Tri Shorts and Transitions

One of the elements of doing a multisport event is learning how to do a transition from one discipline into the other. In the case of a duathlon, I will need to make a transition from running to cycling and a transition from cycling to running. The time I spend in transition will count against my overall finishing time. Therefore practicing transition is highly recommended on just about every multi-sport website out there. (Transition practice is different than brick workouts.) So two weeks ago, I did just that.

When I ran my marathon back in 2010, one lesson I learned was the importance of training in conditions as close to race conditions as possible. This includes clothing. (I did not follow this advice on my marathon and had the red marks to prove it.) I have been shopping around for a pair of inexpensive but well made tri shorts for a few weeks. Tri shorts are made to go from swim to bike to run. They fit closer than running shorts (running shorts would also be painful to cycling in) and have less padding than bike shorts (imagine running with all that padding) and dry quickly. I researched several companies and spoke to the multi sport athletes I knew. In the end, I order a pair of Sugoi tri shorts that I found for a very reasonable price. (Quick note if you are new to buying professional athletic clothes. These tend to run small as athletes are normally smaller than the general population. Always check the sizing guide for any athletic company. I almost always have to buy a size up.) Transition practice seemed like the perfect time to break them in.

Sugoi Tri Shorts (Photo by Piper Williams)

I set up a transition zone on the concrete patio outside of my apartment. This included laying out my running shoes, cycling shoes, bike helmet, and a water bottle. Some people clip their cycle shoes into their pedals for transition. I have elected not to do this. I will have enough on my mind and my race nerves have a good probability of making me clumsy. I have also elected to run with my cycling gloves on. This will save a little time in transition and, on the gross side, will give me a medium to wipe sweat off my brow while I am running. For this practice, I had mapped out a 2 mile run and a 6 mile cycle. The purpose was to repeat the transition multiple times, not get my milage in. My husband would watch my bike while I was doing the run. Now that everything was laid out, I could begin.

Where I entered my "Transition Zone" (Photo by Piper Williams)

I stared off with a run and tried to relax. After the run I went up to my patio and put on my bike helmet (duathlon rules state that you cannot get on your bike until your helmet is on and people are regularly disqualified for this). I then struggled to get out of my running shoes (mental note: buy stretchy tri laces) and into my cycling shoes. I downed some water and grabbed my bike. I ran with my bike down the apparent sidewalk and mounted once I reached the street. (Duathlon rules state that you cannot ride your bike in the transition zone.) I went through my bike ride, a little slower than I would like, and returned to my transition zone. I set my bike on the patio, quickly got out of my cycling shoes and put on my running shoes and fussed with the laces once again. This repeated two more times over the course of this workout.

This exercise proved to be useful in several ways. First, the transition was easier than I thought it would be. I have some ideas of areas that I need to improve. Second, it is another step in adjusting the weird feeling of running after cycling. Next time I may time my transitions and I will transition more than four times. To you multi-sport athletes, how do you practice your transitions?

Training Update:

I have been a little bit of slump due to an increased work load and additional responsibilities. I will write more about this later.

I am participating the London Ultra Duathlon to raise money for Scope, a charity that provides services for individuals with disabilities. If you would like to sponsor me please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=EmilyGrace. Any amount helps and is appreciated.