Transition question
80
Member
210 days
overcome posted 10 weeks ago.
I do all of my running training without socks. Breaking in new shoes sometimes gives me blisters or makes my feet bleed but that is only the first few runs in them. I have only done olympic distance, however I don't think that I will ever need to use socks for any distance.
275
Member
799 days
fastdog5 posted 10 weeks ago.
Transition tip #1: Don't lay your wetsuit down on top of your running shoes in T1, like I did in my first race.
128
Member
426 days
burnman posted 10 weeks ago.
not sure why so many people are against throwing a pair of socks on in transition. we've all been putting them on day in and day out for decades, but can't manage the 10 seconds (max) that it takes to throw them on in T1? some people prefer not to wear them for comfort reasons, but the argument that it takes too much time is kind of absurd. I've practiced and raced with people that make the slow socks argument, and watched them spend 60+ seconds prying their wetsuits off - a skill that you can get down to about 5 seconds if you practice. didn't mean to nastyjack the thread. I just like my socks.
872
Member
874 days
tsilcyc posted 10 weeks ago.
If the race is short I go sockless but if the race is long I wear socks. I think the main reason people shy away from socks is because they are difficult to get on wet feet. You can put them on your feet dry and then roll them down to your toes. Put the rolled up sock in your shoe and when you get out of the water, it will go on your foot like a condom.
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221
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77 days
jnrice posted 10 weeks ago.
More power to you burnman, but I have sat there at T1 fighting socks not going on at all due to wet feet. I agree that the not even 10sec delay is typically not that big of a deal but the frustration of fighting a sock is not what I want to do after dragging my body through who knows how much water.
Ok so I suppose the question becomes, at what point do these little slow downs add up? Does it make any sense to sit down to put socks on and then master the art of getting your shoes on while rolling, risking a broken neck? I'd also hate to rip a hole in my wet suit because I was going mach 3 wile taking my wet suit off.
381
Member
1256 days
triNick posted 10 weeks ago.
burnman wrote:
not sure why so many people are against throwing a pair of socks on in transition. we've all been putting them on day in and day out for decades, but can't manage the 10 seconds (max) that it takes to throw them on in T1? some people prefer not to wear them for comfort reasons, but the argument that it takes too much time is kind of absurd. I've practiced and raced with people that make the slow socks argument, and watched them spend 60+ seconds prying their wetsuits off - a skill that you can get down to about 5 seconds if you practice. didn't mean to nastyjack the thread. I just like my socks.
My friend took 2nd place in a race by 2 seconds, it was a sprint distance race. Overall, her transition time was 10-15 seconds slower, not sure what the heck she was doing, probably looking at a mirror. Oh yeah, she put her socks on in T1.
Personal preference for everyone, it depends on what type of outcome you want. For sprint and olympic distance races i don't, for halfs and ironmans i do.
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2437
Member
1321 days
Triguy98 posted 10 weeks ago.
I have dedicated racing flats. I dont mind lubing them up. They smell a bit more than my regular shoes, but its not like i wear these things out and about. When youre tlaking about winning Oa or AG in an oly or shorter, every second does count.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
128
Member
426 days
burnman posted 10 weeks ago.
if you're aiming to win an overall or AG on a short course (where the time differential is usually less than a minute) then not wearing socks can definitely be a critical race decision - less critical for long courses. for the record, I often go sockless for brick workouts and short races because I don't really need them. I agree that if you decide to slip on socks in transition, 10 seconds is 10 seconds that you can't get back. the point that I'm conveying is that many people I come across complain about wasting time on socks when they could stand to speed their transitions up by nearly a minute if they simply practiced more (e.g. the wetsuit reference).
1190
Member
338 days
TriSooner posted 10 weeks ago.
Absolutely not. I thought it was a joke when I first read it. You want your feet dry, not swampy and moist. And re: socks, as tsilcyc, socks for long, no socks for short. I assume the few seconds it will take to put on socks (cycling socks that you keep on the rest of the day) are worth not developing blisters/hot spots that will ruin a 26.2.
I was reading "Ben's top 10 Transition Tips" at http://www.trifuel.com/training/triathlon-training/bens-top-ten-transiti... and I was wondering if anyone actually does number ten? If so doesn't this make your shoes all kinds of nasty? Also, at what length do you guys start wearing socks for the bike/run? I'm but a sprinter at this point and have never found the fight required to put them on worth the avoidance of a blister or two.
Furthermore, does anyone else think that there should be a forum for transitions? It is the 4th event in a triathlon. I know that I am awful at them, could use some help.