Pictures of professional triathletes mounted on bikes that resemble rocket ships grace the pages inside virtually every triathlon magazine. These images, while presented there to support the article or to advertise the product, serve an additional function, one that is not necessarily intended: they inspire budding triathletes to be just like the pros. As a result, when beginning triathletes enter the sport, they confront a multitude of decisions, with one of the most prominent being what type of bike to buy.

Generally speaking, as you first start out, never spend a huge amount of money on any gear, let alone a bike. Borrow one or buy one used. Ride a hybrid. Do something rather than spend a month's wages on a bike you may only ride once. Basically, try the sport first. If you fall in love with it, then invest in it.

Now, if you do decide the sport is for you, then you must choose between a road bike and a tri bike. The road bike is normally the best choice, especially for the recreational triathlete who competes for himself, as it is built to be considerably more flexible than a time trial bike. Road bikes work better when riding in packs, cornering, and climbing, and they are constructed for a more upright position, making shifting and pedal transfer easier. Therefore, the bike offers quite a wide range of services for any rider. Conversely, a tri bike, made for flatter surfaces and predicated on the need for speed, forces the rider down into the aero position the majority of the time. The positioning is less comfortable but far more aerodynamic, thus creating faster times. The geometry of the tri bike also places more emphasis on the hamstrings during pedaling, which leaves more energy in the quadriceps, which is of critical importance when transitioning to the run.

Overall, you need to evaluate your goals and commitments. If you are dedicated to triathlon and want to compete and train regularly, then a tri bike may work for you. If you want to ride leisurely with friends and compete in some smaller, less rigorous events and train part time, throw some aero bars on the road bike and stick with that.

Countless people join the sport of triathlon each year. Many become severely addicted and grow into everyday trainers with long-range goals. Others, however, struggle and fail, competing in only one before selling their bikes and using their swim goggles for protective eyewear on home improvement projects. Any person who has ever been involved in a triathlon can understand why people become attached, but the harder concept to comprehend is why some quit so early. A good possibility is that they simply did not plan well at the beginning, thus setting themselves up for failure.

To plan properly, that is once you have decided to go all in and actually do a race, whether it is a sprint, Olympic, Half Iron or Full Iron, you must select the best time frame for training. To begin, pick a race that is at least twelve weeks away. Anything closer will cramp your training and prevent your body from being totally prepared. Race day then will be a nightmare, for attempting a triathlon when being undertrained rarely results in that warm, fuzzy feeling needed to come back again and again.

Next, generate a training pace that allows your body to adjust. Throwing yourself into a massive workout will hurt your body, which again sours the experience. Ease into a pattern that has logical, safe increments. This will give your body time to rest, recover, and progress, and it will let you feel more accomplished and confident as the race date grows closer.

Finally, when scheduling your workouts, plan all of your swims first. Time in the water, either in the pool or open water, is the most difficult to attain, so make swimming your planning priority. Training for the running and the biking can be done just about any place at any time, so fill those in once you have mapped out your aquatic times.

If you begin early and establish a realistic plan that takes into consideration both time and patience, you stand a far better chance of enjoying the actual race. The goal of a triathlon is to get you to come back and be a true member of the sport, so plan well and you can change your life in ways you previously didn't think you could.

After months of training, the night before a triathlon can be one riddled with anticipation and nervousness. You often wonder if you have done enough to prepare for what will soon come. Yet all the worry and concern the night before will do absolutely nothing, for nothing can be done to better you physically except for a good night's rest. Instead of mentally destroying yourself with unanswerable questions, focus on getting organized and prepared. Doing so will let your race morning flow easily, with little to no stress. The last thing you want is to concern yourself with all the minute details that distract you from your real purpose, which is to swim, bike, and run as best you can.

First, the night before, take the time to thoroughly pack your triathlon bag. Include such items as goggles, swim suit/wetsuit, socks, towels, bike helmet, shorts, racing top, sunglasses, sunscreen, petroleum jelly, nutritional supplements, money, race information, a permanent marker, sneakers, bike shoes, bike repair kit, water bottles, a hat, a watch, race number, tool kit, and fresh clothing for afterward. In fact, write out a detailed checklist prior to starting. This way you will not forget any needed gear. Nothing could be worse than beginning your walk down to the water for the ocean swim, only to find that you have forgotten your goggles.

Next, the morning of the race, arrive early and register as soon as possible. Once that is done, take the time to properly plan out your transition area. Consider how many transitions the race has, as some will have one common area while others will have two. Either way, organize the area so that you can rhythmically get in and out. Have a place to drop the wetsuit and towel off before throwing on your biking gear. Make sure you have your race number pinned to your jersey or on a race belt that you strap around your waist. Put your stuff in a logical order, one that you have hopefully practiced before race day.

Finally, once the transition area is set, head out onto the course to look around. If you arrived a day or two early, you should have already hopped in the water for a short swim and ridden a few miles on the actual bike course. If not, take the time to get comfortable with the race course itself. Talk to other competitors about what they see or know; you'll find that triathletes as a group are highly supportive and will share readily. Overall, get there early so that all the hard work and dedication you invested in the previous months can come to fruition. Make the moments leading up to the race relaxed and enjoyable, not stressful and panicked.

Open water swimming, especially for a beginning triathlete, represents a stern test, one that extends well beyond the physical challenge presented during pool training. With currents, waves, chop, other triathletes, cold temperatures, and poor visibility, ocean or lake swims can intimidate a triathlete, all the while extracting excessive amounts of energy and confidence. So, the need to get out and practice in open water prior to race day is critical.

Yet all too often people forget one skill that will destroy an open water swim: sighting. No one, no matter how advanced or accomplished you are, swims in a straight line in open water. The ocean floor, if you can even see it, has no lane markings, and no lane lines will exist to keep you headed toward the finish. Instead, knowing that swimmers, if left alone and without ever sighting, will swim in a large circle, you can see the need to practice finding your way in open water.

Whether training in a pool or in the ocean, any triathlete can work on sighting. First, pick a point in the distance: a buoy, the end line, a rock formation, etc. Then, as you swim, practice slightly pulling your head up—just enough for your goggles to be above the water every few strokes to find that marker and readjust your line. You should look forward at the bottom of your rotation to see your target, twist to the side to breathe, and then re-enter into your regular rhythm.

Another drill to practice sighting while working in a pool is to swim half a length with your head held out of the water, and then resume your regular stroke until the wall, doing the same thing on the return trip. Complete this as a set of 200 to 300 meters. Sighting will make your open water experience much more enjoyable, as you will likely swim the line closest to the finish. Your body will not be too happy if you swim in zig zags, forcing it to cover 1,000 meters for a 700 meter swim.

In the end, sighting practice will let you understand the old advice of your geometry teacher: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Not only will your teacher be proud, but your body will applaud your efforts when it comes time to hop on that bike.

Successful triathletes are master planners. Each time they hit the pool or road, they have a specific goal in mind for that given session, and that goal is directly related to the end result they wish to attain. They pay close attention to detail and listen intently to their bodies, as remaining healthy through training is just as important as making adequate progressions. Basically, they spend time preparing to train so that time in training is never wasted or misused.

So, when setting up a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule, reflect on what exactly you wish to do and how you can best accomplish that given your set of circumstances and talents. Consider the following tips when devising your sessions.

Be Specific: Know what your end result will be. Are you working toward completing a sprint triathlon? Then do not spend hours and hours running endless miles. Instead, prepare for the needed distance. Likewise, if you are attempting a half-iron, don't cut yourself off at five miles on long run days. Make sure that the workouts you implement match the eventual competition.

Making Progressions: Your body will respond to training, and it naturally will improve; however, if you allow it to plateau and you do not schedule moderate progressions as your training continues, your body will never make the needed adjustments to reach your end goal. Thus, make sure you design safe increments that will encourage your body to progress, yet be careful not to over do it too quickly.

Reversibility: While you should never allow training to engulf and overtake your life, making time for daily workouts is important if you wish to succeed. Being dedicated will reward you, but being inconsistent will destroy you. Taking too much time off will reverse all the work you have done, essentially collapsing the base you built. Starting all over is just plain hard.

In the end, well-planned sessions that you complete consistently will give you a positive result. Remember, a triathlon is not about winning, as you hit that course trying to prove something to yourself. Give yourself the best chance by being organized and disciplined.

As time passes and you fall in love with triathlons, you will begin to ponder upgrading your competitive gear. Now that your body is fit and you have stopped merely wanting to finish and have instead replaced that goal with ones more focused on success and time, you will need to take a look at every aspect of your training and competition.

If your actual workout regimen suits your lifestyle and your fitness level has solidified, then you need to examine your gear. Everything from your choice of swimwear to your body positioning on the bike to the type of shoe you use must come under close scrutiny.

In the swim, if you have been competing with either a bulky, non-productive wetsuit or without one at all, you are losing precious seconds. While it is widely held knowledge that you will never win a triathlon during the swim portion, you can certainly lose it. Thus, buy a high quality swim skin or wetsuit that permits you to cut the water and maintain good flexibility. A good wetsuit can take off almost 1:30 over an Olympic triathlon swim.

On the bike, utilizing standard handlebars forces your body into an upright position too often. Seeking to become more aerodynamically inclined, you should upgrade by installing aerobars. Learning to ride properly with aerobars will save you between 3:30 and 4:40 in an Olympic triathlon depending on the type of course you encounter. Upgrade your wheels from standard to aero wheels and you will shave another 1:00 to 1:15 off your time.

Finally, on the run, running in your trainers can actually slow you down. Instead, in order to save almost a minute's time in an Olympic race, leave your trainers in the transition and wear a pair of racing flats. They take a little getting used to, but they will quicken your step and make you feel mentally faster.

If your wallet will allow you to, and your body says it's time to, begin your upgrades. You'll taste more success and fall deeper in love with each race you do.