How to get into triathlon training?

I have a book you can read on training. It's called "Your First Triathlon". It even gives workout plans to help you build up. I think it's a 12 week program and it even lets you decide if there is something you wanted to focus on whether it be swimming, running, or biking.

^^^great book with a lot of good info.

You mentioned jogging and biking, but not swimming - are you a swimmer? If not, do not underestimate the swim!!! I thought the running would be the most difficult part for me (I'm a cyclist), and the swimming damn near "killed" me!

Depends on what length tri you're looking at. If you're active now and looking at a sprint length tri, it's pretty easy to train for. If you can run the 5k, ride the 10-15 miles, and swim the 500-750 yards/meters all on their own, you can "easily" do a sprint tri. The fast people finish in just under an hour, and regularly active people complete it in about 1 1/2 hours - that isn't that long of an amount of time to be exercising. Many people workout for 90 min to 2 hours a day, so an hour and a half isn't that big of a deal.
A lot of it is mental, and practice brick workouts as your body does experience a bit of a "what the??!" when you go from one leg of the race to the next. Think about it, first you're prone and weightless, next you're upright in a non-weight bearing activity, then you're doing a weight bearing activity. It's just a funny feeling when you go from one leg to the next
Once you can do each of the distances, you can build up your competitiveness by going all out for each leg to increase your speed. Sprints are such short races, and if you're trying to place or PR, you're in AT almost the whole time. Your body needs to get used to being there for an hour to hour and a half. Or, you can just DO it, and not worry about time - just finish the race and enjoy the accomplishment of doing it.
Good luck - tris are a blast!

I'm doing my first tri in May. I already cycle... I know how to swim, although haven't done distance swimming in years, and absolutely cannot run. So, I am swimming 1-2 days a week - focusing on breathing and increasing laps each week. Then I'm doing C25K 3x a week. I cycle or spin 1x a week and do strength training 2x a week. Yes, that's a full schedule, but I am older than most people doing their first tri :blushing: , so I have to try twice as hard!!

There are a lot of good books in your local bookstore about getting started in Triathlon. The book mentioned is good and a great way to get started. Do talk to your local running store though as well. They "should" know of any triathlon clubs or groups in your area and may even have clinics to get you started (my local run store has a triathlon clinic that just started up training for a spring race).

You can also talk to the race organizer for whatever race you want to do, they may know of clinics or groups training. This will be particularly true if you are doing a "beginners" triathlon.

Triathlon is an awesome sport and a great way to get and keep fit.

I started with my first short sprint in the late summer of 2006 and was hooked. I kept going at it and did my first full Ironman in 2010. I'm training for my second full Ironman now for August 2012. They are addictive

Have a blast!

I'm also doing my first triathlon!

Someone suggested www.beginnertriathlete.com to me, which I've poked through a bit.

My swimming leg will be in a pool. As swimming generally terrifies me, swimming in open water is...yikes.

(Thanks for that book recommendation, y'all!)

all of the above. read "you first triathlon" by joe friel, check out beginnertriathlete.com, and use trifind.com to fine a local triathlon. my advice: dive right in! find a sprint triathlon about 6 months away, and start training. honestly, i can't wait for my first triathlon in june.

and i was like you, a competitive swimmer in college, but i never did a lot of running or cycling. when i started losing wieght i hit the bike a lot, and then found myself running once a week, then swimming once a week.

What everyone else already said. Have fun!

When I trained for my first race, I did it with a charity program and coaches, so it was easy because they gave me a schedule. The only thing that I would say is depending on the length of the swim, it's a lot different than competitive swimming. You don't want to blow your wad so to speak in the water. I swam 2 times a week, biked 1 time a week, ran 2 times a week, and did a brick (bike then run) once a week. You need to take at least one day a week off. The bricks are the most important part of the training.

My first triathlon I did I used the trinewbies 11 week training schedule.
http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms/10wtp.pdf

Then this past summer I did the Fleet Feet Triathlon program and learned so much. Its one thing to read books but its another to actual have the one on one training. Ask around to see if anyone in your community are putting on any tri clinics or trainings. You'd be surprised how many people are getting into the sport.

Just wanted to say Good luck.