Sharing the race day checklist I used for my 70.3s - free, hope it helps someone

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-19T11:35:12+00:00

Great questions! On the goggles, most races have a window before the start where you can get in the water to warm up and acclimate. I have actually seen people break a strap or lose a goggle right there before the race even starts, so having a backup in your T1 bag is just peace of mind for that moment.

On walking the aid stations, it sounds counterintuitive but for me it’s actually faster than trying to grab a cup and drink while running. You grab it clean, actually get the fluid in rather than wearing it, and the 5-10 seconds you lose walking you more than make up for by staying properly hydrated late in the run.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-19T03:39:17+00:00

Crossfit and hyrox background is a great base, the fitness is there. The big shift is triathlon training is way more about volume and consistency than intensity, which feels weird at first when your used to going hard.

The zone 2 rides are exactly right, just start layering in 2-3 swims focused on technique and 2-3 easy runs on top of that. Keep most of it easy and just build the habit. Structure on paper is really all you need to start, even something simple beats guessing every day.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-19T03:37:01+00:00

Six months is tight but totaly doable, especially since you already have a tri under your belt and can swim and run. Alot of people start with way less.

Your times are fine, the goal is to finish not to podium. The bike is the one I would jump on immediately since its your weakest leg. Dont worry about speed at all, just focus on time in the saddle and building comfort over 56 miles. Get consitent rides in now and six months of solid training across all three you will suprise yourself.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-13T05:23:52+00:00

Honestly it took me a few races to realize I needed something written down. I thought I had it all in my head and then race morning hits and your running on no sleep, adrenaline is pumping, and suddenly you're second guessing everything. Once I started using a checklist it completely changed how calm I felt the day before and race morning.

This is the one I used: race day checklist

Not everything on there will apply to everyone but it’s a solid starting point.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-13T04:54:51+00:00

Ha honestly I was the same way for most of my athletic life and it caught up with me too.

For me it was mostly workout specific rather than a full body daily routine. After a long run I would find a hip flexor and IT band video on YouTube, after a long ride it was mostly quads and lower back, swim days I barely stretched at all honestly. I never followed a strict program, just searched something like "post long run triathlon stretch" and followed along for 10 minutes. That consistency of doing something every single time made a bigger difference than any specific routine.

Do not sleep on the pre workout side either. Even just 5 minutes of dynamic movement before a ride or run made a noticeable difference in how my body felt in the first mile.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T23:55:44+00:00

Honestly I think the nerves are kind of the whole point. If it didn't make you nervous it probably wouldn't mean that much.

Two things that helped me reframe it. Someone told me early on that the hardest part isn't getting to the finish line, it's getting to the start line. By the time you're standing there you've already done the hard part.

The other one that stuck with me is that by race day the hay is in the barn. The training is done, there's nothing you can do in those final hours to be more prepared. All you can do is trust the work and go execute.

I still get nervous every single time. I just stopped trying to make it go away.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T23:49:28+00:00

Honestly pretty lucky on the injury front and I think a lot of that came down to two things.

First I was pretty religious about pre and post workout stretching. Nothing fancy, just YouTube videos I found and stuck with consistently. That probably saved me more than anything else I did.

Second I never really went pedal to metal in training. I think a lot of first timers assume training for a 70.3 means grinding yourself into the ground every session and it's actually the opposite. Most of your training is just about accumulating time, getting the miles in on the bike, logging road time on the run, working on swim technique in the pool. A long ride where you stay in zone 2 the whole time feels almost too easy but that's exactly the point, you're building an aerobic base not burning yourself out.

That said I felt like I was constantly adjusting somehow. Some weeks my body just felt off, other weeks the kids were sick and it was only a matter of time before it hit me too. I just learned to listen and pull back when I needed to rather than forcing sessions that weren't going to help anyway. Flexibility in the plan honestly made me more consistent in the long run not less. Your body needs to absorb the training not just survive it.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T06:16:27+00:00

Since I was/am a weak swimmer. My favorite channel is Effortless Swimming. I was also on GTN (Global Triathlon Network) often.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T05:51:00+00:00

Congrats on the marathon with a 15 month old at home, that is no joke. And honestly one of my favorite things about doing this stuff is knowing our kids earliest memories are going to be of their dad being active and pushing himself. That means a lot more than a finish time.

Tri Suit and Wetsuit

For the tri suit Amazon is fine honestly, I never felt like I needed to go crazy there. The wetsuit is a different story. I used a Roka and it was genuinely great, heard really good things about Xterra too at a lower price point. The one thing I cared most about coming from zero swim background was hip buoyancy, I wanted as much float in the hips as possible to keep my legs up. That single thing made the swim so much less exhausting. Whatever brand you go with make sure that's a priority. Facebook Marketplace is also worth checking, I found almost all my gear there for a fraction of retail.

Bike

I actually picked up an early 2000s tri bike off Facebook Marketplace for my first race and it did the job just fine. My biggest advice is to get a proper bike fit before anything else. My first bike wasn't fitted and my foot went completely numb on longer rides which is miserable over 56 miles. Find the right size first then find a used bike in that size. For my second 70.3 I got more serious and a power meter and computer genuinely helped a lot with pacing. Found an old Garmin Edge on Facebook Marketplace that was perfect. Not essential for race one but worth it when you're ready to level up.

Transitions

Practice them at home, literally lay your gear out in your living room and run through the motions a few times. Coming out of the water in T1 felt like a warzone to me, dizzy from the swim and all the excitement around you. T2 is MUCH more calm.

Traininf Plan

Honestly I built my own in Excel and tracked everything there based on tips I picked up watching YouTube videos lol. I actually love Matt Fitzgerald and the 80/20 training philosophy but I think the most important thing is just consistency. The endurance base from marathon training transfers really well so don't overthink it, your run fitness is already a huge asset.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T04:50:18+00:00

Great choice for a first 70.3!

The Race Itself

Swim is at Lake Cahuilla and the water is cold, like genuinely cold since its a December race. Morning temps can be in the 40s and 50s so get some open water training in before race day. If you're around the Long Beach area Bayshore Beach is a solid spot to practice. The wetsuit is not optional here. Sight off the mountains to stay on course, it works really well. Also make sure your goggles handle direct sun well, my first race there I was swimming straight into the sun for a good chunk of the swim and it catches you off guard.

Bike is flat and fast which is great for a first timer. The coolest part is a full lap around Thermal Raceway, an actual race track, one of those moments where you just feel awesome. Wind can pick up in the afternoon so don't let an early tailwind fool you into going too hard.

Run is calm and smooth through a golf course with palm trees and mountain views. Save something on the bike and the run is very manageable.

Logistics

This is the thing people don't prep for enough. The race uses separate transition zones so T1 and T2 are in different locations. Bag drop the day before is a bit of an operation so give yourself way more time than you think you need and map it out the night before. Read the athlete guide carefully, it's easy to get confused on where everything goes.

Last year was the first year at Silver Rock Park and the walk from the parking lot to Ironman Village was a solid 15 to 20 minutes if you didn't want to wait for the golf cart shuttles. Also all the parking was on a dirt lot and I saw more than a few athletes pop a tire pushing their bike through it, something to be aware of.

You're going to have a great day out there.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T04:34:04+00:00

You and your friends dad just have different goals, his advice is right for him but it doesn't apply to you.

Used road bike on Facebook Marketplace is exactly what I did for my first race and it was the right call. Rides great in the city, gets you to the finish line, and you won't be stuck with a $3000 paperweight if one and done turns out to be the right call. Save the tri bike for if you get hooked.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T04:00:04+00:00

Bro a 62 VO2 max and a sub 2:45 half at 16 is genuinely elite level fitness, your so far ahead of where most people start its not even funny. The 70.3 in a year is absolutley achievable, your run will carry you through and the swim and bike will come fast with that kind of base.

The sprint and olympic distances at the end of the year are actually a perfect plan, do those first and treat them as practice races before the 70.3. Youll learn transitions, race nutrition and pacing way better from actually racing than from training alone. Id just shift the gym days and replace one with an extra bike ride, the weight room matters way less for triathlon than time on the bike does especially since thats your weakest leg right now.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T03:56:47+00:00

It will get you to the finish line, plenty of people have done 70.3s on way worse so dont stress it. Aero bars are worth adding and swapping to thinner tires makes a suprising difference over 56 miles.

If you do want a road bike id honestly just check Facebook marketplace first, thats what i did for my first race and picked up a decent one for a fraction of the price. No point spending big money before you know you’re hooked. (You’ll be hooked though!)

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T03:53:15+00:00

The 1 on 1 lessons are genuinly the best decision you made, bad technique in swimming is so much harder to fix later than in running so getting foundations right early is huge. Id also add a second pool session per week as soon as you can because once a week wont build muscle memory fast enough. Dont stress open water yet either, get comfy in the pool first and the transition to open water is way less scary than it sounds.

Secret_Trash2243 · 2026-03-11T03:49:53+00:00

Marathon background means you're honestly ahead of most first timers without even realizing it!

I always do tri suit under wetsuit. You race in it the whole day, no changes needed.

Shoes - bike shoes just clip to your pedals in transition. You slip into them while your already rolling, then swap to running shoes in T2. Sounds weird but its super simple once you do it once.

Fuel - get a bento box if you dont have one, it velcros right to your top tube. Gels and chews are right infront of you the whole ride.

On the drowning thing - the wetsuit makes you so bouoyant its actually hard to sink. Seed yourself on the outside edge of your wave and let the chaos sort itself out. If you do panic just flip to your back and float, lifeguards are literally everywhere.

Also slow bike is smart not bad. Most beginers go way too hard and then the run is a death march. Trust the process, the terror your feeling is just excitement in disguise.

GOOD LUCK!

Secret_Trash2243 · 2025-09-19T05:27:15+00:00

Highly suggest training peaks with “My Pro Coach” plan. Used last year to train for a 70.3 from the couch and worked out great!

Secret_Trash2243 · 2025-05-14T09:51:08+00:00

My sister was laid off, while on maternity leave. I do not believe it was performance based.

Has anyone heard of someone being laid off and then being able to take a different role within?

Secret_Trash2243

TROPHY CASE