Triathlon - Poppin the tri cherry!!! (well, not yet but soon)

Recently, I completed my first multisport event which was the Duathlon Nationals in Richmond, VA. It was a 10k run/40k bike/5k run... it was brutal, grueling, and hot but somehow I got through the whole thing... of course, many thought I was crazy to dive into the main event as opposed to the shorter version but that's how I roll... as long as swimming is not involved.

Now that I completed that (it took me 2hrs and 45 minutes but I was proud because it was my first and I came in 42nd out of 60 in my age group), I feel confident in the type of shape that I'm in. Not great, but definitely way above average, I would say.

So, now that I "conquered" the duathlon, I figured tri would be my next thing. So, I signed up for my very first triathlon. It is on July 19th hosted by 3 sports and it's a very short one (considering tri's) with a 300m swim/20k bike/5k run. I know, I know, for those of you who do bunch of them, it's like a joke of a distance but if I have to go out and swim 300m right now, I can barely make it. So it will be a good way for me to enter the world of tri! I cannot wait!!!

The swim is the portion of the tri that is most technical. You can learn to swim better in 2 1/2 months and it will make the 300 yds. seem pretty easy. Make an effort to learn to swim better not just harder or longer. Pick up a DVD on triathlon swimming or find a swim coach. Your probably too high in the water and attempting to swim "up hill" as it were. Lastly you seem like you'll be fine in the other two disciplines and the swim is short enough you can breast stroke it (an inefficient stroke but easier to breath) if you need to. Good luck.