Thriving in Triathlon on a Budget

TDP 374 - Thriving in Triathlon on a Budget

Andrew: Welcome to the TriDot Podcast. Today I have two coaches joining me to tackle the topic of thriving in triathlon on a budget. It can be an expensive sport, and we're here to show you, hopefully, that you can have success as a triathlete without spending so much money. You've got to spend a little, sorry. Our first coach is Elizabeth James. She is a professional triathlete and has been coaching runners and triathletes for over a decade. Also with us is Dan Kaske. Dan is a medical professional, tech-loving triathlon coach, and full-time encourager of finish line dreams. Dan, EJay, are we ready to possibly inspire some shopping lists today?

Dan: Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth: A hundred percent. Thanks for having me back. I don't think that in all the years Dan and I have worked together, we've been on a podcast together yet.

Dan: Right?

Andrew: Really?

Elizabeth: I was thinking about that. This is going to be so much fun. The shopping list might grow a little during the episode, but mostly we're going to help people save some money.

Dan: That's right. We've got TriDot math. You've heard of girl math. Welcome to triathlon math. We're going to help people save some money so they can do some more racing.

Andrew: I'm a big fan of girl dinner, which I think is the food version of girl math. I'm Andrew, the average triathlete, captain of the middle of the pack. As always, we'll start with our warm-up question, settle into our main set conversation, and then ask Coach EJay and Coach Dan an audience question on the cooldown. Lots of good stuff. Let's get to it.

Andrew: Coach EJay, Coach Dan, since we're talking about triathlon on a budget, here's the warm-up question. What is the biggest deal or discount you've gotten on a triathlon-related purchase? One qualification: working for TriDot, being at races and trade shows, we get some freebies we wouldn't get otherwise. Put those aside. They don't count. In your normal day-to-day shopping as a triathlete, what's the biggest deal you've gotten? Coach Dan.

Dan: I do have a freebie. I won a raffle, but we'll leave that out. Always enter those triathlon raffles. I'm going to go with race wheels. Shout out to my coach, Jeff Rains. I wanted to buy a new bike, and he said, why don't we just rent race wheels and get you through this race? I committed to that. We'll talk about that strategy a little later. I rented them from a local shop. A couple of months later, they were selling the used wheels, and I was the only one who had ever used them. So I got a great set of Boyd carbon racing wheels, made right here in South Carolina, for a third of the price. I knew exactly how well I'd treated them. That was probably my best deal so far in triathlon.

Andrew: Race wheels can often cost between two and four thousand dollars a set, depending on weight and depth. Getting them for a fraction of that is a good savings. EJay, what do you have?

Elizabeth: I don't know that I saved as much as Dan, but my best deal is probably my Wahoo Kickr smart trainer. I got it through Facebook Marketplace from somebody here in Texas who preferred to ride outside. He'd used it maybe a handful of times a year. I paid about 150 bucks for it. I still have it and use it multiple times a week. Great condition. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Andrew: Those last a long time in the pain cave. You get one and you're set. Well done. Mine, monetary-wise, was my first full-sleeve wetsuit. I swim in a Sailfish now, which I got at a huge bargain from our friends at Sailfish. But before that I had a Zone3 Vanquish, their eight- or nine-hundred-dollar-level wetsuit, and I got it for about 175 to 200. There are a couple of online triathlon retailers, and one of them was going out of business and selling off its inventory. You check the website every so often: everything must go, fifty percent off. A month later, seventy percent off. A month later, ninety percent off. It happened right when I was shopping for my first full-sleeve wetsuit, and they had a nice one in my size, nine hundred dollars down to about two hundred. I raced my first couple of 70.3s in that before getting into the Sailfish. I wasn't looking to spend $900 on a wetsuit at that time in my life. We want to hear from you, our TriDot audience. If you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, comment right there. Otherwise I'll throw this question out in the I Am TriDot Facebook group. Of all your triathlon shopping, what's the biggest deal you've gotten on a tri-specific item?

Andrew: Into our main set, where Coach EJay and Coach Dan will talk about how to thrive in this somewhat crazy expensive sport if you're an athlete on a budget. I want to start here. If an athlete is on a budget and wants to be competitive, is that even possible? Or does the budget put them at a disadvantage compared to athletes who aren't on one? Or, to match the title of our episode, can an athlete actually thrive on a budget? Coach EJay.

Elizabeth: Absolutely. I love this question, and I'm glad we started with it. Fitness doesn't have a price tag. The engine is the most important part. Consistent training, good pacing, and smart recovery cost nothing, and they will beat the most expensive gear almost every time. A budget athlete who shows up consistently is going to outperform somebody with a fancy setup who trains randomly. Gear can help at the margins. I'd say it's the last couple of percentage points, not the foundation. You can absolutely thrive if you build a great foundation and train consistently, and then look at gear for those last couple of percent.

Andrew: I do the right training right with TriDot, and at this point I have a nice bike and some nice equipment. I still have athletes go by me on the bike course with a way lesser setup. They're just more gifted, stronger athletes. Nothing personal. They're thriving on something less expensive than what I've got. Dan, what do you think?

Dan: I agree with EJay that it's possible, and fitness takes care of a lot. People enter the sport for different reasons. Some are trying to get to a finish line because they need it for some reason. For others it's part of their fitness journey, and I think that matters. But I'll give you the old Parkinson's law: things expand into the space we give them. The report that's due in two weeks somehow takes two weeks to finish. If you have two hundred bucks a month to spend, somehow you spend two hundred bucks a month. If we put a budget on it, we can plan it. Just like we plan how much time we have to train and race, we plan our finances. You plan for training, race entries, travel, gear, and nutrition. For the competitive side, this is where the fun part comes in. I tell my athletes: instead of buying the new gear first, earn it. Earn it from yourself. "I'm going to drop my 5K time to X, and then I get that new pair of shoes." "I'm going to finish this century ride and crank my FTP up, and then I'll buy the new bike." "I'll finish this 70.3, and then I'll buy the new gear for the next one." That fun tension between budget and motivation can be a good time. My goal is for people to have fun and race more, for longer.

Andrew: As you work with your athletes, how much does equipment versus budget come up? Do your athletes just have what they have, or do you discuss improving their infrastructure, so to speak? EJay.

Elizabeth: It comes up quite a bit, but I try to keep it in perspective. When I start working with an athlete, we start with what they have. We evaluate what's working and what's holding them back. For example, if someone getting started on the bike has a saddle that's causing a whole lot of pain, we prioritize that. We look at bike fit and at swapping saddles. If they're starting to swim and their goggles leak every time, and they're taking extra rest at the wall, we invest in new goggles. If they want to shave 40 seconds off their race with fancy new race wheels, maybe that can wait. My discussion with them is this. If the gear will make you more consistent, more comfortable, or safer as you train, then it moves up the priority list. If it won't do any of those, we might wait and ask whether it fits the budget and the priorities for the season.

Dan: As a tech nerd and data fan who's always testing new equipment, it comes up a lot. In fact, a lot of my athletes come to me because of how I integrate with technology and the gadgets they use. So I always talk about gains versus cost. Will this help us get to the next level, as EJay said? Is it a want or a need? Will it truly improve performance, or do we just want something new and fancy? Sometimes maybe we get a sticker instead. I agree with the statement that the best bike to do a triathlon on is the one you have. But safety is a big thing, especially for outdoor riding. I'll talk about that when we get to bike gear. An example is an indoor trainer. It can keep an athlete off the roads if they only have early morning time or if the weather is bad. If an athlete can spend five hundred to a thousand dollars on a trainer, which is a chunk, and then consistently execute controlled bike sessions three days a week when the gym's closed or the weather's bad, that pays off fast.

Andrew: Making investments in your ease of training is worth it. There are three sports, plus strength equipment, nutrition, and recovery. There's all sorts of stuff you can buy in this sport. What are the big purchases for a triathlete, and are there ways for the big purchases not to carry a big price tag? Dan.

Dan: The bike tends to be the longest session, so it takes the most of your budget. I prioritize training items over racing items. As I said, I did the race wheel rental thing when I first got started on an old bike, and I still have those wheels today. Clip-on aero bars are another first-move adjustment before you make the big jump. I prioritize something I can use every day over a racing-only item. An indoor trainer, or maybe a portable Zen8 bench, so you can take your bands with you if you're away from a pool. The cool thing about this hobby is that a lot of people are doing it with disposable income, and they're having a great time. They're going to be in your local clubs and your local pools, and you need to be friends with them, because they're going to upgrade. They may loan gear to you or give it to you. They'll come in and out of the sport. When the new bike comes out, say, "Hey, man, check out this new bike. Your old one would look a lot nicer with me riding it." Maybe they'll have a used bike they can sell you at a good price.

Andrew: I love that mindset, Dan. I've done the same. If a friend wants to dip a toe into the sport, I'm sitting on a spare this and a spare that, something I used two years ago that's in the closet. I've gifted stuff or sold it to friends and family at deep discounts. Make some triathlon friends. EJay, same question. What are the big purchases, and what are your strategies for getting them cheaper?

Elizabeth: First, I want to touch on what you both said. I feel so blessed to be part of a community that wants to see other people get into this sport and succeed. I borrowed a thermal wetsuit for the 70.3 in March. The water temp looked really cold. I have a great wetsuit, but not a thermal one, and I struggle in cold temperatures. I'm not going to drop a thousand bucks on a thermal wetsuit, because I don't like doing cold-water races and don't want to do more of them. So I borrowed one. I also borrowed my disc wheel for both 70.3s I did this year. I'm still borrowing gear a decade-plus into the sport, as a coach and a pro. It's not just for beginners. You can borrow and rent things at any performance level. So thank you to everybody in the community for being willing to help another athlete out. The big purchases are usually the bike, the wheels, the wetsuit, a smart trainer or power meter (maybe both), and your watch. The good news is that a lot of those big-ticket items have a cheaper path. You can borrow. You can rent, as Dan did with race wheels. Oftentimes you can rent a wetsuit from triathlon companies or stores. And you can look on Facebook Marketplace, like I did for my trainer, for people offloading gear they've upgraded past. The big purchases don't have to break the bank.

Dan: One more thing, especially with a smartwatch. They're a huge purchase, but they have longevity. Some people get HSA money at work, so look at what your healthcare plan allows. You may be able to use pre-tax money for fitness trackers, and that's like a thirty or forty percent discount. You can't use it for race entries. Trust me, I've tried. It's very therapeutic, though, so I recommend having your doctor write the prescription. Maybe the HSA also pays for a gym membership. You'll use a watch and a health tracker every day, so that's another way to save.

Andrew: That was a good tip from Dan on saving on a smartwatch, which is a very important training and racing tool. Let's go swim, bike, run and break down tips in each sport. What are some key ways an athlete can save money on swim gear? EJay.

Elizabeth: Swim is probably one of the more affordable areas compared to the bike or the run. My advice is to spend a little in the right places. A good-fitting pair of goggles matters a whole lot more than the brand. Everybody's face is shaped a little differently, so find something that works for you. Basic suits and end-of-season sales are a great way to cover the gear you wear daily. There are almost always Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday sales. I'll buy two or three swimsuits and I'm set for the season. Also check what's already available at the pool where you swim. I started at a facility where I didn't have to buy any swim gear. They had fins, kickboards, and pull buoys, and fantastic paddles in a bunch of sizes. All I had to do was show up with my suit and goggles and work on drills. I'd maybe say get your own snorkel. That's not something I'd recommend picking up from the community bin.

Andrew: Unless you want to make out with the other people at the pool.

Elizabeth: Right, exactly.

Dan: It's chlorine. It washes out.

Andrew: Chlorine.

Dan: I definitely think your pool may already have it. Check the lost and found. Around here we have a lot of masters groups swimming all the time, and lifelong swimmers have more kickboards than you'd ever imagine. They can give you one, loan you one, or sell you one cheap. On our community group here we also have a tri club swap page where people post used stuff. Look for demos, and look for sales.

Andrew: Great stuff. One thing I'll add, on all the little pool toys: pull buoy, fins, kickboards, snorkel, maybe buoyancy shorts. When you look at websites for swim training aids, a lot of those items are twenty to fifty bucks. To buy a pool bag and fill it with the common five, six, or seven swim toys is a few hundred bucks in one sitting. I used Christmas for that for a couple of years. I put those items on my Christmas list, and this uncle gets me this and that sister gets me that. In two or three Christmases I filled my pool bag with training aids and didn't buy any of it. Over time you learn which toys you actually use. Now I don't use a lot of them. That's an Andrew Harley trick, and it applies across all three sports for those thirty-to-seventy-dollar items. Get your loved ones to buy them for you. On to the bike. A lot of the big-ticket items are bike-related, unfortunately. What are the tricks for saving money on the bike side? Dan.

Dan: Start with what you have, but let people know you're looking. Someone might say, "I raced Ironmans years ago and I don't anymore, and I have this Felt IA sitting here in great shape." I'm a community guy. I like to be around people, and our community is awesome. People are trading, selling, and moving stuff around like nobody's business.

Andrew: Sounds like a black market, or a gray market.

Dan: Get in there. It's definitely cheaper than a kidney.

Andrew: I know a guy.

Dan: When you say you're looking, you'll get DMs from people saying, "I've got this," and it wasn't on Marketplace to begin with. So let your family and friends know you're looking. I love the Christmas wish list. If people want to send me money in a card, I'm like, that's great. I had an athlete who used birthday money to buy Pool School. It took birthday and Christmas to save up, and I thought it was a great investment, definitely worth it long term. We'll probably talk about that in the training section. Also check the bulletin boards at your local shop. If your bike shop owner doesn't know your name when you walk in, you're probably not showing up enough. I'm a big fan of local, because mechanics know who's upgrading and who's selling. If there's no swap page, look for one. I mentioned demo wheels and used wheels. Cycling events too. We have a lot of century rides around here, in the beautiful Charleston low country, and they set up with discounts and demos. And Dave Ramsey says to ask for a deal. If you see something you want, ask. It doesn't hurt.

Andrew: EJay.

Elizabeth: Dan mentioned some great things. One thing I'd add is to be willing to spend money on a bike fit before you upgrade or make an initial purchase. When athletes ask how to save money on bike gear, I say we first need to understand what's going to fit you well. If you're looking at a used bike from the shop or Facebook Marketplace, you don't know whether it's going to work for you. It's perfectly reasonable, and one of the best ideas, to get a bike fit and learn at least your stack and reach numbers, so you can compare them to the deals out there. A proper fit can make an older, cheaper bike feel brand new. That's a much more effective use of money than a super expensive bike that doesn't fit, that you're not comfortable in, and that you can't hold an aero position on. So spend money on things that make you comfortable and safe, like the bike fit. And I'm a big proponent of a very nice helmet, from the safety perspective. I'm probably talking more about where to spend than where to save, but maybe that's a different way to look at it.

Andrew: It's still helpful. You have to buy everything: a helmet, pedals, bike shoes. Where do you need the best of the best and where can you save? I'll come back to that. What I did with the bike, and you two probably did too, was start with entry-level stuff. An entry-level road bike. Clip-on aero bars, Dan, like you mentioned earlier. A cheap little nutrition bag on the top tube to hold my gels. A good helmet from a good brand, the entry-level, solid, safe Specialized helmet, not a $400 aero helmet. When you're spending a lot of money getting into the sport, you start with the budget stuff, and over time you upgrade as you catch nice things on sale, or being resold in a size that fits you. You don't have to buy everything brand new at the premium price. The first clipless pedals I bought were about $70, the entry-level Look pedal. Eventually somebody gave me a nicer version that retailed for $200. So that's how I made bike stuff more affordable. Before long you look up and you have some pretty nice stuff, and you didn't spend ten K to get your bike dialed in at a premium from day one.

Elizabeth: One last thing, Andrew. As a bike owner, you should have some basic maintenance skills. It's not only about taking care of your bike. If you know how to clean and lube your drivetrain, clean your bike, fix a flat, or add sealant to your tires, you're not going to the bike shop every time. You're not shelling out a hundred dollars here and there for little fixes you could do on your own. It's worth understanding how your bike works and doing some basic maintenance at home.

Andrew: EJay, what are the best ways to save money on run gear?

Elizabeth: Like the bike, I'm going to start with where you should spend the money. Spend it on shoes. Don't be too cheap on shoes. I had one athlete training for a 70.3 who was buying $15 shoes from Walmart and wondering why their feet hurt. I promise I'm not knocking Walmart shoes. That is not the place to be cheap. Shoes are the most important piece of run gear. You can save a little by buying last year's version when a new model comes out. That's usually what I do. I've worn the same shoe for 15 years, and as soon as they bring out the next version, I think, awesome, I can save at least $40 on the previous one before it's out of my size. There's very little difference between versions, and if you find one that works, stick with it. Then for everything else, like shorts, tops, and socks, basic and affordable gear works great. You can save the shoe budget by going affordable there. But please take care of your feet. It sets you up for avoiding injury to have shoes that fit well and are designed for training.

Dan: A hundred percent, EJay, super important. The running community is huge too. Our local shoe store hosts pub runs and club runs, and the manufacturers come in and do demos. Then there's a stack in the corner for sale at forty percent off. If a couple of other people's feet have been in them, throw some chlorine in there, I guess. Demos are great. Last year's model is great. By the time I get comfortable with the upgrade, they've changed something I didn't need changed. Sometimes I wish I could buy two pairs because it's in the right color. Track your shoes, too. If you're analytical, you can log which shoe you trained in with my Stryd pods and keep track of how many miles are on each. Having a couple of pairs spreads the wear and tear across weeks and months. Our running store, Fleet Feet, has a loyalty program, so you earn birthday dollars and things like that. That's how I typically buy shoes. We buy everybody's shoes in the family there, and I keep the rewards for myself. That helps me stay ahead of the injuries that come from old shoes. They really slow down recovery when you start getting plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendon trouble.

Andrew: If it weren't for needing to replace run shoes so often, running would be the cheapest of the three sports. In the other sports there are a couple of major purchases, especially the bike. Even a good wetsuit is expensive. But a good pair of run shoes these days is 120, 150, 180 bucks, and you have to keep rebuying them because they have a shelf life. Here's something that isn't exactly a money-saver, but it helps you find the right item, because you can waste money buying shoes, running in them, and finding you don't gel with them. I'll order four or five pairs of run shoes at the same time on my credit card from Running Warehouse or Fleet Feet. I did this literally this week with run shirts. I looked in the closet and thought, I need a couple of good running shirts. I ordered about 12 different ones, all in my size, from RunningWarehouse.com. They came in and I tried them on. These are too big, those are too small, these fit funny, I don't like this material, I like that material. One shirt I really liked, the fit and the fabric. I'm keeping that one and sending the other 11 back, and I'm buying three more of the one I liked. I did it on a credit card, so by the time the return hits the card, I haven't even paid the statement. You can do that with five running shoes, or with three bike saddles from a bike retailer. Sit your butt on all of them, don't take the tags off, return what you don't want, and find the right item without spending a ton of money. Something that isn't swim, bike, or run but is a big money category over time is nutrition. Our workouts are often an hour or longer, and you need fuel before, protein after, electrolytes during. It can be hundreds and hundreds of dollars a year to fuel your workouts properly. What money-saving tips do you have for nutrition? Coach Dan.

Dan: Start with your basic needs. Real food works. Start there, then refine to sports-specific products. Buy in bulk once you find the one you want, and join a loyalty program for discounts. I often tell my athletes to stay ahead of it so you don't run out, especially at race prep time. I'd even say experiment with your mixes until you figure things out. In the beginning of my journey I liked a little more of this than that until I found the right product for me. In fact, EJay can tell stories about making her own gels. I heard her talk about it on a podcast and messaged her, and she sent me this gel recipe. My family helped me make these little gummy gels. We added some cornstarch and all kinds of fun stuff. It was a mess. I don't know if we saved any money, but we made some memories. You can make your own nutrition for sure. If we're talking sodium, potassium, and sugar, that's doable. You can mix those in, especially once your sweat test is in and you know what works for you. Some people do better with more potassium or magnesium, and some need caffeine. Mixing is a fun thing. It's not as easy to carry around real food, but maybe you set your loops up so you come by the house, or stick some bananas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bagels in a lunch box on the front of your bike. I've seen all kinds of stuff. Start with real food, customize it for what you want, and buy in bulk.

Elizabeth:Dan, that brings back some good memories of making those gels.

Andrew: Do you still do that, Elizabeth?

Elizabeth: I don't do it anymore, and we'll talk about why. That's some good memories right there. For nutrition, find what works for you, and then look for opportunities to buy in bulk or during sales events, like Dan said. Right now various nutrition companies let you buy sample sizes, one or two gels instead of the entire box or a huge tub. Use that to figure out whether you like the taste and the consistency, and whether it sits well in your stomach during harder intervals. That way you don't end up with a pile of things you tried once and that sit on the shelf because you really don't like the taste. Nutrition companies have done a nice job over the past couple of years of encouraging people to try products without a big commitment. I encourage my athletes to do that, especially when we're further from racing. Now is the time to experiment. See what works on your threshold intervals or your long Saturday ride. Then dial it in as we get closer to race preparation. On making my own gels: it was cost-effective, but it was messy, as Dan alluded to, and a bit of a pain. It only had a shelf life of two days, because nothing in it preserved it. I'd have to take all my ingredients, the little gel packets, and my hair straightener, which is what I used to seal the gels.

Andrew: Absolutely not. I'm out.

Elizabeth: It was a whole arts-and-crafts experiment the day before the race. I'm sure the hotels I stayed in did not appreciate the mess and the smell. So I don't do it anymore. Honestly, it's a convenience thing now. I have products I love and I don't have to make them. But I absolutely shop the sales. That stuff can add up. I'll certainly be looking at those Black Friday deals very soon so I can stock up for the next couple of months.

Dan: This might be more of a tip than a budget item, but shop around. There are hundreds of mixes, and each is different for a reason. They're taking the same six ingredients and moving them around. Everyone's gut, metabolism, and sweat rate is different. So work with a coach to learn your sweat rate, your sodium need, and your carb burn, and then decide how you want to get those into your body. That's the fourth discipline we talk about. How much water, nutrition, and sugar do I want at one moment, and by what method, solid or liquid? That's a fun topic for a whole podcast. But shop around for sure.

Andrew: Two things apply to all the categories we're talking about, any endurance sports item. They're a little obvious, but I'll say them. First, as Dan said, shop the sales. Once you land on the gel that gels with you, or the protein mix, or the bar, or the swim goggle, subscribe to that company's email list and watch for sales. Some companies do it more than others. At the time we're recording, Black Friday and Christmas shopping season are coming up, and a lot of those brands will give deep discounts pretty soon. Many also run regular holiday sales, 20 percent off here and 30 percent off there. Second, and this goes back to what you both said early in the main set, plug into the triathlon community. Very often that means triathlon clubs or race teams. I think of our friends at Zoot, who have Team Zoot. Here at TriDot we have TriDot ambassadors. When I first started racing, I lived in Dallas–Fort Worth, where Playtri is based. I did a lot of group training at the Playtri store, and as part of their training group I got store discounts, including a good deal on my first bike. If you plug into a triathlon club, a training group, a race team, or a local store you do group runs out of, there are often exclusive brand discounts extended to those teams. Team Zoot athletes get a big discount on Zoot apparel and wetsuits, and TriDot ambassadors have relationships with brands for discounts. Across companies selling bike, swim, run, and nutrition stuff, you can often get pretty good discounts by being in the right community. Next I want to talk about racing, which has gotten more and more expensive over time. My first couple of local sprints cost maybe forty or fifty bucks. Now local sprints are 90 to 150. An Ironman race these days is usually a little over a thousand US dollars. Races are getting expensive. It's probably getting more expensive to produce them, hence the price increases. But I don't want that to be a barrier to enjoying this sport. What tips do you have for saving money on getting your name on the start line? Dan.

Dan: You know me, I love to toe a start line. My first tip is to race local. Those are often the cheapest races, because you don't have to go anywhere, and maybe it's a smaller race. It's fun to toe the line with five thousand people at big events, but being with fifty people, where you know the guy on every corner who's volunteering, is amazing. I'm a big fan of volunteering. As a race director myself, we often give free race entries to those who volunteer. We have a couple of series here locally where if you volunteer at one race, you race free at the other. Some of the smaller, well-organized races are great. Here in South Carolina there's a sleeper event, Edisto 70.3. It's beautiful. We don't have an Ironman race in Charleston. We should. I'm working on it. But Edisto Beach has an event company that has done an amazing job. They run another 70.3 that has multiple distances in White Lake, and I think they have a pro race. EJay, I think you've raced that one as well.

Elizabeth: Yeah, I've done both of those. They're fantastic. I love them.

Dan: Fantastic race, cheap rate. They're still expensive, but they definitely don't carry the same brand-name price tag. So shop generic might be the word here. Shop local is the big tip.

Elizabeth: Dan, there are a couple of events in the Texas area with that same principle. If you volunteer for one of the events in the series, you get a free entry to the sprint or a discount on a longer-distance event. I think that's the best way to do it. It gets people involved in volunteering at other events and then showing up for others. It has encouraged me and a number of athletes I've worked with to volunteer. I've loved every volunteering experience, and I'd do it even if it didn't come with a race entry. It's a wonderful opportunity.

Andrew: One other thing I've seen is local race producers offering a season pass. In our area, I believe Playtri and Dallas Athletes Racing package five, six, or seven of their sprint and Olympic distances together, and for one price you can race all of them in a calendar year. In Florida, at Fort DeSoto State Park, I've done a couple of sprints there because my family lives in that area. A race company puts on three races every year, one in spring, one in summer, one in fall. If you sign up for all three, you're in for the whole series at a discounted price. Some local producers do that, and it helps.

Especially early in my triathlon career, I gave myself one big race a year, one half Ironman or one Clash family race or something that costs a little more. Escape from Alcatraz, something wild. Then my other two, three, or four races were more budget local events. That helped me. The expensive one is my A race, easy, done deal. The rest can be B and C races because they're local, a little cheaper, and for fun. Sometimes you get caught up feeling like you have to do these Ironman events and these four-thousand-person-field events. There's fantastic racing at the local level. You can also dabble in run racing and get your fix with a run-only event, and those are often a little cheaper. A couple more questions left in our main set. We started talking about this earlier and I'm bringing it back around. For all items and categories, which triathlon items are worth getting the best of the best your budget will allow, and which are "just get something and it's all fine"? EJay.

Elizabeth: When I talk with athletes, it's worth buying the best if it's going to be a difference-maker for you reaching your goals on race day, assuming it's still within the budget. Here's an example. I previously coached an athlete who was very petite and had a lot of trouble with cold-water swimming. I struggle with cold water too, but she really did. Her body would completely shut down. We concluded it was worth buying the top-of-the-line thermal wetsuit and the neoprene cap. Her race was cold enough that she was allowed to wear neoprene booties. That was the difference between finishing the swim portion or not. She needed that top-of-the-line gear to stay warm enough to perform at all. So we bought the top-of-the-line stuff, and it was the difference-maker. I put it in perspective like that: is this going to be a difference-maker for you on race day? We can talk about that in training too, but that's how I approach the conversation with my athletes.

Dan: I love that. For me the priority always starts with safety, thinking lifestyle. A good helmet. I'm not talking about an aero helmet necessarily. As a medical professional I've seen plenty of head injuries from crashes, and they're typically not the cyclist's fault. It has to be a modern helmet with MIPS to help with the impact. Your brain's important. You can rehab a quad or a hamstring, but we don't rehab brains so well. High-viz and good lights are also a big thing. A good light on your bike, and the Garmin radar has been a confidence point for me on open roads. Kit is important too. Discount chamois is maybe not where you want to end up with that problem. I've gotten some good kits off Amazon, but I definitely think you want a high-quality kit for body comfort.

Andrew: What I'd add is that word comfort. It's worth spending more on something comfortable. If you're getting budget shoes and your feet are hurting, spend the money for good shoes. If you're getting budget kit and you're chafing, that's no good. You need quality stuff you're not going to chafe in or get saddle sores in. If your elbows are killing you every time you try to hold aero, get some good cushions and cups. What's telling, and what I want to point out to listeners, is that between the three of us, none of us said you've got to have a high-end wetsuit or you're screwed, or the best bike pedals or you're done. There was no specific item that had to be great. It was: be safe, be comfortable, and, as EJay said, get the item you need to perform at all if you need something specific. Keep that in mind as you shop.

Conversely, are there items that aren't even necessary? Things that most people at a race might have, or that influencers training seem to have, that feel necessary because they're so common but aren't, and you can save money by skipping them? EJay.

Elizabeth: I've said this quote before, so I'll put it out there for our podcast audience. If you can't explain what problem it solves for you, not just "it would be nice," but a legitimate problem, then you probably don't need it yet. I'm not saying those things aren't nice to have. I have plenty of nice-to-have things. But if we're stripping it down for budget, and someone wants to do the sport without the pressure of spending more money, then if they can't explain the problem it solves, it can stay on the wish list.

Dan: I like that, EJay. I might even expand it: if it won't get you across the finish line, you don't need to upgrade. My big myth-buster is that the science of a wind tunnel is amazing, but most of us can't reach the speed at which it matters. First is the aero helmet. Get one that protects your brain, not one that makes you faster at twenty-five miles an hour, which you probably won't attain. The other one that drives me crazy is the oversized pulley wheel. Some of those are titanium, some three thousand bucks, for like forty seconds in an Ironman. Spend what you will. We're not going to get any sponsors out of this one, but that's my take.

Andrew: A lot of the bike componentry is a way to buy speed, we know that. If you're on a budget, you're not going to buy every watt that's possible, but you don't have to have those things to be competitive. If the engine is good. Last week on the podcast we did an episode with Coach Will Usher on thriving as a front-of-the-pack athlete, someone trying to podium, win races, and qualify. I asked him a similar question: for a front-of-the-packer, which purchases matter most? He said there are a lot of little things that save a watt here and two watts there, but the number one thing was a good front-end cockpit, because those can save twenty, thirty, forty, fifty watts depending on your position. Even on the elite end, he named one thing, not "you need every gadget under the sun." Personally, when I have friends getting into the sport, I advise them to buy the essentials: a helmet, pedals, a bike, run shoes, goggles. Once you have what Dan called the essentials to cross the finish line, I advise them to invest in things that help their training be better. That's a multisport watch, maybe a heart rate monitor, a Stryd foot pod if you really want to nerd out, but that's not necessary. Do that before the aero accessories that might make you this much faster on race day. Something that hasn't come up but can carry a price tag is training, and we'll end our main set on this. You can train yourself for free and see how it goes. I certainly reached quite a few finish lines before I found TriDot. But you can also invest in a training plan, a training subscription like TriDot, or a dedicated coach like Elizabeth and Dan. When it comes to budget, how should an athlete handle training depending on how much they can spend? EJay.

Elizabeth: I'm a big advocate of paying for training. Like you, Andrew, I reached a number of finish lines before I ever had a structured plan or worked with a coach. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had invested in training from the very beginning. Mic drop. Done.

Andrew: Same. End of podcast. Ditto.

Elizabeth: But it is so important. It doesn't have to be a large expense, but there is incredible value in having structure to your training. I'm still amazed at how many athletes are willing to pay for the most expensive bike or the latest carbon-plated running shoes, but won't spend a cent on training. They're so determined to save money on training so they can buy the expensive gear. That mindset needs to be flipped. If you're going to invest in something to make you better, it needs to be in yourself and the training you do. With any paid training, you're buying a few things, and different levels work for different people. You're buying structure, so you're not guessing every day. You might be buying accountability or feedback, depending on whether the plan comes with some coaching. Figure out which of those you need most. If you're self-motivated, structure might be enough. One of the things I love about TriDot is that we have different training subscriptions, because not everybody wants to work with a coach and not everybody has the budget for one. That's fine. You can still have a very structured, personalized training plan. If you need more accountability or like the feedback, working with a coach and budgeting for that might be appropriate. Even as a coach, I do my best when I have a coach. I want the accountability, I want the feedback, and I want somebody to talk through my training with me. So I will pay for training, and I will pay for coaching, and I will continue to borrow wetsuits and wheels in return.

Andrew: When I started, I viewed it as replacing my gym membership. At the time I had an LA Fitness membership at a pretty similar cost. I started at TriDot on the Essentials level, which at the time was thirty US dollars. Now it's close to that, but a little different. Triathlon was my main way to stay fit, and most of what I do in the gym I can replicate at home. So I canceled the gym membership, started training with TriDot, and never looked back. As EJay said, there are four price points to hopefully fit different budgets. Now I'm on the ninety-nine dollar Complete level, which works well for me, and I like the benefits of that versus the tier I started at. That's how I got it into my budget. Once I saw the value, my gosh, it was making my training and racing so much better. I worked my way up to paying a little more for more features. It's very telling to me how many of our coaches pay for a coach. Almost every coach on the podcast has a TriDot coach, just to have a neutral third party analyzing their training. Dan, same question. You have a TriDot coach, Jeff Raines.

Dan: Absolutely, Coach Jeff Raines. I'd say priority is where the decision comes in, thinking of different lifestyles. Is this a season for fun? A season to just finish a race? I'm counting mailboxes in my PRs right now, how far I can walk. Is it a season to get to a finish line, or a season of PRs? For a lot of my people it's about lifestyle. Getting to the point where they can do this and have fun so they keep doing it is an investment in you. So invest in injury prevention. That's a reason to pay for some training. Maybe you go to a training camp, a physical therapy session, or a movement session. Pool School, right? We're saving, what, 13 or 14 percent in swim time for the people who show up? That's money well spent, an investment that sticks. Maybe you go to a bike handling training camp. At one of our camps we did a bike skills session. One of the athletes was racing an Ironman the very next week, and she said it saved her life, because we did braking, and a car showed up on the course. It got her across the finish line and kept her safe. Invest in those training upgrades. I also have athletes come to me and say, "I've got an Ironman out there, I'm 20 weeks out." We work together for the first two or three months on the premium level, setting the plan and dialing in their goal. Like Elizabeth said, they have structure and accountability. I do a little group thing, maybe. They get feedback from TriDot now with the AI agent. They can ask it good questions. They can still email me, because they're subscription athletes. Then two or three months before racing, or a month before, they have prep questions and we talk through them. Let's deal with anxiety, and the things that aren't just swim, bike, run, the things you need a coach for. Then we come back to that premium level. You don't have to be on premium a hundred percent of the time, which is another way to move those budget dollars around.

Andrew, unlike you guys, I didn't cross a finish line without a coach. I'm an adult-onset triathlete, and an adult-onset swimmer at that. I had a ton of questions and needed to know where to start, so I jumped in. There are also free training programs. Your local races will probably coach you through. I'm going to plug local races all day long. I'm a big fan of the She Tries program and Try It for Life. Our friends at Clash do a zero-to-tri program that's actually free. If you want to cross your first finish line at Daytona, you sign up and an Olympian will swim, bike, and run next to you and encourage you on your first. How cool would that be? Look for those opportunities for free training, and be part of a training group. If you're putting the budget together, it's worth the investment.

Andrew: On to the cooldown, where we ask our coaches a question from the audience. With the theme of today, I picked a gear question. It comes from Jimmy from Michigan. He says: "Early into my triathlon journey, I always had one pair of goggles I bought from a local sporting goods store. I was perusing the websites of some popular tri goggle brands, and there are so many lens tint options. The websites suggest I could need or benefit from multiple pairs to optimize which ones I wear based on the conditions of the day. Is this an actual need, or does lens selection make a big deal on race day?" Dan, what do you think?

Dan: You're talking to the tech nerd here. I've been a huge fan of the tech goggles since they came out. I'll start by saying I get lost in open water and can't swim straight, so for me, having the Form goggles with the compass keeps me on track. That's worth it to me. Tint doesn't affect me. I wear glasses, but I don't wear them when I swim. So I'm a single-lens guy. I've got a twelve-dollar pair off Amazon that I use when I'm not using my Form goggles. I do have different ones on my birthday wish list, as Andrew mentioned earlier. I always keep an extra pair of goggles in my tri bag on race day, so you have two or three available. Maybe EJay knows more about tint. For me, the tech goggles are the move and the requirement for my swim bag.

Andrew: For listeners who don't know, Form swim goggles are compatible with TriDot. You can push your TriDot workout to the goggles and do your workout in the pool, seeing the data right there on the lens.

Dan: In your eyeball.

Andrew: Pretty cool stuff. We're good friends with the team at Form, and it's a good product for folks who want that tech in their eye in the pool. I really like Jimmy's question, because I had a similar moment when I started. I distinctly remember being on Roka's website. They have eight different tints, and they say these two are really good in fog and these three are really good in direct sunlight. I thought, my God, what do I buy? The goggle I really gel with is by Arena, a big swim brand. Their tri goggles have just a couple of tints. I find I'm usually okay with one slightly darker tint for those bright full-sun days and one lighter one for foggy or dark conditions. I keep one of each ready for race day and I don't sweat it past that. Coach EJay, anything to add?

Elizabeth: A lot of this comes down to personal preference. One of the most interesting things I've found in talking with athletes is how sensitive some people's eyes are. It's the same with sunglasses. I need sunglasses when I go outside for a walk. My husband does not. I'm like, my gosh, it's so bright, it hurts my eyes, and he's like, you're being a baby about it. If I'm swimming into the sunrise on a sunny day, I absolutely need a tinted pair, because it physically hurts and gives me a headache. Athletes sensitive to bright light often feel better in a tinted or darker lens. But I'm not going to wear a super dark lens in an indoor pool on a dreary day. For that I'd want a clear or lightly tinted lens. Those are also great for a really cloudy day. I've done races where it was pouring rain, and you need a lighter lens for better visibility.

Some athletes say a rose-colored or blue lens makes the buoys and landmarks stand out better because of the contrast. I've never needed a colored lens to see where the buoys are, but some people do, if they need that contrast. They're there for a reason. It's not just a marketing gimmick of five different tints. People's eyes are more sensitive than others', so find what works for you and, ultimately, what makes you comfortable for that open water swim.