Triathlon

I've just started training for one. It's not until August but I figure I will need every second of training. I am really looking forward to the challenging months ahead!

I did a sprint tri in July - I hadn't done any swimming, hell - I hadn't been in the water since the summer before (with the exception of 3 days before to test the swim leg). Needless to say I sucked hard at the swim and came out 4th to last (out of 100). I picked up a little cause bike was my strength, and I passed 15 to 18 people. The run was fairly OK.
It was 0.4 mi swim, 14 mi bike and 3 mi run.

My goals were (in this order):
Don't die -- IF YES THEN:
Don't be last -- IF YES THEN:
Do it in under 2 hours

Mind you, I am an obese woman in my 40s, so I didn't aim too high, LOL. I did them all, took me 1:49 hours. I love it, it was amazing and probably the coolest thing I have ever done.

I have done two sprints and loved them. I always get a little freaked out about the swim. Once I get going tho it is no big deal. BTW I am 56 and weight more than 200 lbs. If you arebthinking of doing one, go for it! The sense of accomplishment is enough encouragement to last a long time.

Google us triathlon association or check with a local sport store. They are becoming very popular. Should be easy to find one. The ymca offers tri training in some towns.

I did my first sprint about a month ago. I loved it! My goals were:

A. To finish
B. of my own volition
C. in the time allotted
D. with a smile on my face!

I joined the university's tri club and am training with them - I'm definitely the heaviest and least fit member, but I'm trying. I am already registered for the same sprint tri next year and would like to register for the Olympic distance tri that's next September.

I'm not an expert, but I've learned a lot and would be happy to share any info with you or just be another source of support.

I've done a few sprint triathlons and a half iron man. The half iron man was actually my first triathlon experience and it was HARD. My husband completed a full iron man for his first (and only) triathlon and I thought "Hey, if he can do a full, I can do a half." What I really didn't take into consideration was that he was already an accomplished runner and cyclist. He could already run a marathon and bike 112 miles. He did both fairly regularly. He only had to focus on swimming and conserving his energy to complete all three parts in one day. I on the other hand could swim the distance required but had to seriously train to complete a half marathon or a 56 mile bike ride. I trained for 6 months and finished within the time limit so I was happy. I've found I enjoy doing the sprint triathlons more because while the longer distances of each discipline are within my reach I don't perform the way I want and end up being super critical of myself.

What I learned from my training is to find the discipline you least strong in and train, train, train. I'm very strong in swimming and I love to do it but I'm very slow at running. So I ran 4-6 days a week when training for a triathlon but only swam twice a week. I would do quick 10 minute runs after my swims and bike rides to get used to muscle use transitions. I ran practically everywhere. When race time came, I was still a pretty slow runner but I felt much more comfortable than I had previously. I was confident in my ability to run the whole distance and push through the pain so I could finish what I started.

I've taken a few years off from triathlons but I am definitely going to do a few next summer. The support from other racers and the community at most races is incredible. It's a really great environment and makes you feel like you could do anything.