Triathlon Tips and Tricks

GreenlightPT's collection of helpful triathlon tips and tricks. Aimed to help you train smarter and race faster.

Feel free to add and share your own tips on the comments box below! 

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1. When taking off skinny jeans, running tights or leggings practice your wetsuit removal. Get stamping.

2. Breaststroker or slow person holding up the ‘fast lane’ in a public session? Get some sculling practice in. Its much slower than swimming and you'll work just as hard.

3. Stick race numbers around brake cables on your bike to save stickers wrecking the paint work. Alternatively put on masking tape before the sticker. 

4.  If your goggles are constantly steaming up a lot mid-race - leave a tiny bit of water in to swish around in them.

5. Make sure when you rack your bike it is in the correct gear. Very easy to forget on race morning. 

6. When racing long distance swim events (5/10km) store gels tucked in your swim hat for easy access.

7. Elastic laces will not only help with quick transitions, but also in long distances race when your feet swell.

8. Always put the timing chip on your LEFT leg. Your right may catch the gears on your bike.

9. Running through sand to T1? Keep a spare water bottle to wash feet off before setting off on bike. The last thing you want is sand in your bike shoes.

10.  Always take 2 pairs of goggles to a race. Don’t let a simple snapped bit of elastic ruin your day.

11. Cut your toe nails the night (or a few days) before  a race. So important for long distances.
 
12. Don’t spend £15+ on a front wheel riser for your turbo trainer. Use your swimming kickboard.

13. Use punctured inner tubes for ankle bands for hardcore swim strength training.

14. When removing your wetsuit, hold goggles and hat in one hand so they end up inside the wetsuit arm. Saves you holding them at transition.

15 A week later when you are about to go swimming training. Remember...your goggles are in your wetsuit arm.

16. Always check your brake pads aren't touching your rims after putting your bike in the car on the way to your race. 

17. Kick your legs harder during the final 50m of the swim to avoid dizziness in transition.

18. Put a carrier bag over your feet and hands to make sliding your wetsuit on so much easier.

19. Use 2 race belts. You can have fresh gel supplies already attached for your run section on long distance races.

20. Don’t look at your garmin/gps watch on the first km of the bike/run. Let your pace and the watch settle down.

21. If you are racing pool based triathlons you need to learn to tumble turn. It will save up to 2 seconds per length. 

22. Clipping your pedals onto your bike to save transition time? Check your shoes are on the correct sides.

23. Positioning yourself correctly at the swim start could be the biggest factor in how your swim (and ultimately your race) pans out.

24. You don’t need to constantly time yourself to check improvements in the pool. Check your strokes per length to measure efficiency.

25. Step away from the pull buoy. You all know who you are. Body position is key – fix it, don’t cover it up.

26. Go and buy yourself a big cardboard ‘year planner’. Perfect for mapping out your season.
 

27. Cut an A4 sheet in 4. Write your swim sessions for the week on them. Wet it at the pool and slap it on your drinks bottle. Simple.

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