Triathlon tips for beginners

Bored of the occasional 10K and half marathon and ready for a new challenge? Triathlons are a great way to test your fitness, and training for them is great fun as you get to do three different sports. Fancy having a go? Check out our top triathlon tips for beginners to get you started.

1.    Get in the pool
If you’re not an accomplished swimmer, get yourself to the local pool asap for some practice. No matter what the distance, unless you’re a pretty good swimmer, most beginner triathletes struggle with this section more than the bike and the run. Not feeling confident? Book yourself in for a few swimming lessons, they’re guaranteed to boost your confidence – and your times. And try to get some outdoor swimming in before the big day, it can feel very different swimming in a lake to pottering up and down your local pool.

2.    Practise your transitions
No matter how nifty you think you are at stripping your clothes off, it’ll be an awful lot harder when you’re dripping wet and tired from the swim. Plus wetsuits are not the easiest piece of kit to get in and out of! Set everything out as you would on race day and time how long it takes you to change from your wetsuit to your cycling gear, and then your cycling gear to your running kit. Work out what makes life easiest – i.e. ensure your running shoes are untied, your towel is to hand if you’ll need it, your socks are brightly coloured so you don’t lose them and your watch is easy to get on if you plan on wearing one.

3.    Don’t try anything new
When it comes to race day, stick to what you know. Don’t let other people dictate your race pace, don’t be phased by what other people do in transition and don’t try any new sports drinks or gels for the first time – always test these out on training runs first.

4.    Check the course map
Make sure you know where you’re going! In the excitement of the race it’s easy to forget where you put your bike, which way you need to go to get out of the transition zone and how many laps you need to do. Spend some time the night before studying the course map so you know exactly where you’re going. On the day itself make sure you identify the transition zone entrances and exits and leave something brightly coloured – a towel perhaps – by your bike/transition spot so you can always spot it.

5.    Get it all in
Don’t let one discipline take over in your training and don’t neglect those areas you struggle with. People are often guilty of overtraining the discipline they prefer or are better at. In the long run, spending some time on those weaker areas will end up in a stronger performance all around.