The Gear, well just the beginning really

What I find just crazy about the triathlon is the huge amount of gear you have purchase. Now I don't want to scare anyone off, I just didn't realize how much stuff would be involved.

I mean, really...most of us have been biking, swimming and running most of our lives. (Not competitively, but most of us know how to bike, run and swim) So when you first decide to do a triathlon you think no biggie, I got this.

WRONG.

Lets start with the run: You need a great pair of shoes, not good, not okay, but great. My recommendation is to go to a run store and have them fit you for the right shoes. Otherwise you end up with all kinds of leg problems. It has been 3-4 weeks since I got a great pair of shoes, and I am just now finishing up healing from shin splints. Mine cost about $100.


Biking/Cycling:

Look into Tri shorts that have some padding to help you with the whole bicycle seat going up your bum thing, and you can still swim in them.

Bike: I am looking into a hybrid bike, which has big wheels and skinny tires like a road bike, and straight handle bars like a mountain bike. The plus side is that this bike is half the cost of the road bike, but much faster than a mountain bike. This is a personal preference thing, from what I understand it isn't unusual to see people racing mountain bikes.

Pedals: You can upgrade to pedals with a cage, or the ones that clip onto special shoes. I am holding out on those until A.) I know I like this crazy sport. B.) I can cycle well enough that I trust I can remember to take my dang feet out of the pedals before I fall over.

Helmet: Bike shops have good ones, I like them because they are lighter than what I could find at Walmart and they have lots of ventilation. I.Live.In.Texas. More ventilation = less cranky me.