What You Can Learn from the Pros
If you go to a triathlon of any size, you will usually see twelve to fifteen men and ten or so women who are in the pro or elite category of the competition. These are exceptional athletes who qualify for a pro/elite card from USA Triathlon by placing well in triathlons. Naturally, the pros are attracted to the larger races where prize money is typically available for the top professional finishers.
What if I'm an amateur competitor and I beat a pro?
You get a good feeling in your heart, perhaps local bragging rights. What you don't get is money. You must have a pro card to cash in on a great performance.
You can learn a lot from watching the elite athletes in any sport, and triathlons are no different. If you just stand by and watch, you will notice that the pros are very smooth in the transitions. They know that an extra few seconds changing from swim mode to biking mode can mean the difference between winning and coming in second.
Don't forget, the winners are not necessarily the ones who cross the finish line first. The competitors don't start together, so the winner is the one with the lowest cumulative time in the three disciplines. An expert triathlete will usually spend about one-third as much time in transition as the typical competitor.
The pros have the best equipment, and while that's important if you take the whole triathlon adventure seriously, you should probably hold off on purchasing that ultracycle until you know you're going to stick to the sport.
You can spend a lot of money on your triathlon bicycle. An extremely light, high-tech, state-of-the-art cycle could easily set you back $5,000 or more. Make sure you are truly committed to the sport before you put that kind of charge on your credit card at the bike store.
The pros know the rules. For example, you can be disqualified for drafting — riding directly behind another cyclist to cut down on the wind resistance you have to face — in the cycling part of the race. On the other hand, drafting as a swimmer is perfectly legal and is recommended. One caveat: you have to trust that the swimmer ahead of you will follow the course. If he goes off course, so will you. As a beginning triathlete, you will be better off focusing on where you need to be in the water rather than trying to cut corners by drafting. Save that strategy for future races.
Better Plans
The pros know the opposition and are aware who is strong in which areas, and they plan accordingly. A triathlete who is very strong as a runner will not be concerned about being slightly behind after the swim and cycling phases. You can learn from this — even if your only goal is to finish — by not stressing if part of the triathlon doesn't go well. You can still excel in your best area and finish feeling confident.
Pros know how to train. They adopt training schedules and stick to them. They use heart rate monitors to be sure they are training at the proper intensity with each workout. More detailed information on that piece of equipment can be found in Chapter 10. You don't have to be a pro to benefit from using one.
