10 Best Triathlon Hacks | Tips Every Triathlete Should Know

(energetic music) - The regular plastic bag! Who would have thought, but this could actually be a

triathlete

's

best

friend. You can use it for packing, helping to keep your wet kit away from your dry kit, but it has another use. Now, you may find that on race day, when you're a little hot and nervous and trying to get your feet and ankles into your wetsuit, the plastic bag could be your savior. All you need to do is put your foot in the plastic bag and then you can put the wetsuit over your foot and ankle without any problem.

Now, rubber bands are great for keeping the cameraman on his toes. But seriously, they are very useful for a

triathlon

, especially if you are confident enough to perform a flying mount like these people, then a resistance band is essential. Since you need to strap your shoe to your bike, make sure your shoes are in the right position so that when you get on the bike, they're ready for you to slide your feet in and out of the T1, without wasting time. . And as soon as you stop pedaling, the elastic band will simply break and come off.

If you run outdoors, it's a good idea to choose a couple of different colored eyeglass lens options. This is because if you are racing early in the morning, for example, and it is very cloudy and overcast, then you will want to have a clear or brighter goggle lens color. Or, if conditions are very bright, or the sun has just come up and is hitting your eyes, then you'll want tinted or mirrored glasses like these. And another thing to keep in mind, if you take spare ones with you at the start of the race, or as close as possible to there, because there is nothing worse than having your goggles break at the last moment and trying to swim without goggles. .

If you're doing a long distance run and need a lot of gels, you may struggle to find enough space in your bento box and your trisuit may not have pockets in the back. Then there is a solution: you can use a water bottle and simply empty the gel packs into the bottle. And then, depending on the consistency of the gel, you may need to add a little water. Just enough so that it can come out the top of the bottle. And another point on this, it's pretty good to mark exactly how many gels you have there and a line indicating where each gel would be.

This way you will be able to

know

approximately how many gels you have taken during the race. And, if you don't want to do that and want to have the gel straight from the package, you can attach it directly to your bike with a piece of tape. That makes it easy to tear off and take the gel directly. A quick and easy tip is to simply replace the original laces with elastic ones. Which means you can put your foot directly into the shoe and don't have to waste time trying to make a loop. But I recommend that you practice this beforehand.

You want to make sure you have the right fit throughout the shoe and that you can easily get your foot in, but it's not too sloppy that it falls out. If you do it right, it can save you a lot of time in the transition. Cable ties! This is an essential piece of equipment that

should

always be in your bag when traveling to any

triathlon

race. And not only can they solve various emergency situations, but they are also great for adding security to anything you have attached to your bike. Now a common use for these is to secure the bottle cage between the arrow bars.

So you can add them on top of the clips you already have there, just to make sure the bottle doesn't come off when you step over any bumps. You can use a little Vaseline inside your running and cycling shoes in areas prone to rubbing. And then maybe put some around the top of your shoes as well, as it will help you get your foot into the transition. If you are doing a long distance run and choose to wear socks, maybe put them ready in your shoes so you

know

which is the left sock and which is the right.

And you can do it even faster by turning them down. That means you'll save even more time in the transition. Traveling to practice triathlon is never an easy and light task. So trying to keep the weight down and avoiding the need for an extra bag will save costs. So the

best

idea is to keep the lightest and bulkiest equipment inside your bike bag. And it also serves as extra padding and then if you have really heavy things, maybe you can carry them in your carry-on. And another tip, many athletes do carry their running shoes, cycling shoes and helmet in their carry-on luggage.

So if the worst happens and your luggage gets lost on the way to the race, you can probably borrow the rest, but you have the essentials. Not all of us will have the luxury of bringing our personal masseuse on race day. So the best option is a foam roller. And you might think, "I don't have room in my luggage." Well, several of them are hollow as you can see. Then you can put any extra clothes in there. Now, if you don't have space or forget your foam roller, you can improvise with a water bottle. Fill it, squeeze the top, and then you can use it like you would your foam roller.

Another trick, however, are these two tennis balls. Now, a tennis ball can be used alone as a massage tool. You can roll on it, put it against the wall. You can also use a golf ball or hockey ball, depending on what works for you. But if you put these two tennis balls together and use duct tape, you can make a peanut or a monkey nut. And that's great for massaging areas like the back because it fits on both sides of the spine. Using a neoprene-friendly lubricant, such as baby oil, under the wetsuit, around the ankles and wrists, is great for preventing any areas from rubbing, but it also makes it much easier to remove the wetsuit when you try to speed up the transition. .

These are all pretty easy and inexpensive items to invest in and can end up making a significant difference on race day. The key is to be prepared. So if you're trying any of these

tips

for the first time, be sure to practice them at home before you arrive at the race. And if you have any ideas or tricks you do that you want to share with us, we'd love to hear about it. So leave them in the comments section below. And, if you liked it, give it a like and to subscribe to the channel, simply click on the balloon.

And if you want to see a video about eight exercises that you can fit into your day, click here. And if you want to watch a video from Ask the Pros about their pre-race breakfast, click here.