Am i crazy doing a 1/2 IM as a first tri event?

[lbishop]

Hi all,

Well mostly a lurker but wanted to know some opinions as to the suitability of doing a 1/2 IM as a first triathlon event? For budget reasons i don't really have lots to spend out on events and have to pick and choose them carefully. I have most (if not all) of the kit i need (including a wetsuit) so for me the only cost now would be entry fees and nutrition products (of which i use Hammer & Leppin). I've done some running and biking and know i need to work on the swim, but as far as the individual disciplines are concerned -

Swimming: Will be starting from scratch - can swim (phew! ;-)) but would be surprised if i could manage more than a few laps of a pool without stopping at the moment.
Bike: I have done a number of 160km bike rides over the last few years with my PB being 5:45 (whilst still feeling comfortable at the end)
Run: Just completed my first marathon with a time of 4:21 (whilst still feeling relatively comfortable at the end although legs seized in lat 2km)

So, i figure if i can do the full distances of the bike and run (individually are IM distances), putting 1/2 of each together should be do-able especially with some further training? I have done some small brick sessions (bike & run) before and know how they feel (!) so will definitively need to work on them, and the swim will obviously need a lot of work! ;-) As for speed, i'm not fast and i don't intend to be but i want to give myself a good goal to shoot for - somehow i feel where i am now endurance wise, the sprint and olympic distances wouldn't satisfy me.

I'm 5.9 and 175cm so have no intentions on losing weight etc and the event in mid December giving me 6 months to prepare... I know it's a big goal to go for but whats the general feeling of whether or not it is suitable?

Thanks,

Lewis.

[Rahzel]

You can do it. Just practice the swimming a lot, do lots of bricks, and most importantly, lose weight if you can. At 5'9" your optimum weight for triathlon is probably in the 145-150lb range (unless you're very muscular), but even if you can't get that low every little bit helps, especially on the run!

[lbishop]

Oops, should have added that i'm 69kg hence no desire to lose weight! ;-)

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I think it's an achievable goal for me and something to work on improving afterwards! ;-)

Lewis.

[kuf]

Practicing race starts really helps for swimming. You can get really nervous in your first few races, and have trouble starting the swim (due to trouble breathing). Do some practice races with some buddies, and start the swim the same way the race start will. (in water or on beach)

[lbishop]

Thanks kuf. Gonna be doing the majority of my swimming in the pool to begin with and then when a decent base has built i'll start getting the wetsuit wet... but that's an excellent idea - always looks crazy the way tri-guys/gals dash into the water at the start! :)

Lewis.