The hidden costs of triathlon
Since we all know you can do a triathlon with nothing more than some decent clothes [as in ... NOT JEANS] and a bike that moves forward when you pedal, I think it's important to point out the hidden costs of doing a triathlon.
Swimming:
1. An adequate swim suit. Nothing fancy is required, I got mine at Target for like $12 and I wish I would have gotten a few pair because now they're become transparent.
2. Membership to a pool [$30/month+] or a pool of your own. However if you choose to go with your own pool I wouldn't recommend anything short of the Endless Pool which will run you about $25,000 USD. For now I'm stuck paying the YMCA $57 per month for a family membership.
3. Goggles [$12]. They're not necessary, but boy I tell ya it sure beats burning your eyes with the chlorine! Not to mention most open water swims are in lakes. Who opens their eyes there? eew...
Biking
1. Helmet [$30]. Your brain will need to prevent the cracking of the skull that it's in.
2. Tire pump[$20]. How else will you re-inflate your tires?
3. Water bottle cages [$5] and water bottles [$3]. You NEED hydration on the bike if you're going to make it on the run. YES even in a sprint distance triathlon.
4. Spare tubes [$5/ea]. For some reason those things just go flat on you every once in a while. Also should look into bike levers [$3]. They make the changing process a Whooooole lot easier!
5. Fanny pack [$14] or other apparatus for retaining such important devices such as keys, cell phone, wallet, gels, etc. Or you can by a...
6. Cycling jersey [$40]. Pockets are a must. Gels, bike levers, keys, cell phones, wallets, all can be stored in the pockets of a cycling jersey out of the way of everything else.
7. Tri shorts [$40+] can be substituted for swim suit and are recommended because of the chamois [pronounced "shammy" - I did not know that] layer protecting some important areas from the bike seat.
Running
1. Running shoes [$35+]. My first pair of actual running shoes [Adidas Superstars are NOT running shoes!] cost $35. Six months and 300+ miles later I purchased a pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 8's for $135.
2. Good running shorts [$15+] If you're like me... you chafe. Your thighs are just too wide and they rub against one another. If you already have tri shorts, just use those.
3. Vaseline [$3] See above. Nipples and armpits are also unsuspecting victims.
4. GELS. [$1.15/ea or $18.85/24 when you order 3+ boxes from trizone.com and enjoy free shipping on orders over $50] Gels are simply a must if you want to have enough energy off the bike and onto the run. Also if you're planning on doing longer running events I recommend them. Anything 8 miles or over I consider long and I'll take gels. On our last excursion I ate 4 gels and we covered 13 miles [planned to do 16]. You can start to see how buying 3 boxes of 24 makes economical sense...
5. Sports drink mixes [$$ -- varies, still experimenting]. Suffice to say that powdered is the cheapest way to go and really the easiest when you're freezing water bottles overnight for extreme temperature conditions the next day. You can find RTE Powerade for $0.80 per 32oz. bottle on sale pretty regularly during the summer months.
Misc items:
-headband [$6] for eye de-sweatting during running
-entry fees [$40+ depending on event]
-post-workout recovery meals [$6 per Chipotle Burrito/Subway sandwich]
-cycle computer [$25] mainly for mileage and speed logging, helps you know if you're improving or not.
-fancy socks [$20/4 pair] They help wick sweat and keep your feet snuggled up in a comfortable position.
-iPod Nano [$99 refurbished at Apple.com with free 2 day shipping] because let's be honest with ourselves, running for more than 20 minutes gets pretty boring
Grand total so far [on the low end] is around $460 and that's assuming you already have a bike. That includes 1 month of gym membership, one month of training-specific nutrition, and one race entry fee.
Swimming:
1. An adequate swim suit. Nothing fancy is required, I got mine at Target for like $12 and I wish I would have gotten a few pair because now they're become transparent.
2. Membership to a pool [$30/month+] or a pool of your own. However if you choose to go with your own pool I wouldn't recommend anything short of the Endless Pool which will run you about $25,000 USD. For now I'm stuck paying the YMCA $57 per month for a family membership.
3. Goggles [$12]. They're not necessary, but boy I tell ya it sure beats burning your eyes with the chlorine! Not to mention most open water swims are in lakes. Who opens their eyes there? eew...
Biking
1. Helmet [$30]. Your brain will need to prevent the cracking of the skull that it's in.
2. Tire pump[$20]. How else will you re-inflate your tires?
3. Water bottle cages [$5] and water bottles [$3]. You NEED hydration on the bike if you're going to make it on the run. YES even in a sprint distance triathlon.
4. Spare tubes [$5/ea]. For some reason those things just go flat on you every once in a while. Also should look into bike levers [$3]. They make the changing process a Whooooole lot easier!
5. Fanny pack [$14] or other apparatus for retaining such important devices such as keys, cell phone, wallet, gels, etc. Or you can by a...
6. Cycling jersey [$40]. Pockets are a must. Gels, bike levers, keys, cell phones, wallets, all can be stored in the pockets of a cycling jersey out of the way of everything else.
7. Tri shorts [$40+] can be substituted for swim suit and are recommended because of the chamois [pronounced "shammy" - I did not know that] layer protecting some important areas from the bike seat.
Running
1. Running shoes [$35+]. My first pair of actual running shoes [Adidas Superstars are NOT running shoes!] cost $35. Six months and 300+ miles later I purchased a pair of Mizuno Wave Creation 8's for $135.
2. Good running shorts [$15+] If you're like me... you chafe. Your thighs are just too wide and they rub against one another. If you already have tri shorts, just use those.
3. Vaseline [$3] See above. Nipples and armpits are also unsuspecting victims.
4. GELS. [$1.15/ea or $18.85/24 when you order 3+ boxes from trizone.com and enjoy free shipping on orders over $50] Gels are simply a must if you want to have enough energy off the bike and onto the run. Also if you're planning on doing longer running events I recommend them. Anything 8 miles or over I consider long and I'll take gels. On our last excursion I ate 4 gels and we covered 13 miles [planned to do 16]. You can start to see how buying 3 boxes of 24 makes economical sense...
5. Sports drink mixes [$$ -- varies, still experimenting]. Suffice to say that powdered is the cheapest way to go and really the easiest when you're freezing water bottles overnight for extreme temperature conditions the next day. You can find RTE Powerade for $0.80 per 32oz. bottle on sale pretty regularly during the summer months.
Misc items:
-headband [$6] for eye de-sweatting during running
-entry fees [$40+ depending on event]
-post-workout recovery meals [$6 per Chipotle Burrito/Subway sandwich]
-cycle computer [$25] mainly for mileage and speed logging, helps you know if you're improving or not.
-fancy socks [$20/4 pair] They help wick sweat and keep your feet snuggled up in a comfortable position.
-iPod Nano [$99 refurbished at Apple.com with free 2 day shipping] because let's be honest with ourselves, running for more than 20 minutes gets pretty boring
Grand total so far [on the low end] is around $460 and that's assuming you already have a bike. That includes 1 month of gym membership, one month of training-specific nutrition, and one race entry fee.