Pool based Triathlon

NeedsTraining

For a pool based tri, do you guys wear a tri suit, just tri shorts or swim shorts and then change?

Cheers,

NT

interested

NeedsTraining wrote: »

For a pool based tri, do you guys wear a tri suit, just tri shorts or swim shorts and then change?

Cheers,

NT

never done one so fairly uninformed answer here but from what Ive heard if you have a tri suit without pockets in the back or in the legs then wear that. Wearing just Tri shorts is an option but then trying to put on a base layer when wet is not always easy (but should prove highly entertaining for any spectators )

Hopefully there'll be more informed opinions along in a bit - good luck

Huff n Puff

I have done a few pool based triathlons in my day and have tried a few different methods.

Ten years ago I could be seen doing pool based triathlons in my Speedos and then doing the entire race in those Speedos (not a pretty site but that was the way things were done back then!)

Things have moved on slightly since then. People will wear either the tri shorts or tri suit in the water. Both of these have the padding that is needed for comfort on the bike and they do not really impact on your swim times. What you swim in, you race in.

The majority of people do wear just tri shorts in the pool. This is what they are comfortable in as this is what they train week in week out in. Upon exiting the pool they then put on a tri top. Many of the top triathletes will have their tri top close to the pool and they will put the tri top on while running down to transition.

There is definitely a technique to putting on a tri top over a wet body but it can be done. If you have your number pinned on to the tri top then it can make things a lot harder, and the number can get ripped off - so use a race belt. I have seen people lose a couple of minutes in transition wrestling with tri tops that won't go down or they have ripped their number off.

Quite often tri tops are not suitable to pool swimming as they are badly fitting or have become stretched and baggy. This will cause drag in the water and slow you down.

The most important thing for me is to be comfortable in what you wear in the water. Make sure you practice a few times in the exact gear you will wear on race day to make sure it is the right choice for you and it doesn't slow you down. Plenty of people who wear tri tops or tri suits in the water at the race for the first time complain about feeling restricted or heavy in the water.

Personally, I now wear a full tri suit in the pool and just put on a race belt once I have exited the water. There is no changing of anything in transition. I make sure to practice with the full suit in the water previously to ensure that I am comfortable with it and to make sure it isn't causing a drag. The material in the tri suit is designed with swimming in mind. The material will repel water so that the trisuit is dry on the bike.

You want to spend as little time in transiton as possible, so putting on clothes should be avoided. Try and get used to racing without socks, arm warmers, gloves, scarves, jumpers, base layers etc. If you are pushing it hard in the race then you shouldn't need any of these. You can easily tell the level of triathlete from beginner to experienced by the amount of clothes they are wearing exiting the transition onto the bike.