Friday Tri: Saving Time for Free

I'm headed out to a race this weekend, so I thought I would give some quick advice on saving time for free. In triathlon, every second counts. I've lost multiple races by less than a minute, so I know. Obviously there are ways to get some time banked by spending loads of money on great equipment. A more expensive wetsuit, a more expensive bike and wheels, aerobars, better seat, better shoes with elastic laces, hiring a coach, on and on. But if you don't have money to spend, how do you get those few precious seconds?

1. Sighting on the swim. If you only swim the actual 1500 meter distance instead of 1800 meters because you are going far off course, you will save tons of time. The best swimmers are the ones who swim the least distance.

2. Know where your bike and shoes are in transition. Run through transition a few times before the race starts so you aren't wandering around during the race, trying to find your stuff. (It still happens to me, eys.)

3. Take care of business. You really don't want to spend race time in the portapotties. So make sure you don't eat a lot of fiber the day before and go more than once before the race starts.

4. Check out the bike and run courses beforehand. Make sure you know where the turnarounds are. Don't go off course and you save time.

5. Drink and eat, but not too much. You want to do as close to possible what you did in training. Don't be confused by extra offerings at some races. Never eat or drink anything you haven't before. If a race offers a sports drink not familiar to you, take water and add other supplements of your own.

6. Bring your own tire changing kit. You can wait for the van to come help you, but you'll be waiting. And honestly, you know your own bike better. I had a van come along within seconds after a flat, but it took the guy twice as long as it would have taken me to fix the flat because it was my bike.

7. Don't crash. That sounds stupid, I suppose. But what I mean is, don't take stupid risks going around corners or downhills too fast. And don't take turnarounds too fast, wither your own or the sprinters.

8. Grease up. Before a race, you need to make sure you are well greased to prevent friction problems. They are painful during the race and afterwards. But greasing up is also great when you are trying to get your wetsuit off. Don't panic. Sit down if you need to. But grease up beforehand and it will be a lot easier.

9. Wear a watch. I know no one wears a watch anymore because everyone uses their cell phone, but I think wearing a watch at a race makes you more conscious of your time.

10.Forget the socks. This is only advice I would pay attention to in a shorter race, either Olympic or Sprint. Not Ironman or Half. But if you skip the socks and keep your shoes clipped in, you can save a minute or so in transition time. And it doesn't take much to practice it. Try going barefoot on your trainer first. Then practice it in training once a week or so. It's not that bad. Also, try running without socks. If you use good shoes, it shouldn't make much difference on shorter distances.