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Over the past few months I have had many questions from my team regarding what happens during a normal Triathlon race day for me. Questions about the pre-race, equipment, transitions, nutrition and actual race have all been asked and I thought it might be easier to post my thoughts here since I was starting to hear the same Q’s. So I will cover my basic Duathlon or triathlon schedule and will include the following items. - Equipment
- Nutrition
- The day/night before
- Morning of
- Pre-Race
- Race time
- Transitions
- Post Race
This first installment will only include the Equipment and Nutrition. The rest will be released in a week or so. Please be aware that I am not the all-knowing tri/du champion and there are many things that work for me that will or will not work in your situation. There are probably things that I do that could be cut out to make me faster or even added to make me faster. If you have ideas or thoughts, post in the comment area.
Equipment Here are the things that I use during a normal sprint race. Through trial and error I have found things and equipment that work for me. Once it works, I try not to change too much. For the equipment, I tend to purchase multiple items so when one breaks down I have a backup. You do not need to go buy these or even use them in a ‘normal’ race. In my first multi-sport race, I had a steel frame road bike and a water bottle, running shoes, a t-shirt and a pair of bike shorts. I out rode and out ran most of the other competitors without even really knowing what I was doing. After one I was hooked though! Tri-Specific Suit. I use a two piece tri specific suit made by Zoot. They have wonderful products and since I have had good experience with them. In a tri, I wear the shorts for the swim and put the jersey on during the first transition. In a Duathlon, I will start with the jersey on. The Tri-suit has a smaller cycling pad that is usually made out of fleece or some similar low-moisture retaining material. I have not noticed much of a difference in comfort between the tri or bike shorts. Sure there is a difference but it is not bad.  
Race belt This keeps your uniform hole free and is fairly quick to set up and put on. You can rotate the number to the back for the bike ride so it isn’t wrinkled in front while in the aero position and since race directors want you to have your number in the front for the finish you can rotate the number back to the front during the run. 
Shoes / socks In sprint level multi-sport events I race without socks because it takes too much time to put the socks on. I figure that I can afford to trash my feet for a sub 2 hour race. In a longer event where seconds can be spared, socks are a necessity…but that’s up to you. I will take a blister or three for an extra 20-30 seconds in a race. I have a pair of running shoes that have been very reliable in training and racing. They are very light and can be soaking wet without much discomfort. I bought a set of speed laces that take the place of normal shoelaces. There are two different styles of speed laces – elastic or cord – I like the cord laces because they do not cause hot spots on my feet. Normally I will not even tighten the laces during a race. I throw on the shoes and go. In a good transition, I can switch from bike to running in about 35 seconds including the time it takes to find my rack. 
For my bike shoes I could go buy a tri-specific set of cycling shoes but I have been quite comfortable with an old set of road shoes. They are shimano road shoes with two Velcro straps. I can get them on quickly and can unstrap quickly during the approach to the transition area. Bike This is the most simple/difficult part of the equipment. There are so many different things that could go wrong during the bike portion and every small part that helps you go faster will help in your overall time. In my first races I was on a 1980’s steel frame Centurion SportDLX road bike. The water bottles and shifters were on the downtube. It was not fast and it definitely was not light or aero. 
Since then I have upgraded to a Quintana Roo 650 Kilo with a Zipp 404 wheelset. This is a hybrid mix of aluminum and carbon fiber and the whole bike weighs less than my old Centurion frame. The bike has aero bars that let me get into a more aerodynamic position, a cushioned tri-specific seat, a waterbottle that is shaped to be more aerodynamic and fit between the bars. I am able to get a drink without moving my hands, head or body.   The wheelset is made by Zipp and is a ‘deep dish’ meaning that from the wheel, it stretches down towards the central hub about 4 inches. It is made of carbon fiber and has flat bladed spokes that slice through the wind. There are plenty of faster bikes and equipment out there but this is what I could afford and it works for me. There are plenty of guys and gals out there with much more or less expensive bikes and it all depends on your fitness and how hard you can crank the pedals. Sure lighter and more aero is better for speed but if you can fly, it does not matter how much money you put into your bike! 
Nutrition This is a personal preference for sure! I use all Hammer Nutrition products during every race because I have found that my body uses their products with no ill-effects. I sometimes am able to chalk a good performance up solely to my Hammer products because my training (or lack of) does not put me at a level to compete. I am able to run ‘hot’ on the Hammer products and see some decent results. I am getting ahead of myself but I begin the day with oatmeal, honey and cranberries. I also consume a cup or two of coffee on my way to the race venue. Once at the race, I slowly continue to drink a diluted mix of Heed and water and will stop all fluids 20-30 minutes before a sprint race. 
30 minutes out I take one packet of hammer gel with some water. During the first run in a Duathlon I do not drink any water and if I am in a Tri, I try not to drink much lake water. In my first triathlon event I drank half of Lake Tempe and lost it about 10 miles into the bike…gross. My main nutrition intake takes place on the bike when I will drink most of a bottle of normally mixed Heed. About 15 minutes out, I will take one more Hammer gel with heed or water so that I am ready for the run. During the run out, I grab a cup of water and then if it is a hot race, I will grab a cup of water from the volunteers. Part 2 - Race Day!! This will be up in a week so keep checking back! Also if anyone has ideas for Tri's - training - equipment - nutrition - post it up here!
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