Books and Recommended Equipment
Triathlon is an expensive sport. One way to reduce the cost is to avoid wasting money on equipment that doesn’t work very well. Here is a list of some of the products I recommend for Triathletes. The list contains links to items sold on Amazon.com and at no cost to you, I receive a tiny commission on the items you purchase through the page.
My Books:
I am in the process of creating updated digital versions of my Ironman Series books published by Meyer & Meyer Sport. There are a few paper versions still around. If you would like one signed by me, send me an email. We can arrange payment through Paypal or Venmo, and I will send it to you through snail mail for $20 per title. You can click the links below and see what is available through Amazon.
Weight Management For Triathletes: When Training is Not Enough ( Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2010)
Functional Strength For Triathletes (Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2012)
Fearless Swimming For Triathletes (Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2011)
Ironplanner: Iron-Distance Organizer for Triathletes (Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2009) - This title is also available in pdf form directly from Ingrid. It contains checklists and timelines for your Ironman preparation, along with a wealth of mental strategies to get you happily to the finish line.
Motivational Books for Ironman Preparation:
MIKE REILLY Finding My Voice: Tales From IRONMAN, the World's Greatest Endurance Event
Find a Way: The Inspiring Story of One Woman’s Pursuit of a Lifelong Dream
To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, and the Mystery of Endurance
Motivational T-Shirts
Pain is Inevitable: Suffering is Optional
Ironman Race Day Fuels on Course
Gatorade Endurance, Orange 24oz Bottles, (8 Pack)
Swim Equipment:
The brands most-loved by Fearless athletes are BlueSeventy and Roka. The Blue Seventy has a forgiving fit and an “Athena” model that is very popular. Roka is very comfortable and fits like a second skin, but it takes a bit longer to put on. Long sleeved is always faster than sleeveless. Wetsuits come at 3 price points and range in price from $150-$1000. The more expensive models have more decals and a second skin feel. I suggest looking for last year’s model in the mid range. The most important consideration is fit. Purchase several online and keep the one that fits the best-return the rest.
A regular full-sleeve wetsuit may not be enough in temperatures under 60 degrees. Special model Thermal wetsuits made by BlueSeventy and Roka are made for cooler temps and they do the job well. In addition to the wetsuit, an 2mm neoprene vest worn underneath makes a huge difference in warmth. The liner is important for colder-water races like Ironman Oceanside 70.3, Ironman Morro Bay 70.3 and Ironman Indian Wells 70.3.
Neoprene booties are useful in colder water as long as they don’t fill with water. These fit snugly and are far superior to the triathlon-specific aqua socks I have tried (I have tried them all).
Cold water in the ear makes you dizzy. Ear Plugs will, at the very least, keep cold water from continuously flooding your ear canals. Fit matters so you need to experiment.
A Thermal Headband or Neoprene cap can be worn under your race-issued swim cap for extra warmth. The chin strap on the cap is uncomfortable at first, but it seems to disappear in the water.
These Swim Goggles seem to fit most fairly well. Get the light blue lens for the greatest versatility.
Body Glide reduces chaffing around the neck and arms. This neck protector works when you need extra protection.
Bike Gear
If you are buying something to put on your bike, be aware that every bike is configured differently and there are sizing issues. You may want to go to your local bike shop to make sure the item will fit before buying a power meter or aerobars. You will need Bike shoes, pedals, a helmet and sunglasses but those are size and style specific so I don’t have links for those.
Tri bikes are designed to be comfortable when riding down on your elbows in the aero position. The geometry of the bike places your body directly on top of the pedals and your weight about equally distributed between the elbows and the saddle. Your body position is more aerodynamic which is ideal for triathlons. Handling and climbing suffer a little compared to a road bike but tri bikes are built specifically for triathlon races which rarely have enough climbing to make a road bike “necessary”. You can swap out gearing configurations on your tri bike to accommodate hillier courses. Tri bikes come with shifters on both the aerobars and the wide “bullhorns” which is an advantage over road bikes with an added aerobar that does not have shifters.
Road bikes places you slightly behind the pedals with most of your weight in the saddle. Most beginners are more comfortable on a road bike to start with, especially if they aren’t sure they want to do triathlons exclusively. As they add race distance, the add aerobars and eventually get a triathlon bike when their addiction to the sport justifies the cost. That said, if you know you want to do triathlons, save yourself the cost of buying an road bike then eventually a tri bike—just get the tri bike from the start.
The cost of a bike depends mostly on the material used for the frame and the quality of the components ( brakes, shifters, gears, etc). Carbon is the lightest frame material although bike weight is not a big deal in triathlon-aerodynamics matter more given the type of riding done in this sport. Carbon can be shaped into aerodynamic shapes (narrow and wind-cheating when viewed directly from the front but with wider from the side) than steel or aluminum. Carbon bikes tend to have rounded corners and aggressive looking shapes with features that hide brakes and cables from the wind. They are the most expensive and they are fairly durable, but they can crack if dropped/crashed so you have to baby them a little. If you are going to buy a used carbon bike, have it checked for cracks at your local bike shop.
Components usually come in 2 or 3 levels of quality. There is no reason to pay extra for the top-of-the-line components. Mid -level will work fine ( e.g. Shimano “Ultegra” works fine while “Dura-Ace” is premium) for many years. Most of the components on a bike are a combination of higher and lower end components. You can replace/upgrade as needed. When buying a used bike, test ride it. Shift through all the gears both up and down to make sure the shifters work-check the brakes and make sure the wheels spin without a big wobble.
If you are uncomfortable with clip-in pedals, start out with platform pedals until you feel confident on the bike.
No matter what bike you have, you need to carry plenty of water and food. Aerobars, either added or the ones that come standard on a tri bike, can accommodate various configurations of bottle carriers between the aerobars.. This is the best aerobar hydration system I have found. It does not leak because of the nifty lid that snaps open and closed. The bottle is secured with an extra clip so it will not fall out when you go over a bump. You can adjust the fore and aft position so you don’t have to reach for the straw or get poked in the eye.
You will need a basic tool kit with extra tubes, an inflator, C02 cartridges and tire levers. It needs to fit on your bike so your local bike shop is a good place to start for that. You will need a good floor pump too.
You will need an indoor bike trainer if you want to get faster on the bike. Wahoo makes a superior product. The “wheel on” models are easier to use because you don’t have to remove the bike’s rear wheel to use it. Be sure to get a block for the front wheel, so that you are level on the bike.
Be sure to use triathlon-specific shorts for riding. You are going to swim, bike and run in the same shorts on race day….here is a link to our cool Fearless Kit.
You will need some lubrication between your bike shorts and your body. These packets are easy to carry around, but a large bottle is more economical. Vaseline works well on race day because it stays on better in the water.
To avoid flats, these tires are bulletproof. Add a liner and say goodbye to flat tires. Be sure to get the right size.
Electronics
Data Gathering devices are widely available. Fearless favors the Garmin Fenix (several models to choose from) and Forerunner 945 and 955. These wrist units have a built-in heart rate sensor so no chest strap is needed. The Edge 530 is the most popular bike mounted device. Be sure to get a cadence sensor too.
Managing Heat
Heat sucks the life out of you. Covered skin is cooler than bare skin so cover your arms on the bike and douse your body in water frequently to take advantage of evaporative cooling. These De Soto products are outstanding-they are thin and comfortable on the bike and run. The skin cooler top should be warn alone-layering it defeats the purpose. Available in Women’s and Men’s.
Running Gear
You need running shoes and a way to carry water on your training runs. My personal favorite is this one but there are many to choose from. Carrying bottles on a waistpack is problematic for many because the bottles bounce around. Carrying a bottle in one hand throws off your mechanics so I don’t recommend it. Stick with a pack on your back to keep the load distributed evenly on your body.