Triathlon?

I think I probably started at 33. I'm not sure what "being good at it" means, but I do OK.

I've never followed a set training plan... I just run and ride as much as I can (because I enjoy it), and swim enough to be certain I won't drown on race day. Most people will see progress by starting out slow (whatever "slow" is to that person), then adding distance/volume over time. With that, speed will come.

If you want an actual plan, start here-
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-list.asp

3dogsrunning wrote: »

You've gotten some good advice. You may want to check out the book Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel. It breaks it all down for beginners and has a bunch of training plans.

+1 of Friel's book (and he has others too that are great)

If it makes you feel any better I ran my first 5K at 52. While I suspect I'll never take the podium (unless I outlive all my rivals) I'm satisfied being a middle of the pack runner and duathlete (my swimming is awful) with my longest distances being half-marathons and Olympic duathlons.

Josh_Kalley wrote: »

Thank you all so much for the links & for the information & tips!! It is inspiring to read a little of your stories! I plan to work on all areas and build on each one slowly.. it will help my fitness routine too. I lost a lot of weight with running and want to continue to build, tone & do well. I will be sure and check out those books!!

Any recommendations on gear? Like best bike to train with or best shoes for running... etc.

A lot of that stuff is personal preference.
Like for running shoes, all of the major brands are pretty equal quality wise. They all pretty much offer the same types, ie minimalist, stability, motion control, etc. It comes down to fit. Some swear by one brand and others hate it.
As for bikes, well, best tri specific bikes are going to come with a hefty price tag. Even entry models can be pricey. For now, if you are looking at sprint, chances are you can do it with what you have (I saw another post by you about biking so I assume you have one). Once you get into the sport you can decide if you want to upgrade to a tri specific bike, or go with a road bike. You can add aero bars as another option.
Shorter distances can be done without special gear like tri suits.

There is also a group here. I'm pretty sure there is even a discussion on tri necessities.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/88-triathletes-duathletes

Josh_Kalley wrote: »

Any recommendations on gear? Like best bike to train with or best shoes for running... etc.

3dogsrunning wrote: »

A lot of that stuff is personal preference. Like for running shoes, It comes down to fit.
As for bikes, well, best tri specific bikes are going to come with a hefty price tag. For now, if you are looking at sprint, chances are you can do it with what you have. Once you get into the sport you can decide if you want to upgrade to a tri specific bike, or go with a road bike. You can add aero bars as another option. Shorter distances can be done without special gear like tri suits.

@Josh_Kalley All I can add to @3dogsrunning is 2 items; put slicks on your bike if possible as it will improve your bike times. Preferably Skinny Slicks - there's a reason bike racers use skinny slicks.

Also in your training you will want to add in some transition training.
That is the Transition from swimming to biking - and biking to running, this way you will get a feel of what this transition is like and what you need to work on.

Transition from biking to running - I found this to be the more difficult transition - your feet have been going around in circles and now you want them to get up and down with a good push. If you get a chance to watch a sprint triathlon at the transition area you should. A common crash you see at the transition is the person who just can't get the legs to co-operate with the change from biking to running and they tip over and crash. Not Pretty. ( been there done that)

I practise by doing a biking loop around my local sports field approximately a 4km route and then a 1km running loop around a different route. If time allows I try to repeat it 5 times so I get the full 20 km Bike ride and the 5km Sprint run in.