Pebbles of Wisdom

I would have loved to title this "Pearls of Wisdom" but let us all face facts: I'm an older, slower, tireder athlete and my advice tends to fall somewhere between what your mom told you when you were busy running with those scissors and the stuff found in cheap fortune cookies.

Nonetheless, I've gleaned a lot of smart stuff my standard way, being Terry's Hard Way (always), which sometimes don't show up in books and blogs and articles that are geared to those folk who finish races about 45 hours before I even get off the bike.

So, with this definitely skewed to those of us who just want to finish a race without vomiting or face planting on the concrete, instead of wanting to stand on the podium, here's my personal Pebbles of Wisdom:

SWIM

1. Don't kick so hard. It took me months to figure this out, but long distance swimmers kick very easy (triathletes use a 2 beat kick), and sometimes not even at all. A friend of mine gave me this advice when I was whining that I could not swim more than 100 yards without becoming totally exhausted. I never read it anywhere either (although I'm sure it's out there somewhere). We were all taught as kids to kick like mad during our freestyle. Well, the legs are the biggest muscles in our bodies and using them hard will wear us out really fast. You'll need to kick SOME, as you cannot have your legs drag down in the water, but slow it down and watch your swim endurance soar.

2. Spit on it. Nothing de fogs your goggles better than your own spit. Seriously. As a scuba diver, I've tried all those de fogging solutions and none of them, NONE of them work like good ol' human saliva. I really wonder why, too--what's in our stuff that de fogs? Here's what works best for me--spit hard into each goggle lens (sometimes that is difficult pre race because your nerves will eat up all your mouth moisture!), run the stuff around with the tip of your finger, into each corner, then rinse quickly (NOT thoroughly) into the pool or with your water bottle if it's an open water swim (do not trust your eyes to lake/ocean bacteria). Then I spit again on my finger and lightly rub a little inside once more for insurance. I've not had my goggles fog up yet. Fall off, yes (see item 3). But not fog.

3. If you are going to start your swim aggressively, whether pool or open water, consider the goggles before you do. My first tri was a pool swim and I gleefully dove head first into the water with a fine racing dive, which caused my goggles to slide loose and I lost a full minute or two dumping the water out of them and putting them back on. On my practice open water swim I tried to "dolphin dive" and ended up knocking them loose again. A lot of swimmers wear their goggle straps under their swim caps to help keep them anchored. I have tried it and found it uncomfortable to have the strap flush against my head and ears, but it's not a bad idea if you can tolerate it. Also--learn to put your goggles on while treading water. Just in case.

4. If you put something in your back shirt pocket before a pool swim (no wetsuit) it might fall out during the swim if the pocket doesn't have a velcro closure. Why yes, it happened to me. Lost a gel that way and when I reached for it during the bike, surprise!

5. Lightly baby powder your swim cap about every fourth swim. It won't tug your hair and will glide into place.

THE BIKE

1. Every five minutes or so stand UP in your pedals for a few seconds to let the blood flow back into the nether regions. If you wait until your bum is numb to do this, it's going to be too late.

2. Yes, the articles all say in a sprint tri you shouldn't have to take in anything but water or maybe a sports drink. These articles are written for those that finish sprint tris in about 90 minutes or less. Those of us out there for two hours or more may need an extra boost with a gel or bar or banana. The place to take in nutrition is on the bike, not the run (well, and not the swim, but you would think that would be obvious--but I guess you could tread water and eat a soggy PB&J--certainly no one would stop you). Buy a little bento box for the front tube and stash your yummies in there or stick them in your back jersey pocket (see item 4 on the swim pebbles). I leave a gel in my bike shoe at transition and when I get to transition post swim I stick it in my back pocket.

3. Learn to change a flat tire. Hoping it won't happen to you is plain silly, because it will. If you can't change a tire, your race is over.

4. Signal turns and call out "to your left" when passing another person. It's not just polite, it may save your life. People are notorious for not looking behind them. Ask my partner Matt about that, as it relates to his wife and their car and the closed garage door.

5. READ THE RULES. Don't get penalized or DQ'd because you didn't know something. Did you know that if you litter off the bike--drop a water bottle or throw a wrapper on the ground-that's a penalty in a USAT tri race? If you drop something, stop and pick it up. There's a safety reason for this rule. No biker behind you wants to skid out on your fallen banana peel. Have a plan for where you intend to stash your wrappers or empty gel packs on the bike. Side note: gels are messy. Be prepared to rinse your hands with water from your water bottle. No matter how careful I am with them, I get them on my hands somehow and then can't stand the sticky feel.

6. Alternate going up difficult hills by standing up in the pedals to pump for a while, or sitting down to spin up it, working both sets of muscles rather than just one. If you're going below 10 mph up a hill, and you are down on your areobars, you might just sit up to give yourself more power to spin to the top.


THE RUN:

1. Do NOT assume the race water stops will have anything but water, even if they advertise they will. Carry your own gel, salt tabs, pretzels, or gummy bears in your pocket. For longer races, carry your own sports drink in a fuel belt. The race stops may run out of things, or forget to stock them.

2. If you wear cotton during your run, you are going to get what you deserve. Cotton is for the post race food tent.

3. Use bodyglide or similar product (NOT vaseline) on areas that will rub against each other or against clothing. You'll thank me later.

4. Change your shoes every 500 miles or every six months. The old ones make great run around town shoes or walking the dog shoes. Or donate them to charity.

5. Change your running route often. Not only does it keep you from getting bored, your muscles will start to memorize your ups, downs and turns on the same route. You need to wake them up a bit at times.

MISCELLANEOUS:

1. Thank your spouse and kids and family for putting up with your craziness. More than once.

2. Enter at least one event per year. Even if you intend to walk the whole thing.

3. Volunteer to help at one event per year. A view from the other side makes a lotta difference.

4. Eat, drink and pee whenever you get the chance. You never know when you will get another one.

Happy training! I'm off for a 45 min run tonight.

5. If you insist on running a run event in a costume, do not smirk when you pass those of us who cannot keep up with you even though you are in a full Hulk Hogan suit, including the mask.