Ask A Random Triathlete: A Shitstorm of Questions

At least we're honest about our advice. (Photo: Michael Morris/Flickr)

This week, we’re dispense amazing advice in a barrage of questions. Read all our past advice, which you know has to be good because it comes from a random triathlete. Ask your own questions in the comments below or on the forum.

If I sold my tri bike, am I still a triathlete? Do I get to use my less aero road bike position as my excuse for everyone and their mother passing me on the bike?

If you finish the triathlon, you’re a triathlete. And if you’re a triathlete, then you can obviously use whatever excuses you want. But they’re still excuses.

Why do I get a shooting pain in my head if I get water in my nose on a flip turn?

It’s probably the water eroding your brain.

Or, it’s just mildly painful when you get something snorted up your nasal cavity — a challenge coke addicts have to valiantly overcome. Blow air out your nose when you flip turn and your brain will be safe.

Best motor vehicle for triathletes? Bike racks – roof or hitch?

The best car is the cheapest one that costs the least to maintain. Or, obviously, whichever one comes with the M-dot guarantee. Then, just take the wheels off your bike and put it in the trunk. Put the back seat down and any bike will fit. You do know the wheels come off, right? Kind of like this, but less shitty:

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Unless you need to bring like four people with you on every ride, this should suffice for 95% of your needs. And then you don’t even have to buy anything extra. Bonus money: you won’t have to pay for the repairs that inevitably come with roof or hitch racks, from driving your bike into a low-hanging garage or backing it into another car.

I know you’re a triathlete, so not spending money feels wrong. Buy a new watch or something instead to make yourself feel better.

Blister remedies: Duct tape, vaseline, or Band-Aid Advanced Healing/Compeed pads?

During or after? During: deal with it. After: bandaids and clean it out so it doesn’t get infected. Second Skin and New Skin work well.

Does it make a difference if you do a brick run immediately after a swim or bike or is waiting 10-20min going to make a big difference…

Depends on what you’re doing with that 10-20 minutes. Drinking a beer and having a sandwich will probably not adequately simulate race conditions. (If it does, then you should fix that too.) It also depends on how bad you are at running off the bike, and how much you care. If it’s something you need to work on, then stop wasting time; set your bike down and just head out there already. If the idea, instead, is simply to be running on tired legs, then your legs will still be tired after the 10 minutes it takes to change clothes and shoes. 

All comes down to how big a “big difference” is to you. 

About the Author

Kelly O'Mara
Kelly is a reporter and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She quit triathlon for a few years, because triathletes can be annoying, but now she's back into it and only hanging out with the non-annoying triathletes. She blogs about stuff at Sunny Running.