Hi all - I’ve done a few seasons of sprint triathlons now but I’m still not sure I’ve got my warm up really sorted.
This is basically what I do:
Easy ride to the event (they are all local here in Melbourne and it’s never more than a 15km ride)
A bit of mobility work, easy 1k jog, maybe some strides
Get in the water about 15-20 mins before my wave start for a swim warm up, aim to come out of the water and go straight to the start line.
But:
The ride is so long before the start it probably doesn’t do anything (apart from peace of mind that my bike is set up and ready to go)?
I try to finish the jog and then get into my wetsuit and go, but this normally clashes with transition closing and I’m usually one of the last people in there, getting chased out by the marshals So the jog could easily be 45-60 mins before my race start and probably isn’t doing much?
Am I missing a trick here?
Should I really be taking a 2nd pair of runners so that I can set up my transition spot and then leave the transition area and go for a jog in my own time, etc?
Another detail is that the race briefing is usually on the beach 15 mins before race start, which might be 30 mins before my wave. I tend to miss those but then I get FOMO.
@moonman there can be a wide variety of correct answers here! You didn’t say but I think you’re talking about half or full? Well, let me just first say that although I’ve scored elite at a good many triathlons I’ve never done a half or a full.
But if I did my ‘warm up’ would have three primary pillars:
1.) Keep myself from doing too much. Concentrate on being still instead of moving about. Concentrate on sitting instead of standing. Concentrate on laying instead of sitting.
2.) Schedule nutrition/hydration before the event. Time your eating to have a full tank but not a bloated belly.
3.) Get in the water and do a swim warm up that suits your start strategy. If you’re going to swim in the pack and ‘strike on the bike’ then dial down the swim warmup. Like 20 minutes, pace up to LT2 for 90 to 120 seconds, back to shore. If you’re going to swim at the front do the 20 minutes same, then a few minutes recovery, then two sets of high arm turnover for 60 to 90 seconds to really get your HR up.
And that’s it. I would not ride my bike to the event. I would not be walking around before the start too much. That’s just my idiosyncratic pre-race habit. There is so much individual pre-race habit variation, though, you should feel free to disregard.
40 minutes to an hour before gun, swim 300m then do 3 hard 50m.
Get out of the pool & run to transition. Run @ 5k pace. Pause at transition & mentally go through your transition progression. (btw, everything there?) Do that two more times. Check your bike gear selection (I mean, don’t start out shifted on a big gear). Done.
Chill out until start. A lot of times there will be an athlete’s meeting 30min before start so you may have to adjust based on that. Anyhow, you probably know the drill, @moonman. However the warmup goes, don’t it bother you…you did the training & that is the thing that’s going to drive your success. EVEN THE WORST WARMUP CAN NOT HOLD YOU BACK.
So the jog could easily be 45-60 mins before my race start and probably isn’t doing much?
You didn’t say but I think you’re talking about half or full? Well, let me just first say that although I’ve scored elite at a good many triathlons I’ve never done a half or a full.