Tips for your first triathlon by Dani Molina

21 June, 2016Updated on June 23, 2021

3 reading minutes

Table of Contents

If you are going to debut this year in triathlon, I always tell my students the same thing, the best advice I can give you is to enjoy your first triathlon, then, in the next ones there will be time to suffer and improve.

Dani Molina It is a clear example of improvement. After losing a large part of his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1997 that forced him to undergo surgery up to 14 times, Dani began in the world of swimming, achieving several national titles (including 12 times champion of Spain) and international, highlighting his participation in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he was a semi-finalist in 100 meters backstroke. Months later, he made the leap to other disciplines, including Alpine Skiing, Windsurfing or Water Skiing.

3 tips when it comes to swimming training for your first triathlon.

If you come from swimming as it happened to me, it will be an easy segment to train, you will not need to make too many changes in your daily workouts. If not, do not get overwhelmed and start little by little, swimming is one of the three, the most technical and difficult to train, we are in a medium that is not ours and it will cost us at first to feel comfortable.

It starts with short series alternating with some technical exercises, I always say that it is better not well done that much badly done. You will not improve just by doing many meters in the pool. There is a great variety of technique exercises that will make you improve, start with the simplest ones and then go putting some more complicated.

It is very important the orientation and know how to breathe towards both sides. Practice orientation exercises by breathing forward, do each 4-6 stroke, it is important to know how to orientate yourself if you do not want to swim too much. Do series by breathing each 3-5-7 arm strokes, at first it will cost you a little to hold each 5 or 7 arm strokes, but little by little you will get used to it. It is good to know how to breathe towards both sides, in swamps and lakes it is not so important, but in the sea depending on where the waves come from we will need to breathe one way or the other.

Dani Molina Triathlon Tips

3 pre-competition tips (material, nerves, how to pull)

After many months comes the day of the competition, I'm sure you will have thousands of doubts, negative thoughts like I'm not prepared, I'll be overwhelmed in the water, they'll give me a lot of blows, etc ... Maybe all that will happen to you, even the most experts has happened on occasion, to me for example hehehe. My advice is to trust in the work you've done throughout the preseason and as I said before try to enjoy.

Do not get overwhelmed at the exit, find your place in the water and try to find a group in which you are comfortable. If you have never swum out of a pool, it will be normal if you feel a bit overwhelmed, but be calm, relax and try to enjoy it, it's just water !!!

Do not release material ever in a test, take it tried everything from home. If you're going to get out of your head, check that the glasses do not fall off when you throw them away and if you do not trust you, throw yourself in the head, throw yourself into the water as it is easier for you and swim!

If you swim with neoprene, try to try it in one of the training sessions. When you get out of the water, put on your glasses, put them on your head, lower the neoprene zipper and remove the top part to get to the transition with the neoprene at waist height, all without removing your glasses and hat. , remember not to take off your hat and glasses because you will not have hands to take off your neoprene.

3 tips for the water segment.

Visualize the location of the buoys and look for orientation points, if you can heat in the perfect water, it is always good to see it from the water.

If you are a good swimmer, leave the first meters strong, especially to remove people from the middle and swim more comfortable, if you are one of those who do not do well swimming back behind calmly, that will make you swim more comfortable. Avoid the groups and avoid giving you a few hits and if you can find some good feet, they will help you swim faster, yes, try to give some relief, you have to be supportive hehehe

When you are finishing the swim segment, the last few meters activate your legs, kick in, that will make you feel better and you can run without problems towards the transition.