101 Terrific Tri Tip Top Training Tips

101 great tips to make triathlon training more interesting, challenging, exciting, rewarding and enjoyable.

1. Clean and service your bike regularly
2. Get five swim coaching lessons before summer starts
3. Look at your shoes and buy new ones if you need to.
4. De-stink your old running shoes
5. Start training now!
6. Learn to listen to your body.
7. Rest when you need to: train hard when you have to.
8. Plan to have one day off each and every week to rest and recover
9. Eat more fresh fruit
10. Eat fewer Take Aways.
11. Drink more water.
12. Stretch before and after every session
13. Practice transitions at least once every week even early in the season
14. Get more sleep. An extra hour sleep each night is one night extra sleep each week
15. Learn to ride in a bunch
16. Learn to sit a wheel
17. Improve your bike cornering skills
18. Wear deodorant after each training session. People notice
19. Practice swimming with a wet suit if you are likely to be wearing one in competition
20. Practice swimming in open water (river, creek, ocean, dam) often. It is different to pool swimming.
21. Use conditioner on your hair after every swim session
22. Dry your swim cap and put a little baby powder on it to keep it dry after each session
23. Have a cycling coach or cycling professional set your bike up correctly for you (bike fit).
24. Go riding with a cycling coach or top cyclist and have them look at how you sit on the bike
25. Use lunchtimes effectively. Eat a good lunch, have a light training session, stretch, read, relax, sleep, don’t waste them by sitting in the office stressing out.
26. If you need a Pizza fix, try vegetarian with extra veggies and half the cheese
27. Just for once, buy training clothes that aren’t colour co-ordinated
28. Improve your mental skills.
29. Set goals that are specific, measurable and realistic
30. Revise your goals regularly
31. Set new goals
32. Clean out your swim bag and clean (or throw out) the mouldy stuff
33. Arrange to have a massage every second week
34. Count your strokes when swimming. Aim to cover the same distance with fewer strokes and with fewer breaths at a faster speed.
35. Learn to take your own heart rate accurately
36. Learn to “spin” on your bike with a relaxed easy efficient cyclic action
37. Identify your weaknesses and work to overcome them
38. Keep a training diary. It helps you identify what training and racing techniques work well for you and allows you to repeat them.
39. Lubricate your chain regularly
40. Learn to change a tyre!
41. If you find a pair of running shoes that fit well and you enjoy wearing, buy a second pair and rotate using them
42. Check your bike helmet for wear and tear. Take no chances. If it is even slightly damaged, get a new one. It’s easier than getting a new head.
43. See a sports medicine doctor and get a blood test done at the beginning of the season. This will establish a normal profile and
44. See a sports physiotherapist and get a musculo-skeletal screen. This will identify possible injury problems before they happen
45. If you are planning to drink a sports drink when racing, try it first in training rides to see how it effects you and what is the best concentration for your needs
46. When swimming with a squad, allow five-ten seconds space between you and the swimmer in front of you. No tail gates!
47. Have a drink bottle with you at all training sessions and drink from it regularly.
48. Finish every lap in the pool on the wall.
49. Improve your gear changing skills
50. Save your race wheels and tyres for race day
51. Drink less alcohol
52. Train regularly
53. Always carry a drink bottle filled with water
54. If training in the morning, get your training gear ready the night before
55. Eat less fat
56. Stretch every day, even if you are having a day off
57. Practice kicking
58. Drink less soft drink
59. Carry spare parts for your goggles
60. Carry a spare set of goggles
61. Get even more sleep
62. Watch less TV.
63. Don’t wear your heart rate monitor as a watch when you aren’t training. I think you know why!
64. Don’t share drink bottles
65. Have something light to eat or drink (fruit, juice, sports drink) immediately after training when your body really needs it.
66. Do sit ups and push ups at home by yourself everyday. Start with doing 5, then do one extra every second day.
67. Learn five motivational sayings that can help you get through tough times
68. Never, ever quit
69. Learn from losing
70. Believe in yourself
71. Eat more fresh vegetables
72. Have your medications checked by a doctor to make 100% certain they don’t contain banned substances
73. If travelling long distances to a meet, carry your first two meals with you so you are less likely to resort to junk food
74. Be confident
75. Take your own nutritious food to events so you are less tempted to buy junk food
76. Don’t smoke
77. Have an interest other than triathlon
78. Wear sunscreen at outdoor training sessions
79. Don’t spoil yourself with junk food or presents every time you do a PB or have a good race result. Do things better because you want to
80. Learn to enjoy longer training sessions. Endurance work lays the foundation for great speed and increased recovery ability
81. Learn to tumble turn in swimming
82. Don’t look for short cuts
83. Learn to train slowly when you need to
84. Always warm up
85. Always warm down
86. Take your gym and strength training as seriously as you take swim, bike and run training
87. Work on weaknesses. Strengths can take care of themselves
88. Cut back on lollies, chips, chocolate and cookies
89. Edit your own music tapes with your favourite music to listen to before your race
90. Enjoy running hills. They make you stronger.
91. Take toilet paper with you on early morning runs!
92. Tie a little knot in the cord in your swimming costumes (men) so you don’t pull them through.
93. Wear a hat when training in the daytime all year round
94. Have an ice pack (or a packet of frozen peas) in the freezer to treat minor injuries quickly
95. Learn to ride your bike for fun sometimes or as a mode of transport, every ride is not a training ride.
96. Treat blisters and other foot problems as soon as possible.
97. Stretch hamstrings and lower back so you can relax comfortably on your aero bars.
98. Stretch calves and hips to improve your swim kick.
99. Feel free to swear at people who smash bottles on the road!
100. Be creative – experiment with different combinations in training, e.g. swim/bike/swim or bike/swim/run/bike/swim sets.
101. Be a try-athlete , try to remember the first 100 tips!

Wayne Goldsmith