Triathlon - Putting it together

Well since my introduction fell flat on its face...I guess I'll throw out a more specific question, one that's been nagging me lately since I made the choice to go from road to tri.

I generally have about 2 hours in the morning to train if I wake up early; and, I have another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes in the evening to train again. I could stretch that to an hour occasionally.

I would like to work in some gym stuff too: mostly core body conditioning, and balancing out my horrific strength imbalance b etween my right and left legs (horribly right-side dominant).

I've sort of been mixing in either a swim or a cycle in the morning, with a shorter run in the evening. And two days a week in the gym.

Does anyone have more concrete an idea of what I could be doing? Keep in mind, that compared with elite swimmers, I am the headbanger guy at the lake in the summer, beer can in one hand, other arm flailing like a whip, head-out-of water...you get the pic.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/default.asp
This site has some good training programs, I'm sure you can fine one to fit.

Hey Stallionforce... I'm right with you on the swim brother! Just started my swim lessons 2 weeks ago. I hear it just takes notthin but time. I am prating the crawl right now, going extremely slow, focusing on breathing and using fins. I imagine I'll be doing that for awhile. Try getting a local swim coach or some type of private instructor. Maybe a fellow local triathlete could meet you at the pool and help, that is what I got goin. No hurry, the season is far off! Good luck! O and here is a link to some good stuff = http://www.totalimmersion.net/ (http://www.totalimmersion.net/)

Stallion,

Don't feel bad about the lack of response to your introduction, the Triathlon subforum gets way fewer hits than others on BF, because BF is basically a bike forum. Nonetheless some of the posters in the Tri forum are knowledgible, experienced and FAST. Listen to them.

I am old, experienced and reasonably in the middle of my age group at most tri's (I'm 57). I am a decent swimmer and, vis the other racers, I do well in this leg of a tri.

As to swimming, I think you will find a majority of people on this board are favorably inclined toward the total immersion method. I am not one of them. The other camp is mixed, but most would say stay with a 'traditional" swim method (whatever that is) and just work on tried and true swim techniques.

I agree with this view. Get flat in the water. Don't splash around. Be smooth. Use a longish stroke. Pull and push with conviction at the proper times of the stroke. Kick as little as possible. Breath! Exhale! Go straight. Good luck.

As a fast biker you have the most important leg whipped. Work on the run. You can't win the tri with a good swim. But you can sure lose a lot of time with a bad one.

Tyson

Thanks for the input and suggestions guys! I am really pumped about this -- even excited about my pool time and making improvements. I don't generally learn physical tasks well from books or videos so I will need a coach.

Should be fun.

Again, thanks to everyone.