Gear
Ok, I am so glad you are up for the challenge!
I will go through the gear you need.
The triathlon suit
If you are going to stay in the sport, you should invest in a triathlon suit which is a combined swim, bike and run apparel. These are one or two pieces, made of a light fast drying fabric with some padding for the bicycle. You wear the same outfit throughout the race. When the clock starts, it does not stop until you finish the run, so you want to minimize time on gear changes. The triathlon suit is a compromise outfit for all three disciplines.
I suggest that you do not buy a tri suit online. My experience is that sizing is
very difficult and not consistent between different brands. In general, they are tight, I mean very
tight. I am 5’1” and 101 pounds and I have a small suit that is killing me,
even after one year of determined stretching.
I have another size small from another brand that is
slightly loose after repeated wear, it started out perfect. I have tried many suits and I never know until it is on my body if the size is going to
work. A two piece is less critical for sizing, but personally, I would
try that on too.
If you join a club, you probably want to buy their design,
if they have one.
Racing belt
Wet suit
If you aim to continue in triathlon, you will need a wetsuit. Unless the swim leg is shortened, it is usually an advantage to wear a well-fitting wetsuit as the buoyancy makes you a faster swimmer, even as you will spend some time getting it off before the bike leg. The wetsuit must be well-fitting and designed for swimmers, not just any wetsuit will do. Rules dictate that the wetsuit cannot be thicker than 5mm due to the extra buoyancy help.
I do not recommend ordering a wetsuit on the internet. The fit is critical so I suggest that you go to a triathlon or swim store and try one on. You want it snug so no water can circulate between the suit and your body, but you want to have your arms free enough to crawl unhindered, and you must not feel so much pressure on your body that you cannot breath. There are full body models, and less covering designs. Personally, I get easily chilled, so I opted for the full body style.
There are many great brands in use by triathletes, I have experience only from 2XU which I am very satisfied with. I tried other brands but the 2XU has a size that works for me.
According to the size guide, I should have a S, or XS, which I started to try on. Well, the XS, I could not get above my knees. The S gave me panic feelings due to the pressure on my body so I could not get out of it fast enough. A size S-M was perfect for me.
The experienced triathlete in the shop tried to say that the S-M suit was too big for me which made me nervous, but I am glad I took the larger suit. It does exactly what it is meant to do, I do not have water running on the inside and I can swim and breath freely. After two years of use, it has not stretched out, it is fine.
A tip: Bring a pair of soft gloves to the wet suit
fitting, gardening gloves can do. The suits are rubberized, and you have to
apply some force pulling up the suits and gloves protect from
accidental tears by your nails. Still today, I always wear gloves putting on my wetsuit.
In the long run, you may want to use a gliding gel to get your wetsuit on easier.
Bicycle
You need to get a competitive road bike. (I am now assuming you are aiming at regular triathlon on roads and not XTERRA which will need an off-road bike). I have seen people use regular commuting bikes on sprint triathlons, but it is not recommended, they are just too slow and you will probably not enjoy it.
There are many brands out there, go to your local bike shop
and discuss what will meet your budget and ambitions. When I bought my first
road bike, I was 52 years old, and I thought I was old. The company where I
worked was doing a large charity bike ride comprising about 180 miles over two
days. Being an older female, I assumed I needed all the help I could get, so I
invested in a good carbon bike: a Trek Madone 4.5. I am glad I did. This
bike has served me so well and I think it was essential for me enjoying biking and continuing in sport.
If you are new to road biking, it is confusing what bicycle to buy, there are so many options. The cost will probably be the limiting factor for most people. What you must have is a dedicated road racing bike and it must be in your size. This can be quite expensive but unless you are a professional athlete, you do not need to buy the top range that can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. It will just not help you. For a serious long-term competitor, we are talking about a few thousands of dollars for a new competition bike, but very good competitive bikes can be had for less. Consider that you will have to add a lot of accessories to your bike at extra costs. Things to look for is weight and frame material, type of gears and breaks. If you understand the size of bike you need, there are many second hand bikes in good shape.
Rim breaks or disc breaks? Disc breaks are slightly
heavier and more expensive than rim
breaks, but have the advantage of working better in wet conditions. My first
bike had rim breaks, but I now have disc brakes. I cannot say it is a huge
difference for me, but I prefer the disc system because it is very hilly
where I live.
Insist on trying the bike at least around the car park before buying.
When you buy your bike, you should also get a bike fit where saddle and
handlebar positions are adjusted to your body. When your feet are on the pedals
in your biking shoes, and the pedals are in the lowest position, your knee
should have a slight bend. The fitter will fix this and other details for you.
Pedals. Racing bikes are sold without pedals, so you choose the type of cleat you want. Make sure
the pedal clip and your shoe cleat fits together.
Bike shoes and cleats
For the serious athlete, get a light competition bike shoe that is comfortable for your feet. Your shoe will attach to the pedal with a cleat, and there are different systems to consider. Most serious road competitors have the type that is standing out from the sole, which makes it difficult to walk on. When the cleats wear out, you do not need to buy a new shoe, just change the cleat. The other type is often a heavier shoe with the cleat sunk into the sole, preferred by mountain bikers as they can run with the bike without damaging the cleat.
If you want to use the bike shoe at spinning classes, you should check which type of cleat will work with the indoor bikes.
Bike accessories
The obligatory accessory is a helmet, make sure it conforms to national safety standards (a CE sticker in the USA). All helmets sold in reputable stores are approved. You are not allowed to participate in a competition without an approved helmet and occasionally, there will be a helmet check so make sure the sticker is present. Choose a good fit for for your head.
I highly recommend buying a bike computer and have it mounted at the bike shop. Personal taste and choice will apply, but I recommend getting the basics, (time, speed and distance). Being older, you may want to think if you can actually read the display during biking and how difficult it is to manipulate.
Bottle holders,
at least two. I have had various qualities and they all have worked the same
for me. Usually I buy one that looks good on the bike.
Saddle bag with spare parts. A dedicated small bicycle bag, usually attached under your saddle. Here you carry a spare tube, air patrons and tools for changing your tube. Unfortunately, you probably will get a flat one day. When training, I also often put my keys and ID there, but the bag is small, only tiny things will fit.
Running
This is simple, your running shoes. Buy a good quality running shoe that fits your foot.
You may change your regular laces to speed laces that are faster. By the time I hit the run leg, I am already wearing my sunglasses and some people add a hat.
Fitness monitors / smart watch
Smart watches are really helpful when training, but is not a necessary gadget. It is useful to see your resting and training heart rates and information on speed and distances is a great motivator.
There are many brands to choose from, at a great variation of costs! For a triathlete you want to consider the value of a watch that can monitor swim training, and that has a GPS function that will work through a triathlon race. A heart rate monitor is important.
Use the information from the fitness monitor with common sense, it is a guide and approximation, not a definite reading. With this I mean that small variations you can mostly ignore, but look at the trends. Is your resting heart rate going up or down? I have found that it is periodical and also connected to my sleep. A bad night’s sleep get my resting heart rate up – that is not helpful for training.
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