Planning & Preparing for the Transition Area:

The next installment of my triathlon training blogathon is focused on preparation and planning. Unlike the first stage of my triathlon planning which was training; the second stage is now planning what I need for my transition area.

With only 3 weeks to go the specific details are going through my mind. A few weeks ago biking along the St. Marks trail with Jeffy, I explained to him in detail the 'process' of a triathlon. Bear in mind he has never participated in one before and he is starting with an Olympic distance, I thought I would at least help the bloke out a little. I started my tale with the registration area and the branding that will occur. I will forever remember my number from triathlon as they mark your body with a sharpie and send you on your way. Retelling the entire race took nearly an hour and it brought to my attention the amount of details that need to be planned for when racing. The most important is the transition area.

The transition area is where you can lose the most amount of time. Understanding how to strip off layers of clothing after the swim and be ready to jump on your bike is no easy feat. Especially as I will have the sand and salt to contend with this time around.

It was then that I realized that although Jeffy had listened intently and had asked the appropriate questions a checklist was needed. Did I really know when and how to transition correctly? What happens if I leap off the bike only to discover I forgot my running shoes, unlikely, but at 5am when you are setting up it could, for me at least, be entirely possible. And then something brilliant occurred to me, others have had the same dilemma and must have sought a solution and there it was, finally I found a reason to search through the copious number of videos on You Tube to find the following:





You have to watch it, giggle away as I did, but now I know the tricks of the trade, thanks to Gale.

The more important concern that I am considering is reducing the giggle factor from the crowds as I jam my bike helmet on my head or as I stumble around trying to squeeze my feet into my trainers. So with that in mind I just purchased an aluminous green tri-mat to help me identify my transition area. Saving me from another potential roar of laughter from the stands as I will hopefully be able to locate my transition area quickly. I am also focusing not only on the organization of my 'stuff' but the organization of my brain. By the time I reach my transition area I will have swam a mile in open water appearing with a salty runny nose and fogged up goggles. And during the second transition after a 25mile bike ride during which I have attempted to eat and drink a 4-course meal to replenish my energy levels all using one hand, while remembering to pedal and even attempting a flying dismount, well maybe not the dismount, but all in all you get my general drift, organization at your transition area is key.

So out came the notebook and already I am up to a sizable checklist, I extend gratitude again to Gale as she had already made the planning process easier with my next, rather high-level giggle factor You Tube video on preparing and planning for your triathlon.

My only question is how many rolls of tape do I need compared to the number of packets of tissues? It reminds me of Tom's recent article, Simple Planning in which he lists the 7 Benefits of Planning.

1. Planning better defines the course of action that we propose to undertake
2. Planning gives a rough estimate of the time required for a project
3. Planning gives us a fairly good idea about the expenses involved in the project. In fact a budget is only a financial plan
4. Planning helps us to get prepared for emergencies that may arise during the course of the project
5. A well thought out plan gives us a clear idea about what is to be done every day, every week and every month
6. Planning helps avoid duplication of labor
7. A plan gives everyone a clear idea of their respective role in the project

I believe Tom was specifically referring to organizational planning but every one of these benefits apply to planning for yourself. Whether we compete in triathlons or not the adversity we deal with is tantamount to swimming a mile and then embarking on a 25 mile bike ride. We're all in a race called life and while each of us measure success differently, I do believe everyone wants to finish. The essential thing is to make sure we've planned for the times in our lives when we come to a "transition area" to make sure we're both mentally and physically prepared to continue on to the next part of the race.

><(("> EMMA-ROO