Originally Posted by
pjcampbell
So I am a cat3 rider and haven't swam in many years but my parents forced me through 10 years of competitive swimming that i absolutely loathed. I am sure I will get something from that. I am not that big of a fan of running either but ran XC and track all throughout HS and my1 year in college. I thought I want to try something new. I am getting a little sick of the USACycling grind and overall really enjoy a self paced race more than one set by the pack. I don't know anything about the tri scene, like for one where I find out about good triathlons (active.com??). Trying one seems like it would be the place to start... what to wear and how to train of course is another question. What is a very solid (like the cat3 equivalent) olympic tri time? I'm guessing around 2 hours give or take?
I'm a non-racer serious cyclist (centuries etc. with a bunch of vert), and I did my first sprint tri a few weeks ago with very little preparation, and it went fine. I think you should start at a sprint - it will probably seem very easy (especially the 12 (ish) mile bike leg), but that let's you figure out how things work. You are also less likely to hurt yourself running, which is a big danger for you. Your aerobic capacity will allow you to run far enough to hurt yourself pretty badly.
I also did competive swimming when I was a kid (though only 2-3 years). You will need to get back in the pool a bit to get back into it, but you will have no problem at all on sprint distances (1/2 mile), and could probably do Olympic pretty easy (I'm on perhaps my 10th pool session after no serious work in decades, and 1500s are simple). For most triathletes, the swimming (especially the open water part) is their big hurdle, a lot of it mental. It was a non-event for me, so I guess all those early mornings weren't totally wasted.
The only specific pieces of equipment I got are tri shorts (which you swim in and then ride in), and a number belt that you put on for the run. Wetsuits are optional depending on the temperature of the water in your area.