[Previous entry: "A Chilly Swim with a View"] [Next entry: "A Good Tri"]
09/09/2006: "Gearing Up"
I had a little trouble sleeping last night as I kept thinking about tomorrow’s triathlon. I am not too anxious about the actual event; I seem to be worried most about forgetting some piece of equipment.
One of the nice things about being a runner is that you really only have to worry about bringing shoes. You could include a hat, sunblock, and some other incidentals, but you can always compete as long as you have your shoes. Triathlons are a different story. With three different events plus transitions, there is much to remember. Here is my list:
Pre Race:
- Sweat pants and shirt
- Breakfast and snack
- Sunscreen
- Lipbalm
- Photo ID
- Registration
- Large Sharpie for drawing race number on arm and leg
- Pin race number on jersey
- Suit/Tri Shorts (this is a cross between a Speedo and Cycling Shorts)
- Swim Cap
- Goggles (and spare pair)
- Wetsuit
- Body Glide (a grease to prevent chaffing and make wetsuit removal easy)
- Towels
- Helmet
- Dark Glasses
- Gloves
- Jersey/Shirt
- Arm Warmers (sleeves)
- Shoes
- Socks
- Bike (most important)
- Spare tire
- Spare tubes
- Repair kit
- Tools
- 3 Water Bottles (1 water, 1 electrolytes, 1 recovery drink)
- Racing Food (Carbo Gels, energy bar, etc.)
- Tire pumps (one large for topping off tires before race and one for bike)
- Hat
- Shoes
Coming out of the water or off the bike, you are a little dizzy and confused as you search to find your stuff amongst a sea of others. All of this equipment gets squeezed into a little space that you are allotted in the transition area. It is important to arrange it in such a way that you are able to quickly grab it and put it on then head out without forgetting anything.