Transition Drill Time

Transitions. They can make or break your race ... seriously! Think about it. If you take 1 minute in T2 while your competitor takes 2:30, they have to run 30seconds faster than you per mile (for a 5K) just to keep up with you. That 1:30 difference can make a big difference!

So, if they are important how do you make them fast? Practice. practice, and some more practice. This practice involves trying out different setups, a different order of putting things on, maybe different gear. You don't have to do loads of races to get this practice. Instead, you can do "mock" triathlon/transition drills.

Every time you finish a bike ride practice getting off your bike. Now, that might sound silly, but when stop riding ...
- Do you unclip your shoes?
- When do you take your shoes off?
- Do you completely stop before you do all that?
- How fluid/efficient is the movement?

Now, don't get me wrong. Those aren't the only thing that go into a fast transition, especially since all that happens outside of the actual transition area (TA) ... but it's a good start.

Before our Team in Training (TNT) athletes went to their big race, we practiced their transitions. Oh what fun it is to torture them. =) Jeremy Davis, president of SetUp Events, gave us a few transition bike poles to practice with. We made it a competition between them all and had prizes from our awesome sponsor TriSports.com. Nicole also got some gifts from her other sponsors to spice up the pot.

It was a great day. Athletes learning what works for them, what makes it efficient, the rules of transition ...

Practice your transitions ... what's to lose, but precious seconds off your race time!