Triathlon Glossary

The following terms are often heard in the triathlon circles but may be "Greek" to the novice triathlete.  We have composed an index of commonly used phrases a person may come across when beginning the sport and provide a short explanation for each.  If there are additional terms or phrases that you have come across but need more explanation, please send them to Randy at wrburgess@triathlete.com.

Resources:
Burke, Edmund R. Precision Heart Rate Training. Human Kinetics. 1998
Mora, John. Triathlon 101. Human Kinetics. 1999

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N

O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A  (Index)

Aero Bars Cycling Short for Aerodynamic Handlebar.  This device allows cyclists to ride in a fashion that reduces air drag which saves both time and energy.


B  (Index)

Brick All Sports A technique that combines two or more of the triathlon events (run, bike or swim) in one complete training session.  Bricks most often refer to Bike/Run workouts.

C  (Index)

Carb Gel All Sports A sports supplement composed primarily of carbohydrates.  Gels are typically stored in small, manageable packets.  A Gel is essentially a sports drink in concentrated form that can be consumed during competition.

D  (Index)

Drafting Cycling &
Swimming		 A technique that involves riding or swimming closely behind a competitor or teammate which reduces wind drag and water resistance.  Drafting is often not allowed in cycling stages but often is allowed during swimming stages.

E  (Index)

Energy Bar All Sports A solid-form sports supplement composed primarily of carbohydrates and protein.  Energy Bars are produced in several styles, flavors, and consistencies.  Bars are typically consumed prior to activity or during resting periods.

F  (Index)

Fartlek Running Swedish for "speedplay."  A medium-distance run that has short-distance speed bursts dispersed throughout the workout.
Front
Crawl		 Swimming The most commonly used swim technique.  The front crawl involves using arms to aid in steering and propulsion in an arm-over-arm motion while using the feet and legs in a "flutter kick" motion.  This technique is also known as the "front crawl" or "freestyle."

H  (Index)

Half
Ironman		 All Sports A long distance triathlon that involves a 1.2 Mile Swim, 56 Mile Bike Ride, and a 13.1 Mile Run.
Hawaii
Ironman		 All Sports Generally considered the premiere triathlon event in the world.  Held on an annual basis, the "Hawaii" takes place on the island of Kona.  Athletes must qualify for Hawaii by competing in other sanctioned events. http://vnews.ironmanlive.com/
H.R.M. All Sports Acronym for Heart Rate Monitoring.  Measured in Beats Per Minute, HRM allows athletes to measure their body's response to the moment-to-moment changes in physical activity.  The use of HRM is frequently credited with making workouts more efficient and effective.

I  (Index)

Indoor
Triathlon		 All Sports A triathlon event usually conducted during the Winter in cold-weather locales (like Chicago).  The swim stage is conducted in a lap pool, the bike stage is conducted on stationary bicycles, and the running stage is conducted on treadmills.  Due to limited space, races are often conducted in small groups at various times during the same day.
International All Sports See Olympic
Interval
Training		 All Sports A training technique that utilizes multiple, short, moderate to high-intensity bursts of effort over a short distance.  Interval training is usually used to improve speed.
Ironman (full) All Sports A full distance triathlon that involves a 2.4 Mile Swim, 112 Mile Bike Ride, and a 26.2 Mile Run.

M  (Index)

Masters
Swimming		 Swimming A swimming program for people of all ages (but mostly adult) that involves swimming instruction, training, and competition.  Several Masters programs exist in the Chicagoland area for athletes at all swimming skill levels. http://www.usms.org/
Mrs. T's All Sports Another name for the annual Chicago Triathlon.  The Mrs. T's Pierogies Company sponsored the Chicago Triathlon for almost ten years prior to 2003.  Therefore, many experienced triathletes still refer to the city's main event as the "Mrs. T's."

O  (Index)
Olympic All Sports A middle distance triathlon that involves a 1.5K Swim, 40K Bike Ride, and a 10K Run.  Fittingly, this event is the standard for international competitions and the Olympics.
Ozone
Zone		 All Sports The effect of heat on air quality near high-auto traffic areas (such as Lakeshore Drive).  Ozone levels tend to increase after dawn (rush hour), peak around noon (heat) and taper after late afternoon (rush hour).  Pollution at this level can be compared to smoking in some locales.

P  (Index)
Periodization All Sports A long-term training plan that involves Initiation, Base, Speed & Technique, Race Simulation, Peaking Phases.  Each phase builds upon the other up to the competition date.  Several variations of the periodization plan exist and can be customized for each athlete.

S  (Index)
Splits All Sports A measure of time for a certain distance or stage of an event.  In training, a split usually refers to the time it takes to run a mile and in competition refers to the leg of swim, bike, run or transitions.
Sprint All Sports A short distance triathlon that involves (approximately) a .75K Swim, 22K Bike Ride, and a 5K Run.  All triathlons under the International, or Olympic, distances are considered sprints.  Almost 50% of Triathlons fit this category.

T  (Index)
Total
Immersion		 All Sports Total Immersion is a private company that conducts seminars, offers videos, and publishes books based on the swimming techniques promoted by Terry Laughlin.  http://www.totalimmersion.net
Training Log All Sports A journal used by triathletes to record workouts, intensity, HRM, fatigue, and training notes.  Using a training log is a good way to track the effectiveness of training techniques and to monitor progress over the long-term.
Transition All Sports The period of time a triathlete spends between the swim-bike-run legs of a competition.  "T1" refers to the swim-bike transition and "T2" refers to the bike-run transition.
Triathlon All Sports Also know as "Multisport", the triathlon is a three-tier competition with Swim, Bike, and Run segments.  The USAT is the United States governing body of multisport events. http://www.usatriathlon.org/
Triathlon Relay All Sports A team event that involves three athletes per team each participating in one of the swim, bike, or run stages.

U  (Index)

U.S.A.T. All Sports Acronym for the United States of America Triathlon association.  The USAT is the official governing body of triathlon sports.  http://www.usatriathlon.org/

W  (Index)

Wetsuit Swimming The wetsuit is a piece of gear/clothing that provides buoyancy, warmth, and speed benefits for the swim event.