I finally finished putting away all the stuff that was out drying from last weekend’s triathlon. No, it didn’t take that long to dry. I was just that lazy. And if you’re wondering, stuffing your shoes with newspaper and replacing it every few hours really does draw out the water quickly. (And the smell. My poor bike shoes. I do not understand why they smell like they do, but they are horrifying.)
I’m a chronic over-packer, and that can become problematic with triathlon. You only have so much space at your transition point, and you don’t want to 1) take up too much space or 2) have so much stuff that you can’t find what you need. But part of the reason I’m an over-packer is because I’m always worried I will forget something.
So I made a list.
This is my overall “I need these for a triathlon trip” list. It doesn’t include things like pajamas and toiletries and such. Those I can remember on my own. And this is also an all-encompassing list. Not all of the races I do have a practice swim, so that category can often just be dropped. Some of the stuff doesn’t come to every race. The wetsuit and earplugs are only for cold water races. If the water is warm enough to not wear a wetsuit, I don’t need the earplugs either.
There is a lot of stuff on this list. One key is that I don’t keep it all at transition. What I like to do is put out the necessities at transition, then drop my bag back in my car or at my team tent. If that isn’t an option, then I pair down the items. Just about everything in the “other” category doesn’t need to be at transition, and my bike pump is never left at transition. That just takes up too much space. Same with the post-race gear.
One weird thing that I do keep at transition is a little makeup bag. Inside, I have a spare pair of contacts. I’ve never needed them during a race, but once during a practice swim, I managed to lose a contact, and my vision is so terrible that it would be unsafe for me to ride a bike without my contacts. So it’s my “just in case” item. It doesn’t take up much room.
One other slightly unusual thing I have is a spare bottle of water and a small towel to clean off my feet. I don’t always need it, but depending on how sandy or muddy the run to transition is, it’s nice to be able to clean off my feet before putting on my socks. Some people would say this takes too much time. I think those people have never tried to bike with a sock full of sand.
Oh, and what’s the headlamp for? For setting up transition before the sun comes up if transition isn’t well lit. Not always necessary, but it lives in a pocket of my backpack just in case I need it.
I’m well aware that in about a year, I’m going to look back on this list and think “Man, that is way too much crap.” But I’m also the girl who always has a spare bike helmet in my car, just in case someone needs one.