A Field Guide to Surviving The Chicago Triathlon

The Well-Trained Athlete. 

You found a schedule. You mostly stuck to it.  You're buff, you're fit, and you're ready. You might be a Plus Athlete, or maybe you're just a regular Joe, but if you've done the time, this weekend is all about finishing within your goals.  Typically athletes in this category are amateurs who are VERY serious about racing; or first-timers who are so scared about getting through the swim that they do EVERYTHING on the schedule to avoid the public embarrassment of an INCIDENT in the water.

For you, a few key pieces of advice.  First, get to the race early.  Transition opens at 4:15 a.m. and closes at 5:45.  The world will be lined up at the South end of Transition by 4:00 - so be prepared to wait in line a bit.  Once you're situated, walk BACK to the "Swim In" and walk to your bike from that point, familiarizing yourself with key marks.  Are you off the first big aisle?  Do you make a left at the tree?  Give yourself a key - OTHER than someone's balloon - to find your way.  Then get out of Transition.

During the race, there's really only one key lesson I'll share with newbies:  stay calm.  Chances are, you're not going to be making a podium finish.  So if someone swims over you in the water, or you get a mouthful, or you find yourself looking out foggy goggles, just stay calm.  Tread water, and get going again.  Most newbies panic at some point - the key is just taking stock of where you are, and getting going again.  You're well-trained, and you will finish.

The Sort-Of-Well-Trained Athlete

You're the girl who really, REALLY enjoys summers in Chicago, and just couldn't get in those long bike rides on Saturdays.  Or you rocked one discipline in training, but blew off another.  There are a lot of folks out there on Sunday who train - but don't train EVERY bit as much as they should.  They're human.  I happen to fall into this category this year.  I biked long, but not too often, and I didn't brick nearly as much as I should have. 

So what can we do to make sure the day's not a total loss? 

First, don't blow it all on the swim.  As Coach Mike Norman of Chicago Endurance Sports said to me once, "you can't win a triathlon on a swim, but you can certainly lose it".  He's right.  If you go out too hard, too fast, and you KNOW you have a weakness somewhere later in the race, you'll have blown all your effort in the water - something no one wants to do.  And you'll definitely feel it later.  So if you find yourself breathing way too hard in the water, again, calm down.  Slow down.  You can pick up those minutes somewhere else.

What if you're weak on the bike or the run?  Same thing.  Slow down and don't epxend effort where you KNOW it won't get you anywhere, and power up where it will.  For example, I know that hills on the bike are NOT my forte.  I also know that DOWNHILLS are a Plus Athlete's best friend.  So I'll lightly spin up every overpass on Lake Shore Drive (and these will surprise you, as hills go, because there really is NO flat section on Lake Shore Drive except after North Ave heading South); and I'll bomb down the "baby" hills or overpasses on the North side. 

Think strategically, and play to your strengths.  Conserve energy, and stick with a plan.  My personal plan is to go comfortably hard on the swim, walk from the Swim Out to T1, light spin up the hills on the bike, bomb the downhills, and do what the body lets me on the run.  Think about your plan, and keep it in mind as you go out.

The Not-So-Much-Trained Athlete

When I was at Rock n Roll Chicago a few weeks ago, the announcer mentioned that there was a Bachelor and his girlfriend (wife?) who hadn't trained AT ALL for the half marathon, but gosh darnit, they were out there, and weren't they GREAT?  This brings us to our last group - those folks who signed up thinking "how hard can it be?" and are now ready to get in the water.

My advice for you is slightly snarky, but mostly kind:  do your best to not hurt yourself, or anyone else. 

I mean that in all kindness.  First, yourself.  If you're not trained, your body might not react too kindly to putting it through this kind of three-ring circus.  Men will have trouble cramping up in the swim in their brand-new-never-been-worn wetsuits (because they also tend to think kicking a LOT is the answer to getting done faster); and that hurts.  Men and women tend to pick Sunday as a day to debut their I've-only-ridden-it-once road bikes or that one thier friend loaned them.  They don't know how to change gears, and they're not sure about clips.  If that's you, go practice some tomorrow in a parking lot somewhere, and just make sure you can change gears, and get on and off your bike safely.  That's all you need to know - the rest will be fine.

But if you're not trained at all, please attend one of the mandatory course talks. Pay attention to where you should ride on Lake Shore Drive, so as to stay out of the way of faster athletes.  Last year, one of the professionals was swerved into by an amateur who was struggling late in the race - it could have happened to anyone, but it was a bad wreck, and it didn't need to happen. 

If you're on the course, you have an obligation to know where other riders are coming from, and to be aware of them at all times.  SIMILARLY if you are riding faster than the average bear, don't be a jerk.  Let people know you're passing if it's tight and give yourself a margin for error. 

Regardless of which of these categories you fall into (and yes, these are generalizations, so forgive me), there's one thing we can all agree on:  this race is an amazing spectacle, and we should enjoy it.  So smile a little.  Thank the volunteers.  Be proud of what you're doing.  And be safe out there.

Have fun, and I'll see you at the finish!