Wednesday Meeting 3 Feb 10

A special thanks to Julie for hosting our first healthy get together. It was a very nice time and we essentially went over a basic checklist of items that every well prepared triathlete has on hand for race day. I will post the checklist here on the blog so that you can print a copy. Our photographer Sarah "the firm" F was on hand to capture some special moments and we can use them as training aids.



I want to state right from the beginning that triathlon gear does not make you look sexy and point in fact is me with a helmet.....add lots of sweat and sunglasses to the picture and you can see where I am going with this picture. Of course all bikers have to wear helmets so one of the top things on the list was a bike helmet Then we did discuss what our uniform should be for the race....you know what to wear and what NOT to wear. Diane was very helpful and as you can see below she is modeling a pair of my tri shorts. It is not recommended that you wear the tri-shorts over your pants.....in fact we do not encourage you to even wear underwear with your tri-shorts. Heck we even had a discussion about butt butter (some lotion to keep you from getting uncomfy in the bike seat). The general consensus is that we should all get black tri-shorts in whatever length we feel most comfortable in and then we can get our logo put on the shorts. I know that many of you are asking what is a tri-short. As Diane said....it is like putting on a pair of Spanx to keep your belly in when wearing a fancy dress :-) They are spandex shorts that have a bit of padding in the crotch and they have elastic on the leg to keep it from riding up when you are biking. They come in various lengths just like regular shorts. Some have a 1 in inseam....like a volleyball pant....way too short for me. Then there is the 3 in inseam which is about mid thigh....my favorite length. There is also the 6 in which is just above the knee and the one that most people said that they would like. The nice thing is that the pad is not too thick so it dries out quickly after you swim. I wear the tri shorts with a regular sports bra top (tankini style) in the pool and then add a shirt and running shorts for the bike and run. It is much faster than trying to get spandex shorts on over wet legs.
Of course every triathlete needs a bag to put all of their gear into and I have in my hands below my original tri bag....an earth friendly reusable bag from Aldi's. It is cheap, sturdy and big and great for all of my gear. I did get a great tri-bag as a gift last year so my Aldi bag has been retired back to carrying groceries and kids' sports equipment. You must have a bag for easy transport and the night before the race you can load it with all your items from the checklist and have it in your car along with your bike as you head to bed early for the big race. We did talk about the fact that we will be leaving for the race on 24 April 10 at 0530 :-)

I think that you can see some of the items on the floor at my feet.....you would be surprised at all of the things that you need to bring but as I explained at the meeting you will "rack" your bike in a designated spot. The metal bike rack will have your number on it and that is where you put your bike and all of your gear. The bikes are all located in the transition area and arranged by your race number. Right next to my bike I lay out a big beach towel folded in half length wise. Some people lay out a yoga mat and arrange their gear on it. On top of my towel I place my helmet topside down with my sunglasses inside. I have my bike shoes open and the socks laying on top. I also have an extra hotel sized towel hanging on my bike so I can quickly dry off. I also have a Gatorade and a water sitting on my towel for a quick drink after the bike. In addition I have my running sneakers laid out with my shoe laces untied and my race number attached to my race number belt. Some people will have their race number attached to their shirt and they throw the shirt on....many times I bike and rum without a shirt but it depends on the temperature. There are port-a-potties right outside the transition area and I make sure I use them several times before the race starts since I tend to get a little bit nervous and have to pee alot.....crazy I know but I have been like that since I started swimming.

The transition area is where you go after the swim to get on your bike and then you park your bike there and head out for the run. You go out one way to bike and one way to run. Don't be like me and always try and run out the bike exit....it slows you down!! I am just a knucklehead but someone always yells at me and gets me going in the right direction. How fast you get in and out of the transition area counts toward your overall race time....so no lolly gagging in there ladies.

Diane is modeling my fully packed high speed tri bag. Notice the water bottle in the side pocket. You must have at least one of these for your bike. Over the course of the 14 mile bike you should drink the whole bottle especially if it is hot. Tiff said she was uncomfortable pulling out her water bottle when she rides so she is going to wear a Camelback....a knapsack type of water bottle which is a great option. However, as we ride more you will get more comfortable pulling your water bottle out more to drink. I am way better at it now that I used to be and I am always falling off my bike :-) If your bike does not have a water bottle holder you need to get one. They are easy to put on and cheap....about $10 at Walmart. We did talk quite a bit about biking and how important it is to make sure that your bike fits you properly. Ian will be at Kathy W's house this Friday to talk bike safety and fit so grab your bike and go see him. In addition we talked about Performance Bike (off Maynard just past the Cary Town Center) and Cycle Spoken Here....Cary. There is also a bike shop at the Ridgewood Shopping Center off the Wade Ave exit. You can go to them and get your bike serviced. They also (along with REI) sell little bike computers for about $25. They are terrific little gadgets that much like a pedometer tell you how far you have gone and how fast you are going. They are great to use for training and super to have on the race. When I did my first 56 mile bike race I did not have one and hated not knowing how much farther I had to go before the torture would be over.

Some people were panicking a little about not having biked enough yet but have no fear I knew we would not have biked a ton yet. The weather has not been good and that is what we have March and April for....it is all a process and you are doing great. If you can get into spin classes or onto a stationary bike by all means do but right now just get your bike fitted and fully equipped you will be hitting the road plenty as it gets warmer....trust me.

Thanks again to Julie for hosting and Happy Birthday to Julie and Lisa B....my February birthdays. The rest of you need to fess up on your birthday date so we can celebrate with you as well.