Save up to 10 sec per mile without training!
How hard would would you have to train to take 10 sec per mile off your half marathon PR!? What would be the difference if you saved that on your run, or your transitions?
The spread of transition times can range from seconds to SEVERAL MINUTES.
Outside of these issues, mistakes in transitions are usually outside of the prior stated.
Setup -
- Trying to make things too complex. Decide what you want in transition, leave the rest out.
- Be clean and tidy. Try to take the space you need, but only the space you need. Be respectful of people around you and realize everyone there is trying to do the same thing. If you need more space consider the depth for position of things, not just side to side. Tuck away any straps or loose ends that could be caught in moving parts.
- I recommend not putting the helmet and glasses on the handlebars unless you are told to. My reasoning behind this is that we tell every athlete we coach to expect the unexpected. Surely at some point your helmet and or glasses will be knocked off and you could be left looking for them. athletes running by with wetsuits and bikes is a bad place to leave thing gingerly hanging out int he open.
Instead I always put my towel down, then my number belt, then my run shoes on top of the belt, then my helmet upside down, straps out with my glasses inside them.
As I pull my wetsuit or skin suit down I gram my helmet and put it on as I step out of my suit. No time lost, and no risk.
- make sure your garmin is sync’d with all your power devices BEFORE you get to transition. Also I make sure the auto off feature is turned off. There are times, after sitting idle for a long time, the power meter will lose connection with the garmin. I usually recognize it right away when riding. Just power off and then back on, it seems to work each time
- Be decisive and quick, but not panicked. If you try to rush, you will make mistakes, fumble with things end up taking more time then just being clear and deliberate.
- I recommend first learning how to take your feet out of your shoes coming into T2. Once you master that skill, you can then start working on coming out of T1 and putting your feet into the shoes while riding.
*As a side note- When learning to put your feet INTO your shoes. I have always used the step over the top tube method. Meaning I know flying rocket mounts look kind of cool, but they are more dangerous and when you are racing long course, a few seconds is not worth the downside to looking like a jackass in front of everyone if you get it wrong.
Additionally, you need to be aware of when you will need to have your feet in the shoes, or wait until you should try based on the terrain coming out of T1.
Coming out of T2
Look, if you need to go to the bathroom, or fix an issue in transitions - DO SO! I would never tell an athlete to try to “hold it”, or not fix an issue. Ignoring these, could in fact cost you more time then the time you feel you may save skipping it. Address these issues, and move on though.
- once you take care of what you need, the key is making forward progress. If you can put your number belt on while walking, do it. If you can adjust your hat, your jersey, eat your gel, whatever - do that. No need to stand still
- once you start your run, I recommend starting with slightly smaller steps then you would normally take. This will help your legs transition
Be safe and thank a volunteer!!
