any hazards.

You also need to check out the transition areas, where are the entrances and exits, where will you have to place you kit etc.

You will need to register at the race, and you will then usually be given your race number which you will need to wear during the race. You will also be advised on any late course changes and given a safety briefing as well as checks on your cycle helment etc. Also use the last bit of time before the race to make sure your bike is set up in the best gear to get going and to have a gentle warm up.

The most difficult step in becoming a triathlete is having the confidence to get to the starting line for the first time. So feel the acheivement already. Once the race has started you will soon be bitten by the triathlon bug!

Want To Compete For Your Country?

Perhaps a step too far for a beginners guide, however bear in mind that there are two categories of triathletes under BTA rules - elite professionals and age group non professionals (in 5 year bands). The triathlon world champiohships give all triathletes a chance to enter and Great Britain can enter 18 men and 18 women in each age group, that's around 300 competitors in total representing Great Britain. This means there is a real opporunity and incentive for triathletes of all ages to compete at an international level. Don't rule it out!