The Ultimate Guide to Your First Triathlon

“My personal path to the top end of amateur triathlon began at 31 years of age. I had retired from contact sports like rugby and football and I had spent my time focusing on my career. And for such focus I had paid a heavy price. I had stacked on weight and I was working 70 hours a week which was impacting my mental health to almost the point of a breakdown. I identified then that I needed to move more and work less. So I bought a mountain bike and I began going on adventures through the Blue Mountains every weekend.
I took up jogging around Parramatta Park – it was there I saw a training session being held by the Hills Tri club. At the time I was amazed to see everyone hammering a bike around the park and then jumping off and putting one million percent effort into running down the road. I immediately wanted to give it a crack! I saw an advertisement for a Duathlon in the park soon afterwards – meaning involves a run, bike, run – and I entered…

“I was never so engaged and inspired after doing an event. Everyone was so welcoming and supportive. Not only that, I found out that everything was split into age groups and there were little toddlers racing right up to people in their 70s (they smashed me by the way.) I think I came close to last on that day but to me I felt like a winner. I said to my wife right afterwards, “Come summer I’m going to be a triathlete.”
Only problem was... I didn’t know how to swim! So I joined my local Triathlon Club and a training group. I joined swim squads and engaged a coach running the group.

“Since then I have competed in over 100 triathlons, winning State Triathlon and Duathlon medals along with qualifying and racing at World Championship events around the world, finishing 6th at the World Duathlon Championships in Adelaide in 2015. 

“If you are game enough to give triathlon a go, here's a few tips to get started… 

1. Write down a goal of what you want to achieve out of the sport in the short term. Examples include: race a full triathlon, a beginner triathlon or complete a triathlon as part of a team.
2. Find at tri club or a group
3. Commit to some training sessions with the group
4. Identify your biggest weakness and focus on improving that
5. Think about getting the advice of a Tri coach. These are usually affiliated with different Tri clubs.

“So what gear will you need? 
When starting out it’s best to keep things simple. When swimming during the race a basic tri suit or even good old budgy smugglers will suffice; a basic road bike and helmet to get started; nothing fancy for the run, just a pair of trainers! 
From there the options are endless, from streamline wetsuits, aero bikes and helmets to the latest top performance trainers. 

“How about training? 
Swim: Swimming in triathlon begins with an open water race. This means that there could be a beach or deep water start. People will be thrashing around together at the beginning and it can get quite rough. So if you are not a confident swimmer try to join a triathlon swim squad and go through a stroke correction class. It might also be worth trying to do some open water skills training which means going out into the lakes and oceans practicing sighting and getting used to the feel of being out in the open water.

“Bike: Much of your cycling prep can begin on the indoor trainer using apps such as Zwift or Trainer Road. A couple of bike sessions a week with one at the weekend would be ideal for someone starting out. These don’t need to be any longer than an hour at first. Then after a short while, advance to a weekend long ride as this will build the fitness required to get through the training and racing of triathlon. For migrating into a bunch it’s also good to cycle as a group to learn cycling skills and etiquette. 

 “Run: Ideally four runs a week are needed for a beginner. These should consist of a long easy run, tempo run, track or fast, effort run and a run off the bike. The race’s start point will impact which runs you start with. If starting from a very low base then I would recommend a couple of easy runs a week and a short easy run off the bike session at the weekend. These sessions should not be longer than 30 minutes starting out. Efforts and time can be added as you get fitter.

“Diet and Nutrition:
You need to have a balanced healthy diet that gives you enough energy to have effective training sessions. Recovery is hugely important with shakes and high-carb meals to refill your glycogen within your cells and get ready for the next training session. 
On the day of the event, eat a carb-rich meal that doesn’t overfill you – a high-carb low GI breakfast like porridge oats is perfect. Have a coffee and Gel just before the race and you’re all set. 

 “Recovery hacks:
Once you cross the line, it’s important to drink as much liquid as you can take in – electrolytes and water. You’ll be thankful later on! If you’re up to it, do a short cool down run. Then it’s onto a recovery meal to replenish. When you wake the next day your legs will more than likely be very sore… in fact your whole body will be. A very light jog or spin on the bike to get the legs moving helps. Or even just a 20 minute walk. Also think about a warm bath and or a massage to help recover quicker too. It’s important to take it easy for a couple of days before stepping back into training.