I get so excited to see people reading the blog, and I’m so honored when someone tells me that the blog is helping them with their tri training. My goal is to get other people excited about triathlon and to take the mystery out of things. My email is always open for your questions about training for your first triathlon! And I am stoked to share my first reader question on today’s blog post.

This comes from Kiersten, who is training for her FIRST triathlon (WOOOHOOO!!!! GO GIRL!!!)

Kiersten asks: Would you recommend getting a wet suit? I was planning on it all along but I’m low on money and have already put so much into the tri so I was trying to avoid it at this point. I thought I’d swim in my sports bra and spandex shorts and then just switch the shorts while wrapped in a towel…I just don’t want to bike in wet bottoms, I don’t care about the tops. Any thoughts/tips?

Here’s my response to Kiersten:

How cold is the water you’ll be racing in? You may want a suit for warmth. If it’s not too cold and you’re a good swimmer who doesn’t need to rely on the buoyancy of the wetsuit, then you probably don’t need one. However, if money is tight and you do want to wear a wetsuit, you can often rent one for like $50 and have it shipped it to you. That all being said- definitely consider investing in some tri shorts so you don’t have to change in transition!! I bought a pair from Zoot on Amazon for about $40. They’re specially made to stay in place and to dry fast. I wear them and my sports bra then either throw on a tank top after the swim or wear my Under Armor spandex tank which practically doubles as a swim top.

Good luck in your race Kiersten. Please let me know how it goes!!!