Couch potato to triathlon training team!

Hey odylynn! "Slow, fat, triathlete" - I love that!!

Hey All!!! So glad I found this thread, it is just what I was looking for. I signed up to do a sprint triathlon in September. I wanted something to push me to work out consistently and to prove to myself I can be the athlete that I want to be (plus I hope it helps me shed the weight I am wanting to lose). After a a couple months of fairly consistent workouts in the gym (some weights, mostly elliptical cardio) I am hitting the streets and trails. I just started a C25k and riding my bike. The swimming I will worry about in July and August, I think. Excited for this new challenge and glad to see I am not the only crazy one out there!!!

I started the 16 week swim focused training plan from BeginnerTriathlete.com on Monday. Anyone else doing a "formalized" training plan? I can't say that what I'm doing is too formal because the free plan is only in minutes so I'm having to figure out what type of training to do in those minutes, but I'm going with it. Yesterday was the first two-a-day (not a brick) I've ever done - bike (24 min) and swim (12 min). I was wiped out last night and feeling it a bit today. Thank goodness today is a rest day!

My sprint tri Journey started last July, when I weighed in at 248..my highest weight ever! I just said I need to do something and training for something like a sprint tri seemed to me to be the logical choice. I was a hockey player right up through college and use to bike in the summers to keep my legs strong for hockey in the winter. Swimming was second nature to me as I grew up on the beach near Cape Cod. Running would be the challenge, so I tackled that first.
Initially I would only run for about 12-15 mins.. doing about 1.2 miles or so. It gradually got better....by September I was doing 3.1 miles in about 28-29 mins. I did my first 5k race at the end of September and did it in 27:55.
I bought a new road bike in late August ( a Fuji which I love) and started my biking again. By September I was doing brick workouts once a week... a 10 mile bike followed by a 2 mile run.
I started swimming in October at my gym. Slowly but surely improving my stroke and times there as well. I can swim 500 yards now in just under 10 mins
By the end of October I did my second 5k, and did it in 26:35.
I found the sprint tri I was going to do and it was in April, so I ramped up my training. I started doing 3 spinning classes a week and increased the number of Brick workouts to 3x a week as well. Usually a swim followed by a spin or run.
By the end of December my weight was down to 218. Training continued and April was here, all of my swim and run times had improved tremendously. On the day of my tri I weighed in at 214.
The tri was 450 yard swim, which I did in 9:10, followed by 10 mile bike which I did in 31 mins, followed by a 5k, and I ran that in 26 flat.
Its the 1st week of May and my weight is 211, and my next sprint is in 2 weeks....I'm hooked and feeling good!
Anybody can do it.!!!!!!! Just Tri!

Hi all - did we ever form a team? I messaged the folks on this thread. I'm also a new triathete - most biker by training. I'm looking for some more folk sto share experiences and tips with. Happy training!