Over the years I’ve learned a thing or two achieving a personal best race time. And since we are heading deeper into Newbie week, I though that I would share with you all my hard-earned racing secrets. If you are a Newbie I think these secrets will server you well this summer.
For the unheard of low price of just 4 easy payments of $19.95, I will email you the Everyman Complete Guide to Triathlon Success. And if you act right now, I will also include the Everyman Pee-Like-a-Man women’s winning race catheder. This semi-disposable catheder comes in 5 winning colors to match any race outfit. Now ladies you too can just whip it out during a race, and let it flow, just like your male training buddy.
Act now as supplies are limited!
You know I’m just kidding. Right?
You get all this for free just by reading on. The Pee-Like-a-Man catheder (yes this is real) you can buy from a Canadian company HERE. I swear I could make something this crazy up. See for yourself ladies.
But I have kept you long enough. Without any further distractions, here are my Top Ten Secrets to a Personal Best (PB):
10) Find a comfortable race outfit and wear it for the entire race.
I recall one of my first Olympic distance races. I came flying out of the pool (this was a pool swim) heading outside toward transition only to be stopped dead in my tracks by a bare butt sighting. Now there is nothing wrong with a bare butt at the right time and the right place. And this one happened to belong to a rather curvaceous triathlete. However this was certainly not the right time nor the place for anything else...including changing into bike shorts.
Transitions are free time so don’t waste them putting on your favorite biking shorts and shirts. I’ve raced in my Descente triathlon gear up to a half Iron Distance race. Descente does a great job in designing racing clothes that you can wear swimming, biking and running. You too can race like the pros by investing in race gear. Take a look at Descente's tri wear HERE.
Transition also tend to be a time of profound confusion for most of us. Why add another layer of worry by changing clothes.
Once a year I race this little local sprint triathlon that I use as a baseline measure of my fitness. Last year I improved my time by about 10 minutes. Five of those minutes came from a faster transition time. I understand that 5 minutes may not seem like a lot, but try lowering your 5K time by 5 minutes. I bet that’s gonna cost a lot more time, effort, and money than a new race outfit.
9) Aero Bars
I started my triathlon career on a mountain bike. Over the years I have kept upgrading my bike until last year I spent what I consider a big chunk of change on a new carbon ride. Read about it HERE.
But the biggest difference to my bike times came when I started using aero bars. This could be because aero bars put you in a more aerodynamic position. But I suspect that it has more to do with feeling like a real triathlete. Almost nothing says triathlete more than aero bars (OK shaving your legs as a guy also screams triathlete...among a number of other non tri things). I really believe that the more you look and feel like a pro triathlete, the more you’ll race like one.
8) Get a coach or training plan
You don’t have to have a desire to compete in Kona to need a coach or plan. There is so much (from just a technical point of view) to the sport of triathlon. It is much more than just the sum of three sports. My recent interview with MarkAllenOnline coach Luis Vargas is a good example HERE.
For instance, you may be the best cyclist on your biking team, but when’s the last time raced a 27-mile time trial after swimming and before running? How about when is the last time you just raced a 27-mile time trial? Most bike racers stay in a pack and draft. They don’t race alone until the end of the race. This is world away from what you need to prepare for a triathlon.
How about you Newbies out there, what’s your training plan? I’m sure most of you have done some running, but how do you combine it with swimming and running? How do you combine training for all three sports in such a way that you actually get stronger and fitter while not injuring yourself?
You need a coach or a plan. You can read about my long road to this realization HERE. And see some before and after photos of me.
7) Put your swim goggle strap under your swim cap.
This is just a quirky tip, but when you race I recommend that you put the goggle strap under your cap like the pros. That way, if somebody happens to hit you in the face and knock off your goggles, they’ll stay around your head. And yes, people may kick you in the face in an open water swim.
6) Figure out your Nutritional Plan
The longer the race the more important your nutrition. This is a simple two-part strategy 1) Figure out what works best for you. 2) Train like you race. And always remember to bring your own food. There’s a good chance that the race may not have your preferred gel or drink and this can be a complete disaster.
Last summer I raced a half marathon. I always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before my race. Not this time. I didn’t have peanut butter so I switched to cereal. The swishing mixture of milk and Gatorade as I ran proved to be an explosive combo at about mile 7. I still feel bad for whoever had to clean out that porta-potty.
I stole my best secret race supplement from my 8-year-old son. I love to eat uncrustables during my race. Check them out HERE. They come individually prepackaged so they don’t make a mess. I like to freeze them the night before so that they are ready to eat on the bike. Best of all they are about 300 calories each. For me this is the perfect amount of fuel for a strong run time.
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more Newbie week and more importantly for the remaining five secrets to a PB. Plus...we’ll have a clue to this week’s huge show stopping finale.