Triathlon - I Just Registered for My First Triathlon

It's June 20th. It's a sprint tri. 600 yard swim, 15 mile bike, 3.1 mile run.

This is my impression as of now.

The swim will be much harder than I think, even though I am a strong swimmer, I haven't swam competitively or trained for swimming for many years, but I have just purchased a membership at the lcal fitness center to train for the swim.

The bike will be fine if I don't drown during the swim. I am just going to put clip on aero bars on my road bike.

The running will be the worst part for me because I have not run voluntarily since 1991.

The transitions will be interesting, because I have never done anything like this.

Any hints for a first timer who hates to run.

You're me!! The solution to hating the run - do it more. It sucks, but training your weaknesses will make you faster. And as an aside, the better I get at running (I'm still plenty slow though) the less I hate it. Go figure, eh?

The swimming will come back quicker than you think. Try to hit the pool at least twice a week.

As for transitions, set everything out so it's easy to grab even with "race brain". The less clothes you change/put on, the faster your transitions will be.

Have fun!!!

I just started doing Tri's about a year ago and had the same questions as you. Get on Youtube and look up Triathlon training videos first of all. Lots of good info from very reputable sources; tips on transitions, form, technique, how to train and what to expect. Aero bars on a road bike is just fine. There are some fairly competitive age group triathletes that don't use a tri bike. If you find that you feel you are reaching too much and are stretched out look into getting a new seat post with no setback or one like the profile design fast forward. That will basically you the same geometry as a tri bike, good enough for any amateur.
Some people will tell you that the swim is the least important event and they are right and wrong. As far as time goes they are correct, you can make up time on the run or the bike. As far as energy use goes they are wrong. If you go balls-to-the-wall on the swim the rest of your day might be terrible, you might be okay though because it's a sprint.
Those were the biggies for me.

Great info here:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com

I just registered too.

I'm excited and a little scared. I've been running and swimming and spinning (ready to finally get on the roadagain) for most of the year already and feel pretty good overall, though not great about the event itself.

I know I'll make it come April 25th, but the swim scares the crap out of me. It's gonna be a tough month getting ready, but I'm stoked.

Here's how it's going to go down. It's going to be awesome! When you cross the finish line you're going to feel like a rock star, and you're not going to care at that moment how fast or how slow you went. Things will not go exactly as planned, but that's okay, you'll get better in each race each year. I was a run hater too, now I'm into it. The best cure is to run, not alone, find a group. You'll find yourself running faster and thinking less about how much you hate it, and more about seeing just how far and fast you can go. Whoever said don't try to kill it on the swim is right. Just be consistent. This next part is hard for competitive people to take, but I really believe it: Just try to have fun on this first one. There will hopefully be plenty more. Goals are good, but don't put too much pressure on yourself for this one. Let us all know how you did when it's over, and welcome to the world of multisport!

I'm training for my first, too. I have run competitively and am a decent cyclist, BUT, in the fall I did a "brick" for the first time: rode and then immediately went for a run and found the run to be much more difficult. Thought I was going to die in the first half mile and then settled in. Once the weather warms up I'm going to focus on this. I think the body just needs to get used to that transition and many on here recommend bricking your workouts. So as you get more comfortable with the run, make sure to try it after cycling so there are no surprises on race day. Or, at least, a different surprise...

Also, anxiety is normal before your first event, but there are several things you can do to cut it down. One of the major sources of anxiety is the fear of the unknown, and that can in part be eliminated. Here are some things that I have found helpful.

1. If at all possible visit the course and transition area ahead of time and ride it in a car or on your bike. If you can go to the site the evening before your race you can often actually see where your rack is and plan out your T1 in detail.

2. Make a list (even if you aren't a list person) of everything you need to take to the race. Pack your bag early and have it sitting by the door ready to go (early does not mean 9:00 the night before). It will probably take you longer to get to sleep than normal before your first race.

3. Get to bed early enough that you can wake up and get to the race site early. I always like to be one of the first folks in transition to set up. That way you get your choice of spots on the rack, and you don't have the stress of rushing through things right before the race. You can sit back and get mentally prepared as others scramble to make last minute tweaks.

Hope you all have a great race!

Well, I went for my first actual training swim last night.

All I can say is that I'm glad it's still about three months until race day.


And thanks for all the advice and well wishes.

How can the swim be harder than you think? "If I don't drown" suggests that just about anything will be easier. The swim will be great. It will be over before you know it. The swim is the appetizer of the event.

Sounds like you're not worried about the bike.

Running...sorry but the best tip for you is to get out there and run. My advice is to go out and run much slower than you normally do. I think a lot of people hate running because they red-line every time they go out and their bodies hurt for days. Most of my runs are spent plodding along around 11 min miles, checking out the scenery and smiling at other runners who are wheezing & trying to push their lungs back down their throats. It takes some getting used to...and you definitely need to check your ego. In the end, you won't mind going for runs of an hour plus.