# First Triathlon Of The Season? 3 Things You Need To Know! | Ep 489

An episode of [Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/951501034), 15 May 2024, 15 min.

Audio: https://anchor.fm/s/ea99f7d8/podcast/play/86561005/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2024-4-10%2F377166615-44100-2-4d9aad8bab5e9.mp3

Your first race of the season is exciting and daunting in equal measure! It's probably been a while since your last race, so you're probably a little rusty on some of the basics of racing logistics, tactics and strategy. In this video, we explain 3 of the most common issues we hear about people having at the start of every race season. Give yourself the best chance of a performance that reflects your fitness and all of the hard work you've put into your training by avoiding these major, but easy to make mistakes across swimming, biking & running. * * * * * * * * SPONSORS * * * * * * * * Like what you heard in this show? Join hundreds of other age group triathletes making the most of their limited training time, training with Team OxygenAddict! http://team.oxygenaddict.com - The most comprehensive triathlon coaching program for busy age groupers. Join the Team Oxygenaddict waiting list and be the first to find out when a space becomes available: https://team.oxygenaddict.com/waiting-list * * * * * * * * * * * * precisionfuelandhydration.com Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised race nutrition plan for your next event. And then book a free 20-minute video consultation with a member of the PF&H Athlete Support Team to refine your strategy. Listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel and electrolytes with Precision Fuel & Hydration. Simply use this link and the discount will be auto-applied at the checkout. * * * * * * * * * * * * Watch on youtube Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts

## Transcript

[0:03] Hello and welcome to the Oxygenating podcast.
[0:05] We're brought to you every week by our sponsors Precision Fuel
[0:08] and hydration.com. You can personalise your
[0:11] fuelling and hydration strategy so you perform your best with
[0:14] 15% off your first order of electrolytes and carbohydrate
[0:18] fuel. Decode Oxygen 24 at Precision
[0:21] Fuel and hydration.com Welcome to the show everybody.
[0:24] I'm your host, coach Rob Wilby, and every week we bring you an
[0:28] episode of this podcast to help. Motivate and inspire.
[0:31] You for your triathlon goals for this season, listen a couple of
[0:34] quick things you could do for us before we jump into today's
[0:37] episode. If you do like this episode,
[0:39] please consider following us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
[0:44] And also if you're watching on YouTube, if you could like and
[0:46] subscribe, that would really help out the growth of the show.
[0:50] It helps the show get shown to more people by the.
[0:52] Algorithm. On on the podcast Players and on
[0:55] YouTube. So we'd really, really
[0:56] appreciate that. And secondly, if you're looking
[0:59] for help and advice with your. Triathlon training.
[1:01] Please consider getting in touch with us.
[1:03] You can read all about what we offer at Team Oxygen.
[1:06] Addict.com. And then you can e-mail us.
[1:08] At help@oxygenaddict.com. Or there's a link in the show
[1:12] notes to book a call with me or one of the coaching team.
[1:15] We can discuss how we can best help you out with your triathlon
[1:19] goals for this season. On this episode of the podcast
[1:22] today, we're going to be talking about your first race of the
[1:25] year and going through some of the things that I want to make
[1:28] sure that you do to avoid making some of the big mistakes that
[1:32] athletes often make before their first race of the year.
[1:35] So before we get into the finer details here, I'm going to make
[1:38] some assumptions and I'm going to be talking about some of the
[1:41] things that are directly applicable to our athletes who
[1:44] are racing in the UK now. These things will be applicable
[1:48] to some athletes racing in Europe and some athletes racing
[1:50] in North America as well. But one of the big things about
[1:54] the early season races in the UK that tends to be a real
[1:57] challenge for athletes is the cold water and the fact that the
[2:01] water hasn't had a chance to warm up yet before people are
[2:04] racing. So it might be that you're
[2:06] really lucky and are racing in a place where the water is
[2:08] beautiful temperature and you don't have to consider these
[2:11] things. But just in case this is ever
[2:14] applicable to you, hopefully these tips will help you out as
[2:16] well. So first races of the season in
[2:20] the UK tend to be an April, May time, and the water temperature
[2:25] can often be pretty chilly. It can range anywhere from, you
[2:29] know, 1415° if we're lucky, all the way down to 12°.
[2:33] And certainly for people who are racing in mountainous areas in
[2:37] the Lake District or in North Wales.
[2:39] We've all been to races where the race director has said the
[2:42] temperature is 12°. I'm not sure the water
[2:46] temperature has has been as warm as that in some places and and
[2:49] that's the temperature below which they have to cancel the
[2:51] swim according to the BBCF regulations.
[2:54] So we used to joke about there being a a magic thermometer that
[2:57] came up with this 12° number for some race organisers.
[3:00] I've certainly swam in some water that felt what whatever
[3:04] the temperature is, it feels absolutely freezing cold when
[3:08] you first get in. So there are some tips here we
[3:10] can give you to help acclimate to cold water that are going to
[3:13] make your race day go much much more smoothly.
[3:16] So the first thing you can do in preparation for your first race
[3:19] of the year is to try and get some practise in swimming in
[3:23] open water. Even if the water is still quite
[3:26] cold, take the chance to go to a local open water venue and get
[3:30] some cold water acclamation, swimming done so.
[3:33] Some of the things that you can do to help yourself along with
[3:36] this, some tricks of the trade will go into.
[3:39] But committing to get into the water at least once and ideally
[3:43] twice in a couple of weeks before your first event can go a
[3:46] long way to a helping. That mental anguish and
[3:51] wondering what the temperature is going to be like can often be
[3:54] as much of a challenge as actually experiencing it.
[3:56] But second, you can and do get an effect on the body of
[4:00] acclimating to the temperature of the water, So by race way it
[4:03] feels much more doable. OK, so some tips for going in
[4:08] then. Firstly, go to a managed
[4:10] openwater swim venue. Don't just go and jump in a lake
[4:13] on your own, go to a place where there's a managed open water
[4:15] team where they've got lifeguards, where people can
[4:17] keep an eye on you. So that should be the first
[4:20] consideration for everybody. Then as we're going to get into
[4:23] the water, there's some things to think about.
[4:25] The first thing is how it feels when you first get in isn't
[4:29] going to be how it feels after 5 minutes, but the 1st 5 minutes
[4:34] can feel a real challenge so you're going to need to get
[4:37] through that. The first thing to realise is
[4:40] that your wet suit is not made to be comfortable when it's dry,
[4:43] it's made to be comfortable and warm when it's wet.
[4:47] But getting into cold water can be extremely difficult to decide
[4:50] to let the cold water down your suit in order to make it fit
[4:53] correctly. It's a real good tip that we
[4:55] have for athletes is to take big thermos flask full of not hot
[4:59] but warm water or even lukewarm water.
[5:02] When you've got your wet suit on and you're ready to go, pull the
[5:05] neck forward on your suit, pour the water down and try and get
[5:09] some down each arm. Let it run amounts of your legs.
[5:13] That in itself will make the neoprene wet.
[5:15] Your body heat will then heat up the inside layer of the neoprene
[5:19] and it will be much, much more comfortable than getting into
[5:21] the water with an already wet on the inside wet suit.
[5:25] What you'll find if you just get into cold water in a dry wet
[5:28] suit is the seams, the neck, the cuffs, the ankles will let water
[5:31] in and it will be a gradual but unpleasant cold experience.
[5:36] Now you can do that in the water as well later in the season when
[5:39] it warms up a bit. That's exactly what I'll advise
[5:42] you to do. To bend down, pull the neck,
[5:44] order new suit, scoops some water and sweat and stand up.
[5:48] Walk back out of the water and then squeeze you the water, down
[5:52] your chest, down your legs, down your thighs, down your calves
[5:55] and out of the bottom. And immediately you'll feel as
[5:58] soon as there's water inside the suit, you can move it around and
[6:01] slide it around on your body and get it to fit much much more
[6:05] comfortably. And it's much easier to swim in.
[6:07] Same again, I'll do another scoop of water down each arm.
[6:10] Pull the arm into place, get it right up underneath your armpits
[6:14] and into your crotch so that that suit fits you properly.
[6:18] But that's the best way to ensure that when you do get into
[6:21] the cold water, that suit then feels as it's meant to and will
[6:25] protect you from the cold. The next thing you can think
[6:28] about is preparing in advance. Wearing either a thermal swim
[6:31] hat or a neoprene swim hat or even a second swim cap together
[6:35] can go a long way to helping the feeling of cold on your head.
[6:39] And before you even think about swimming, the first thing that I
[6:42] want you to do is to get into the water.
[6:45] Put your face down into the water, blow out bubbles into the
[6:49] water, take your face up again, take a nice big breath, blow
[6:53] bubbles out into the water again, splash some water on your
[6:56] face and on the back of your neck.
[6:57] Gradually get your body used to that feeling.
[6:59] Because like I said, the way it feels in the first minute or so
[7:03] isn't how it feels after 5 minutes.
[7:05] And even if the water is extremely cold, and it's so cold
[7:09] that you feel you want to gasp when you first put your face in
[7:12] it, it will get better after a few minutes.
[7:15] But you don't want those few minutes to be just after the
[7:18] starter's gun has gone off. You want to be totally
[7:20] acclimated before the starter's gun is gone.
[7:23] So we're going to practise this in training.
[7:26] So two hats on. Go through this process for a
[7:29] few minutes of getting your face in the water, even dunk your
[7:31] whole head and your whole body under the water.
[7:33] So you've got used to that feeling.
[7:35] And once the cold shock has gone, that's the point where you
[7:39] can then go ahead and start to think about going to do your
[7:43] actual swim training. So that's the swim tip that I've
[7:46] got for you. It's Cold Water Reclamation and
[7:48] Training. It's cold water exclamation on.
[7:51] The on the day of the event itself, it's being prepared and
[7:54] having the extra hats. It's having a thermos of water
[7:56] to make your suit fit you as well and as comfortably as
[8:00] possibly can, and having a think about having two pairs of
[8:04] goggles if you need them, one with clear lenses for if it's an
[8:07] overcast day, and one with tinted lenses for if it's a very
[8:10] sunny or bright day. O Those tips will really help
[8:14] you going forward for your swim part of your first race of the
[8:17] year. For the bike section.
[8:20] The most important thing I think you can do, the biggest tip I
[8:22] can give you is to know your outdoor FTP numbers.
[8:25] We've got a whole other episode you can search for, talking
[8:28] about the importance of doing an outdoor FTP test, but you have
[8:32] to know your own individual FTP numbers outdoors on your race
[8:37] bike with the power metre on that bike and in the position
[8:40] you're going to race in. Now it's too late if you're
[8:43] listening to this on race day morning to know all that stuff.
[8:46] Hopefully you're listening to this four weeks before your race
[8:48] and you've got time to go and work out your outdoor FTP.
[8:51] You've got time to train in your outdoor position, you've got
[8:54] time to train in the aero bars if that's what you're going to
[8:56] race in. You've got time to train on your
[8:58] try bike, if that's what you're gonna race on.
[9:01] But having the accurate number for your outdoor position, your
[9:05] outdoor bike, is absolutely essential for being able to ride
[9:10] to accurate numbers during the race, but also to be able to
[9:12] accurately analyse those numbers afterwards when you get back and
[9:17] you have a look at the numbers after the race.
[9:19] So that's my tip for the cycling, It is as simple as
[9:21] that. It is knowing what your outdoor
[9:24] FTP number is and having trained in the position and on the bike
[9:29] that you're going to race in on race day.
[9:32] And lastly, the running tip that I've got for you when preparing
[9:35] for the first race of year is you want to plan ahead of time
[9:39] here and you want to have time to make sure that in training
[9:43] you have done it. Ideally a series of but at least
[9:47] one run off the bike so that you know how that feels when you run
[9:52] off the bike. So in an ideal world, our
[9:55] athletes, I'll have them do 3 or even 4 brick runs at weekly
[10:00] intervals leading up to their a race and they've got no worries
[10:03] and no questions. Then they know exactly how it's
[10:05] going to feel and they know what pace is going to be reasonable
[10:08] for them to run getting off the bike.
[10:10] But we do hear stories of people who are going to turn up to
[10:14] their first race who have never ever run off the bike before,
[10:18] and race day isn't the time that you want to be experiencing
[10:21] that. So my advice to you here is at
[10:23] least a week before race day, do you use your bike session?
[10:27] Have your trainers ready at the front door, and as soon as you
[10:31] finish the bike session, take off your bike shoes.
[10:34] Take off your helmet. If you're riding outdoors, pull
[10:36] your running shoes on and go for a 5 to 10 minute run around the
[10:40] block. Now, you're going to have to
[10:42] expect the first time you do this or the first time you do
[10:46] this in a season, your legs are going to feel pretty weird and
[10:49] your brain is going to tell you. There's absolutely no way that I
[10:53] can run 10K off the bike, 1/2 marathon off the bike, a
[10:56] marathon off the bike with legs feeling like this.
[10:59] But the purpose of that run off the bike, the purpose of the
[11:02] brick run in training, isn't necessarily the training effect.
[11:07] It's the mental effect of you learning that although your legs
[11:09] feel horrible for two to four minutes off the bike, after that
[11:13] they're going to come round and they're going to feel pretty
[11:15] normal again. And so that's the main reason to
[11:18] do these runs off the bike. It's so that mentally you know
[11:22] it won't always feel like this and that come race day, you'll
[11:25] know that within a few minutes of running off the bike, your
[11:28] legs are going to feel normal again.
[11:30] So for everybody, even for a very first time doing the first
[11:34] race, I recommend you do that run at least once.
[11:38] Now ideally we're gonna have you do three of those runs.
[11:41] We're gonna have you do them weekly leading up to race day
[11:45] and be careful how I say this, but the more seriously you're
[11:50] taking your race result, the faster you want to be.
[11:53] The more you want to run to your potential.
[11:56] The the more of these we have to make sure we get done according
[11:59] to our training plan and the more we have to make sure that
[12:03] they're done at an appropriate pace.
[12:05] O What I mean by that is some of these runs are going to, by
[12:09] necessity have to be done at or close to the kind of pace that
[12:13] you want to or can expect to run.
[12:18] Best case scenario of the bike come race day, don't have to
[12:23] make all of these runs very long.
[12:25] If you're a beginner who's never done one before, 10 minutes off
[12:28] the bike is going to be absolutely fine for your first
[12:30] one of these. And it doesn't have to be fast.
[12:33] You don't have to really push yourself.
[12:35] It's just the experiencing of it the first time, but typically
[12:40] for our half iron distance athletes, I'll have them run up
[12:43] to half an hour off the bike. For our Ironman athletes, I'll
[12:46] have them run up to 45 minutes off the bike, so they're the
[12:49] longer distances. With our more experienced,
[12:51] coached athletes, there is definitely a training effect
[12:54] we're looking for here with those runs off the bike.
[12:57] But for the majority of people who are just starting out, just
[13:01] running off the bike is the thing that you can be, you can
[13:04] be. Shooting.
[13:04] For and again, the more of those specific brick runs you do at
[13:09] close to race pace, the better that's going to be for your
[13:12] chances of running at close to race ace or your expected race
[13:15] pace come race day. OK then, that brings us to the
[13:20] end of this week's episode. So here are some discount codes
[13:23] and deals for you. I've got Precision, Fuel and
[13:26] hydration.com. Use the code Oxygen 24 for 15%
[13:29] off your first electrolyte order.
[13:31] And over at teamoxygenaddict.com I think we've got the most
[13:35] comprehensive triathlon coaching programme for busy age groupers.
[13:39] If you've enjoyed what you've heard today and the advice has
[13:41] helped you out, well, great stuff.
[13:43] I hope that's helped put some of your fears at rest, and I know
[13:46] from some of the calls we've had it's helping raise the right
[13:49] questions in the minds of people as to whether their current
[13:53] coaching relationship is working for them.
[13:56] If you're looking for a change or if you're looking for high
[13:58] quality proven coaching for Iron Man or 70.3 Triathlon this year,
[14:02] you can just check out the details of our coaching packages
[14:05] on our website at teamoxygenaddict.com.
[14:08] And then if you're interested, there's a link in the show notes
[14:11] below. You can join our waiting list
[14:13] and you'll be notified if the slot becomes available, and at
[14:16] that point you'll have a chance to book a call with us and see
[14:19] if you'd be a good fit for joining the team.
[14:21] So although we don't have slots available at the moment, we'll
[14:24] make those call appointments available to people as and when.
[14:28] We do have athletes who and their coaching packages during
[14:32] the season, if and when that happens.
[14:34] So remember there's links in the show notes so you don't have to
[14:36] remember them till next week. Have a great safe training and
[14:39] racing week. I'm coach Rob Wilby and you've
[14:42] been listening to the. Oxygen added podcast.
[14:44] See ya.

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