Indoor Triathlons Basics
by Aubrey Spath, Chicago Tri Club Member 

Whether you’re a triathlon newbie wondering how to “put it all together” or an experienced triathlete looking to check the progress of your training, indoor triathlons are a fun way to stay motivated during the winter!

Full Disclosure: The author considers herself an “advanced beginner/novice intermediate” triathlete who has completed four triathlons over the past two summers, and is now trying to take her training to the next level. Thus, she has completed a grand total of two indoor triathlons.

So what is an indoor triathlon, and how is it different from the “regular” or outdoor triathlon?
A regular triathlon follows your standard concept of a race: you cover a fixed distance, and whoever finishes first wins. The health clubs in which indoor triathlons are typically held cannot accommodate a 1K, let alone a 5K. So they follow a different format: the interval of time is fixed, and whoever gets the farthest during that time interval wins. The local Multiplex Clubs series uses the following format:

• 10 minutes of swimming in a pool (recorded by number of laps)
• 10 minutes T1
• 20 minutes of biking on a Lifecycle (recorded by cycling cadence * difficulty level)
• 5 minutes T2
• 15 minutes of running on a treadmill or indoor track (recorded by number of laps or mileage).

Your distance in each event is either counted by a volunteer or calculated by a stationary bike or treadmill.

But [excuse 1] I’m not a “hard-core” triathlete.
Not to worry! These events do draw a few hard-core types but primarily are made up of new or improving triathletes (about 50%), and members of the club where the event is being hosted (the other 50%), to whom the event was likely promoted as a fitness challenge more so than a “triathlon.” You get all shapes, ages, and experience levels.

But [excuse 2] the only workout I’ve done all winter is 12-ounce curls.
Well, what are you waiting for? The whole indoor tri lasts only 45 minutes (plus transitions)—you know you can do it! And maybe being a little more out of breath than you’d like, and feeling your body complain during the run, will kick your butt into gear. Plus, you competitive types know you can’t stand that the person on the next treadmill is running faster than you. . . .

Okay, okay—enough silly stuff: let’s get down to business.
From November through April, several indoor triathlons are held in the Chicagoland area. One popular series consists of four races hosted by the aforementioned Multiplex Clubs, but other events are held at various locations in the suburbs. Check the Tri Club’s Race Listings, usually published in January, for more information. If you want to see an indoor triathlon firsthand before deciding to compete, they always need volunteers!

RACE DAY
Arrive at the club and sign in at least 30 minutes early. Lay out your things (in your locker) for T1, and then report to the pool 15 minutes before the start of your wave.

Swim
The conventional wisdom for approaching an indoor tri swim is the same as that of an outdoor race: your swim performance isn’t going to win the race for you, but you can waste too much energy here and suffer in the other events as a result. If you are an accomplished lap swimmer, you can go for it, but otherwise I recommend that you swim with some effort while still remaining relaxed. Concentrate on form and think about being in a “real” open-water triathlon swim. If you start getting seriously winded, relax a bit — this too will be good practice for your outdoor race. Don’t worry about flip turns unless you have mastered these; just concentrate on making a strong, streamlined push off the wall. Typically the health club pools have slightly narrower lanes than your average lap-swimming pool, and you may have to share a lane with another competitor. If you’re feeling ambitious and/or competitive, you could play with a little drafting off a swimmer in your lane or another lane.

T1
(Newbies, this means “Transition 1,” the time you spend between swimming and biking.) Indoor triathlons are short but intense events. Throughout T1, try to breathe and bring your heart rate back down so you have energy for the bike. Consume some fluids. You will have time to quickly rinse off the chlorine if it bothers you, and it’s worth taking a few extra seconds to actually dry yourself off (it’ll be easier to pull on your clothes if you do!). Pull yourself together and head to the bike area.

Bike
Without question, this is the most important event in the race. Take a look at the results of past indoor triathlons: the winners are always the folks who managed the greatest bike mileage. The tricky thing for a first-timer is that the biking in indoor triathlons is done on a Lifecycle-style stationary bike, rather than a spinning bike or your usual racing bike. Spinning, the most efficient, recommended method of “regular” triathlon biking, is NOT the most effective approach to an indoor triathlon bike. Your goal in an indoor tri ride is to get the bike resistance up as high as you can (think level 10 and over) while maintaining an RPM of 60–75. If the person running the bike portion gives you other advice—as they did at my last race—ignore them. If you are not sure you believe my advice, spend a few minutes at your gym on one of these bikes and see how far you get at different levels over the same time interval. Also, don’t invest too much time before the indoor tri in perfecting your Lifecycle technique; remember that your outdoor race is not going to be on a Lifecycle! Wear bike shorts if you can.

A quick note here on Lifecycles: For some reason, when I try out a Lifecycle at any gym besides a Multiplex, I cannot even move the pedals at Level 10. I have to back way off on the resistance, like maybe down to a 5. Maybe these bikes are older; maybe Multiplex’s are a different model. Regardless, the logic still applies. Find a level you are comfortable with and spin as usual. Look at your distance over a given time. Then ride at your maximum level and reassess your distance.

T2
You only have five minutes between the bike and the run. Your options are to get out of your bike shorts and into something more comfortable or to just head straight to the run. Since the locker room can be far away, I recommend toughing out the run in your bike shorts and using the shorter T2 interval to relax, stretch, and drink more water.

Run
Depending on the club, your run portion will either happen on a treadmill or on an indoor track. The treadmill has a lot of advantages—you can punch in the level that will help you reach your goal pace/mileage and just hang on. The indoor track is another matter. The club track will probably be a rubberized surface with steeply banked turns, where 10 or 11 laps will equal a mile. (After my single indoor track experience, I had some shin-splint-type pain, which never happens to me normally. It may have been the banked turns or the fact that I normally run on asphalt/concrete.) The Multiplex Clubs also have a rule against consuming fluids on their tracks, so you will have to hop off the track to have a drink if you need one. You can put a water bottle at some easy hop-off point or just ask a volunteer to meet you with water on the next lap.

That’s it, you’re done! Be sure to thank the volunteers!
Results are usually published within two days of the race. Awards are handed out to the top three overall winners and also to each age group winner. With the small fields in these events, everyone places well!