10. Get to the race 1/2 hour earlier than originally planned. Something always comes up. There’s traffic, or you have to park a mile from the race site, or you get a flat in transition, or you forget your helmet at the car. The peace of mind gained by sitting quietly in a corner for 15 minutes before the race starts more than makes up for the 30 minutes of lost sleep in the morning.

9. Bike the beginning and end of the bike course. Practice the mount and dismount at race speeds. Memorize the landmarks heading into the bike finish, so you know when to unclip. Plan the run from your transition area to the bike start, and from the bike finish to your transition area. Don’t let yourself be surprised by anything as you roll into T2.

8. Run the start and finish of the run course. Again, practice your T2 at race speed. Make sure you know where the run start is. If you are going for an age group placing, the last half mile of the run course is critical–knowing the layout may give you the edge you need to out-sprint your competition! Picture yourself crossing the line powerfully and confidently. No surprises!

7. Keep your positive energy. Don’t let other racers take it from you. Being around other racers can be exhausting in and of itself. Everyone’s busy doing their pre-race prep, worrying about the swim start, waiting in line for the bathroom, posturing, and generally stressing out. Keep to yourself and your support crew. Don’t get involved in any conversations with other triathletes unless that’s your style. Don’t try to “impress” anyone with your super-face pre-race warm-up, and on the other side of the coin, don’t let anyone else “impress” you with their matching race kit, $8,000 bike and lean, tanned physique.

6. Pump your tires at your car. Leave the pump in your car. One less thing to carry with you to transition. Simple as that! (You can also pump your tires at home, the morning before the race, if you live near the race site. Bring the pump with you anyway.)

5. Put body glide on your lower legs and ankles before putting on your wetsuit. Body glide can be purchased at any store that sells swimming, cycling or running apparel. It costs like $6 and will save you time in T1 by allowing your wetsuit to slip off quickly. Plus, Body Glide is great to use on chafe spots, such as your neck if you wear a wetsuit, your armpits and the bottom of your feet.

4. If you have nothing to do, get in line for the bathroom. Trust me. You will have to pee 5 times (and poop twice) on race morning. The lines will only get longer as the race approaches. Get in line. For the.  Bathroom.

3. If anything unexpected happens, roll with it! If they cancel the swim at the last minute because the water is too cold, whatever. If you’re in the last wave and have to pass 800 people on the bike, whatever. If you get a flat 20 minutes before the race start, whatever. Don’t waste energy worrying about the consequences of the unexpected event. Just take any action that is required (fix the flat, take off your wetsuit, etc) and put it out of your mind. You’ll need all the physical and mental energy you can muster for the race itself.

2. Don’t bring all of your crap to the transition area. Your fellow racers will thank you for it, and you won’t be drowning in a big pile of tri gear and confusion. Wetsuit, goggles, cap, bike, helmet, bike shoes, hat, belt, shoes, backpack, a few miscellaneous personal items. For most races, that’s all you need. Leave the rest behind!

1. Don’t do ANYTHING new on race day. If you haven’t practiced it before the day of the race, don’t do it! Don’t try that flying mount if you haven’t practiced it. Don’t put on new running shoes the day of the race. Don’t try a new pair of sunglasses. Don’t switch brands of gels. Don’t even wear a different HAT on race day! The time to try new techniques and equipment is during a controlled training workout. On race day, all you should have to worry about is executing a well-paced race. Not the chafing that you get from that new shirt 2 miles into the run.

To start, this suit is TIGHT. I’m right in between their size small and medium (I’m 5′8″, male, 145lbs), and they suggested I go with the small as they tend to stretch a bit with use. When I put it on for the first time, it took me a while to get it positioned on my body correctly. Not as long as putting on a wetsuit, but longer than a normal one piece tri-suit. My “massive” pecs and lats spill out of the top of the suit, and there is no “jiggle” whatsoever in the spare tire region of my midsection. NICE.

The crotch area on this suit is designed differently than most other tri-suits. There is no chamois padding. Instead of taking the traditional “let’s lock everything in place” approach to genital engineering, the Amphibian offers freedom to move through careful positioning of the seams. It’s a slightly weird feeling going for your first run in the suit and experiencing the freedom the Amphibian has to offer.

The suit has a small zipper placed in the back to conform to ITU regulations. I cannot zip it up myself, I have to have someone else zip me in. I can, however, easily unzip it with the attached pull-cord-thingy. Unzipped, the suit holds its shape decently and allows for a bit more ventilation.

Inseam length is perfect for me. It’s shorter than most cycling shorts, but not so short to look funny. Of course, inseam length is mostly a personal preference, but if you’re a short dude like me you’ll probably be pleased. The silicone leg grippers are nice.

The suit is very, very, VERY light. It almost feels like paper when you’re holding it. Kiwami advertises the dry weight at 100g, and I’d believe it. My underwear weighs more than this suit. Now, usually suit weight is not super important to one’s performance, but if you’re a speed demon like me (HA!) every last gram is important.

Okay, now for a sport-specific review of the suit.

SWIMMING

This suit is FAST in the water. The fabric actively repels water and sometimes little bubbles form, which may provide some buoyancy. I’m not sure how much faster I am in this suit compared to a speedo, but I felt slippery in the water. For non-wetsuit swims, I’d certainly have a small edge over those wearing just a tri-suit, and I’d probably be on relatively even footing with those wearing a swim skin. The cut in the shoulders does not hinder my range of motion in the slightest.

The suit simply does not retain water. I did a swim and then immediately went out for a run, and after 2 minutes of running, the suit was completely dry. This thing is just ridiculous. Not having 400g of water on your body when you start the bike can probably make at least a small difference in both your speed and your core temperature (especially if it’s cool outside).

CYCLING

The suit doesn’t flap around in the wind at all, which is awesome. However, the lack of any pockets and a chamois pad mean that this suit is really only suited for short rides. I would personally not want to race in this suit at anything over Olympic distance–maybe Half Ironman if I worked my way up to it.

However, keep in mind that this suit is explicitly NOT designed for long course–if you want a long course suit, Kiwami’s Kaiman is much better suited for the task. So the above criticisms are admittedly misplaced. The Amphibian is just fine for short course cycling, which is exactly what it was designed to do. You don’t need pockets or a chamois pad when you’re only riding for an hour or less.

RUNNING

I love the feel of this suit while running. It’s compressive, yet allows for freedom of movement, particularly in the crotch area. There are no chafe spots, as all of the seams are placed in non-critical areas. I’m told that the suit is also very flattering, which is important for us age group athletes.

I chose the Nero/Savoia/Bianco color combo. The black (I guess that’s the “Nero” part) is flattering, but it does get a bit warm at times on the run. However, this is not a big deal, especially considering the duration of the races in which you’ll use this suit.

SUMMARY

The Amphibian is an amazing suit for short-course racing. It’s a serious piece of equipment designed for a specific purpose. Use it for anything else (long course racing, weightlifting, tea parties) and you will probably be disappointed. But if you’re a short course athlete looking for every last bit of speed, the Amphibian is absolutely, unquestionably the suit you want.

The Cemetery TT is a fixture of the Gainesville community. The Team Florida collegiate athletes use it as a benchmark to gauge their fitness, and the strongest Gainesville cyclists use it as a low-key chance to duke it out against the clock. After all, in the “race of truth,” the clock never lies.

For full disclosure, I have never participated in this race. There has only been one instance of the Cemetery TT since I moved to Gainesville, and I had a prior commitment. I have, however, participated in more than my fair share of triathlons (of which the cycling leg bears a strong resemblance to a standalone TT) and time trials of all distances.

The distinguishing feature of the Cemetery TT is the set of unique, arbitrary and unusual equipment restrictions. To quote Team Florida Cycling coach Phil Gaimon on the equipment rules:

“Equipment rules: aerobars, TT bikes, deep clincher wheels, shoe covers, and skinsuits are okay.
Aero helmets, tubular wheels, disc wheels, and trispokes are prohibited. You will not get scored if you come out on this stuff, because aero helmets aren’t as safe in the event of crashes, and no one wants to stand around while you change a flatted tubular or try to find a tube with a 2-mile valve.”

Of course, some of this reasoning is simply illogical.  Aero helmets are no less safe than regular vented helmets in a crash, and during a TT there is no one “standing around” waiting for you to change your flatted tubular.  (In fact, a flat tubular is faster to change than a flat clincher, if you do it right!)

So I followed up with Phil on this issue, and he cited two reasons for these equipment restrictions:

1. It’s the way things have always been done.
2. Since most collegiate athletes can’t afford fancy gear, we want the technological playing field to remain level.

Of course, reason #1 is fundamentally flawed.  Not only is the fact that something has been happening for a long time NOT proof that it is correct, the UCI (International Cycling Union) has a track record of changing equipment restrictions that have been in place for a long time.  Example: the retroactive changing of the Hour Record equipment rules, invalidating Boardman’s and Obree’s hour records that they set in grotesquely awesome positions with some hideously fast equipment.

Reason #2 is, in theory, a perfectly valid reason for implementing equipment restrictions.  There are few higher priorities in the sport of cycling than encouraging new athletes to compete at a high level.  The cost of TT equipment is a legitimate hurdle that these athletes must overcome to be competitive.  Setting equipment restrictions is a simple and effective way of allowing college athletes to get competitive experience without sacrificing their student loan payments.

However, the current equipment restrictions do not adequately reduce the financial barrier to entry of these cyclists.  The use of TT bikes adds a minimum of $1500 in cost to a collegiate cyclist looking to be competitive.  The use of deep clincher wheels is also another expense, as TT wheels are often deeper, heavier and less practical than the aero wheels used in road and crit racing.

Additionally, some of the equipment banned by the current rule-set makes no sense from a financial standpoint.  Aero helmets are not particularly expensive ($100-$200, about the same as a good set of clip-on aerobars, which are LEGAL under the current rule-set).  Tri-spoke wheels are perhaps the best “bang-for-your-buck” wheelset a college athlete could get.  Tubular wheels are often cheaper than their clincher counterparts, especially when obtained secondhand.  Wheel covers for a training wheel, effectively turning the wheel into a super-aero disc wheel, cost $100, a very reasonable price.  All of these pieces of equipment are banned on the pretense of either safety or convenience, both of which are largely non-factors in time trial racing.

The current equipment restrictions for the Cemetery TT are not appropriate.  They do not keep costs down for college athletes, and include the nonsensical banning of perfectly reasonable equipment.  Additionally, they do not allow those with tons of aero gear the chance to actually use a significant portion of their equipment.

So, what *should* the equipment restrictions be?

Simple.  Ban all aero equipment, period.  Run the TTs in an “Eddy Merckx” style–no aerobars, no deep wheels, no aero helmets, nothing.  Let the college athletes show up on the same road bikes they use for their weekly training rides and duke it out.  Total extra cost: $0.  (Well, maybe clip-on aerobars would be OK.   The expense is reasonable, it’s easy to install/remove them for the TTs and they get the athlete 95% of the way to a full-on TT setup in terms of the total bike/rider aerodynamic package.)

Also, maintain a “best human effort” competitive category as a throwaway.  This would be for the athletes who want to show up with their disc wheels, aero helmets and other aero gadetry.  For many athletes, simply getting a chance to use their aero gear in a competitive setting is half of the run!  (Course records could not be set in this division.  Intra-category records could, of course, be set, but the official course record would have to come from the Eddy Merckx division, just as the current Hour Record does now.)

The collegiate cycling TT equipment rules are scheduled to change next year (for all non-A riders) or the year after (for the A riders).  Aero equipment will be severely restricted.  For college athletes, this is unquestionably a GOOD thing.  It’s time that the Cemetery TT followed suit.

November has arrived.  In most of the United States, that means the return of cold weather, indoor cycling, layered sweaters and hot cocoa.  It’s an exciting time of year if you’re into frostbite and icy mustaches.

On the other hand, here in Gainesville, November means it’s time to break out the arm warmers on a cool morning.  November is a great time of year for athletics in Gainesville, as the climate is enjoyable for all outdoor activities, including swim/bike/run.

However, if you’re a triathlete, despite the nice weather, November marks the beginning of the off-season.  Here’s what you should be doing:

1. Take some time off! This is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do during the off-season.  Without extended periods of rest, your body simply can’t recover from the extended periods of hard training you put your body through during the summer.  Recovery happens on a micro (day-to-day) scale, macro (week-to-week) scale, super-macro (month-to-month) scale, and super-duper-ultra-macro (year-to-year) scale.  So take some super duper ultra time off and enjoy the holidays. Note that taking time off doesn’t mean that you have to stop training altogether.  I recommend a 40-50% reduction in volume, and a huge reduction in intensity, from your peak training week.  So, if you hit 20 hours in your biggest week, you should be training no more than 10-12hours/week during the offseason.  This will help to maintain fitness and keep your weight in check.
2. Take stock of what you accomplished this season. Did you reach your goals?  Did you increase your fitness?  What did you learn from your training and racing experiences?  Write all of this stuff down for future reference in your training log.
3. Set some goals for next season. These goals should be specific, measurable and attainable (with hard work and dedication).  They should build off what you accomplished this season, and improve upon it.  ”Get faster” is not a good goal.  ”Finish Miami Man in under 6 hours” is a good goal.  So is “Ride the 40k TT on May 15 in under 61 minutes.”  Focus on your “limiters,” the aspects of your racing you could most improve.
4. Closely related to #3 is: choose your important races for the upcoming season. You don’t need to choose every race you’re going to do, but outline the important races, of which there should be three at most.  These are your “A” priority races, for which you’ll focus your training specifically.
5. Working backward from your “A” races, schedule your training periods. Most athletes benefit from “periodization” of workouts, or putting your body through different training stresses depending on where you are in relation to your target races.  (Specific periodization techniques are the topic of another post).

Avoid the temptation to hammer your off-season training rides, runs and swims.  I can’t stress this enough!  Best case is you’ll be in great shape for that Christmas triathlon that doesn’t exist.  Worst case is you’ll injure yourself and be out of commission completely for an extended period of time.

Lastly, the off-season is a great time to remind ourselves why we enjoy doing this endurance sport stuff.  Go for a nice easy ride and enjoy the scenery!  Go for a late afternoon run and watch the kids playing in the park!  Go for a relaxing swim to blow off steam after work!   After a long, hard season of grinding out one tough workout after another, you deserve it.

Note: it’s probably a bad idea for anyone who exercises for more than 3-4 hours/week to do a low carb diet.  More than this and your body starts to require carbohydrates for fuel.  So, don’t go gung-ho for lo-carb if you’re seriously training for triathlons or another endurance sport event.

Low carb diets, for the most part, operate on two basic principles:

1. Eating fewer carbs forces your body to metabolize fat as an energy source.  This process allows for weight to be lost in a slightly more efficient manner.
2. Eating more protein and fat (and, to a certain degree, dietary fiber) helps you to get “full” faster.

In the initial phase of the diet (called “induction” in the Atkins Diet), the dieter cuts virtually all carbohydrates from his or her diet.  He or she is limited to just 20g/day of carbs, all of which come from leafy vegetables and a small amount of cheese.  No bread, no sugar, no starch.  In fact, the dieter will mostly be eating animal products (steak, fish, chicken, eggs, etc) with some vegetables also.

After this phase, the dieter gradually re-introduces certain carbohydrates back into his or her diet.  First to be re-introduced are certain vegetables such as carrots, followed by things like nuts, certain fruits and eventually certain grain products on a limited basis.  Weight loss will be slowed and diet will stabilize as well.

I’ve found that the greatest amount of focus is placed on the initial induction phase.  While this is understandable, as it’s the most drastic of the phases of the diet, it’s a misnomer to associate low carb diets entirely with the induction phase.

In reality, after the first two weeks and the gradual re-introduction of more “normal” foods into one’s diet, the food choices of a low carb dieter are really quite good: lots of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, certain dairy products and whole grains, and minimal starches/sweets.  This is a diet that anyone can sustain and enjoy indefinitely.

Again, serious athletes require larger quantities of carbohydrates to fuel their workouts.  However, if you’re not seriously training for an endurance sport event (such as a triathlon), a low carb diet is a relatively easy and sustainable way to lose weight and keep it off.

It sounds like you could use a fit on your tri bike.  Unfortunately, most professional bike fits cost an arm and a leg, so I’m going to fit you over the internet free of charge.  And, as I’m sure you know, you can always substitute the internet for the personal touch of a professional.

To start, I can’t stress enough the importance of your position on your bike.  The most important factor in terms of your overall speed on the bike is your position.  A good aero position is powerful, comfortable and fast.  And it’s relatively simple to get yourself into a good aero position:

• Your seat should be the correct height.  For example, one way to determine your seat height is to take your inseam and multiply it by 0.883.  Another way is to put your (naked) heel on the pedal in the 6 o’clock position.  If your knee locks, your seat is at the correct height.  There are others, but these two have the virtue of being simple, easy to measure, and usually pretty accurate.
• The position on which you sit on your saddle should create a 78-81 degree angle from that point to the ground.  Tri bikes with seat tube angles of 78 degrees or more usually can take care of this without too much gimmickry.  Slightly shallower is okay for some, but the majority of triathletes are most efficient riding with a steep seat tube angle.
• The fore/aft position of your elbow pads should be set so that your shoulders and upper arms form approximately a 90 degree angle.  You have some leeway here for comfort.  For example, in my aero position, my arms are “stretched out” a bit, creating about a 100 degree angle.
• The width of your elbow pads should be as narrow as is comfortable for the duration of your races.  Generally, narrower pads are more aerodynamic, but less comfortable.  Find what works for you.
• The height of your aerobars should be low.  Generally speaking, you are aiming for a relatively flat back, which is more aerodynamic.  HOWEVER, you don’t want to be so low that (a) you can’t hold the position for the duration of your race, and (b) you lose more power from the low position than you save due to aerodynamics.  Invest in an adjustable stem and play with your aerobar height until you find a height that is aerodynamic and comfortable enough to hold for the duration of your race.  Dan Empfield, who wrote the book on tri bike fit, has a nice formula that you can use to determine your aerobar pad height.
• There are some other minor concerns, such as saddle choice, crank arm length, water bottle choice and placement, and others.  Those are topics for other articles.

I raced a half Iron triathlon last weekend, and I was shocked at how many riders (especially women) were not fit well on their bikes.  They were upright, stretched out and usually not in their aero positions.  I couldn’t imagine riding 10 miles in some of their positions, much less 56!

Don’t let me catch you being one of those riders