A TIP FROM EMILIO: EMILIO'S FIRST LAW OF TRIATHLON
EMILIO’S FIRST LAW OF TRIATHLON: Never wear, use, or do anything in a race that you have not worn, used, or done repeatedly in training.
It is called training for a reason, you are not only physically and mentally preparing your body for the race, you are also preparing your bike, clothing, nutrition, and any other equipment, to perform as you expect. When the expectation is met, then on race day you are able to think about the race and not about the equipment.
Test everything in short training sessions first, then incrementally add more time and/or distance to each session using the same product(s). Remember to simulate the expected race conditions as much as possible.
1 comment
Fellow Athletes: Take heed of this advice.
I once violated Emilios first law of triathlon big time and it was not pretty. I used a BRAND NEW bike in the Long Beach 1983 USTS triathlon (2k/ 35K/ 15k) that I hadn’t even ridden in training. HUGE MISTAKE. I had a good swim, then proceeded to tank the bike. I was totally uncomfortable and I couldn’t find my rhythm. It was awful and many competitors that I normally beat were passing me left, right and center. It was like a flood gate opened. I was so angry, I tore through the 15k run like I was on fire. The ran saved me ( 54 mins and change) and I salvaged a respectable finish and podiumed in my age group. Lesson learned. Use the “tried and true” for race day and save the “new” for a future race. Thanks. AHN