What To Put In Your Ironman Triathlon Race Bags: Part 1

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Hello triathletes, it's Ben Greenfield from the Rockstar Triathlete Academy. And if you're getting ready to do an Ironman event or you've already done one and you want to do better, you won't want to miss this video. Basically, what you're going to learn in this video is how to take all those bags that get thrown at you during Ironman registration and actually put all the right things into them. Now, if you've done Ironman before, then you already know this, and if not, you're about to know. But you'll get a swim dry gear bag, a swim to bike transition bag, a bike special needs bag, a bike to run transition bag, and a run special needs bag all in your registration packet. And before the race, you have to figure out what goes into each of those bags. So today I'm going to teach you. We're going to start off with your morning swim gear bag. So I don't actually have an official plastic bag here. I'm just using some random grocery shopping bags and triathlon bags that I had from around my house. We're going to start off with our swimming essentials. Do not be the guy who's running around looking for the race director to find your lost cap. Your cap goes in there, your goggles go in there, and if you wear earplugs, you'll want your earplugs in there as well. Now, in addition to that, you'll want a swim chip guard so you don't end up with blisters and bleeding ankles during the swim. Throw that in there if the race hasn't provided one. And you'll also want to include, if you plan on wearing one during the swim, your heart rate monitor. Now, it's up to you. If you don't feel comfortable wearing this during the swim, then put it into your swim to bike transition bag. But if you wear your heart rate monitor during the swim and you want to gather that data, put that into your swim gear bag. Now, in addition to that, I always like to take in a gel about five minutes before I get into the water. So I will put a gel in my swim gear bag. I also take in caffeine about 30 to 45 minutes prior to the swim start. So I'll put either some generic caffeine pills in there or I'll put like a caffeine vitamin type of powder in there. That again, I'll take in 30 to 45 minutes prior to the race. And of course, because I'm taking all those things in. I put a big bottle of clear water into that bag as well, so that I can sip water leading up to the swim start, but so that I can also have water immediately after the race right there in the bag. And I'll show you why in a second. Now, of course, you'll want your sunscreen. I use a couple different types. One for my face that doesn't tend to sting my eyes as much, and then one for the rest of my body. I'll apply that, of course, after the race personnel have put the race numbers on me. So I'll wait until that point and then put those on. Now, the next thing that I want to have during the swim is some chamois cream. And the chamois cream is necessary, especially if you're wearing your tri shorts or your bike shorts during the swim. You want to put this into the chamois and put it into any places that tend to get friction underneath your armpits, for example, the back of your neck and in your crotch area. Now, you can also use something like Body Glide or Vaseline for some of the wetsuit areas, but I recommend a high quality chamois cream that you put on right before the swim and you have in your swim gear bag. Now, the next thing that you want in there is your wetsuit or your skin suit or whatever happens to be legal for the race that you're participating in. You don't want to be the person running around looking for that thing that you spent a bunch of money on that's supposed to make you faster that you forgot to put in your swim gear bag. So make sure that that goes in there as well, along with a towel. I like a towel just to stand on and spread my things out on as I'm getting ready for the race. Now, the next thing is just in case you anticipate having difficulty being able to warm up in the water prior to the race. So you don't want to get in the water and fight. Everyone warming up. Bring an elastic band with you so you can do some pushes, you can do some poles, you can get your swimming muscles warmed up and ready for the swim. Of course, your MP3 player is crucial. You can't wear it during the race. However, you can wear it during your warm up. And you like to have your tunes that kind of get you pumped up to dominate as you get ready for the swim and prep all of your transition area. Now, the last couple of things I include in that swim bag are post race needs Because I'll get that swim bag right after the race. I'll put some protein. This is something called recoveries, the recovery capsules. I put some of those in there that I can take after the race. I also put some topical electrolytes, some topical magnesium in there that I can put on my arms and my legs to minimize soreness after the race. And I'll have all that accessible in my swim gear bag so I can grab it after the race. You want to plan ahead for a little TLC after the race. It's also positive thinking, right? If you put it in your bag, that means you plan on using it, which means you plan on finishing. So the next thing is you're going to come charging out of the water and you'll be directed to your swim to bike bag. And in your swim to bike bag there's a few things. First of all, your helmet could be on your bike or you could put it in your swim to bike transition. Now if you put it on your bike, you just lay it across your arrow bars or your handlebars and open up your sunglasses and put those inside as well. Alternatively, you could put them into your swim to bike bag. Now your shoes can also go into your swim to bike bag. And if you do that, then make sure that you have your socks in there and you have them rolled down a little bit so you can pull them on much more quickly. So we'll put our shoes in there and the next thing that you'll want are some electrolytes. Now what I like to do is I'll put some electrolytes in a film canister or a canister like this, like a noon canister. And, and I will have those accessible to me so I can take in some electrolytes as soon as I finish that swim. If I'm out there on the swim for an hour and I plan on taking four electrolytes an hour during the race, then I want to replenish my electrolytes as soon as I get out of the water. And I have them in my swim to bike bag so that I can pop this open, grab four electrolytes, put it in the back of my jersey or hold it in my hand as I go to my bike and then put it in a safe and secure place such as my jersey pocket during the bike so I have those electrolytes. For example, you could go with something like Hammer Nutrition makes enduro lights. There's another company called Millennium Sports that makes athytes. Whole bunch of different choices for your electrolytes but if you're using electrolytes, and I do recommend that you use them, have them there in your swim to bike transition bag. Now the next thing of course is your race number. I crumple up my race number before I put it on that race belt. And then you'll wear that on your back during the bike. But you'll want that in your swim to bike bag. That's another thing that you could like your sunglasses put inside your helmet if you wanted to. I get nervous about it blowing away or getting lost overnight if the bike's checked in overnight. So I put it in that swim to bike bag. I like to have a bar in there. I chew on a bar as I first take off on the bike to kind of collect my thoughts, keep me from going too fast, and also to replenish some of the calories that I lost during the swim. So I put a bar, like a power bar or an energy bar into that swim to bike transition bag as well. And then finally, if you carry your tire changing tube or flat fixing type of equipment out there with you on the bike, you can put it in your swim to bike bag. I'd recommend that you tape it under the back seat of your bike or put it on a wing that's attached to the back of your bike seat. But if you tend to carry them in your jersey pocket, you would of course want them in that swim to bike bag. Finally, a little bit of clear water. I always have extra water in most of the bags just in case I don't have access to water right there in the changing area or in the area where I'm claiming that bag. So we'll put that on there. And we're going to go halfway through the bike to the special needs area.