July 2, 2015

by: Emily Hastings

Help! I Want to Do a Triathlon…Where Do I Start?

For many people, the words “first triathlon” conjures up visions of an all-day suffer-fest complete with crawling across the finish line.

Some find this type of challenge inspiring. If you decide to enter an Ironman triathlon (2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26.2 miles of running), more than likely you will be spending the better part of a day, and maybe part of the night, ticking off the miles. Crawling, however, is never recommended.

Triathlons, however, don’t typically last all day.

Sprint or Olympic Distance

Rather than beginning your triathlon adventures with an Ironman, a sprint triathlon (typically around 500 yards of swimming, 11 to 15 miles of cycling and 3.1 miles of running) is a better choice for first-time triathletes. For athletes that are experienced distance runners and endurance swimmers, an Olympic-distance event (0.9 miles of swimming, around 24.8 miles of cycling and 6.2 miles of running) is also a possibility.

More: How to Train for a Sprint Triathlon

Shop for an Event

Now that you’ve decided on a sprint or an Olympic triathlon, the next step is to shop around for an event. I recommend finding an event within driving distance of your home. Adding airline travel to your first event is a complication that is best avoided if at all possible.

Aim for an event that is some 3 to 6 months away. This gives you enough time to build your fitness while minimizing the risk of injury.

Can’t Swim?

A 500-yard swim is 20 lengths or 10 laps of a 25-yard swimming pool. If you currently cannot swim at all, it is still possible to complete a triathlon in the next few months. Your first task is to enroll in swimming lessons or hire a private swim instructor.

To reduce the anxiety of racing, I suggest learning to swim first, then shop for a race. Depending on your athletic background and the time you can commit to the task, learning to swim can be accomplished within a couple of months.

I have numerous emails from athletes that learned the valuable life skill of swimming because they wanted to complete a triathlon. Many have told me they went from not being capable of swimming 25 yards to completing a nearly a mile in a triathlon.

Even if you are currently a non-swimmer, triathlon is within your reach.

Does Open Water Swimming Scare You?

There are plenty of triathlons that are staged at local recreation centers or YMCA facilities, where the swim is held in the pool. A pool swim is a great way to start your triathlon career and removes the anxiety of open water swimming.

If you are looking for more assurance in case you get unnerved on race day, know that you can walk in the shallow water and not be disqualified. You can also hold on to the side of the pool, a lane line or a buoy to catch your breath. However, you cannot use any object besides the bottom to make forward progress. For example, you cannot pull yourself along the wall of the pool.

You can find a full set of triathlon rules at USA Triathlon.

More: 8 Tips for Open Water Newbies

Do I Have to Spend a Bunch of Money on Equipment?

You don’t have to invest in the latest and most expensive gear in order to participate in triathlon. If your goal is to comfortably complete the event in good health, all you need is:

• A swimsuit and goggles.
• A bike that fits you. This can be mountain, hybrid, touring or a road bike. Of course, a time trial or triathlon bike works too. Many triathletes complete their first event on a borrowed bike and that works too.
• A bike helmet is required for the race and it’s a smart idea to wear it for all of your training sessions.
• Cycling shorts and gloves make training much more comfortable. Be sure you wear your padded cycling shorts without underwear. Wearing underwear can create saddle sores. Cycling gloves are designed to improve hand comfort and protect your hands in the unlikely event you should fall. Whether or not you decide to wear cycling gloves for the race is a personal choice. It does take a little more time to put them on wet hands on race day.
• A good pair of running shoes, used for only running. Don’t ask your running shoes to do double or triple duty doing yard work and errands.

More: 8 Tricks of the Trade for Your Triathlon Checklist

Don’t Have Time to Train?

If you decide to train for a sprint event and you are beginning your training with limited fitness, you can be ready to go at the end of about 12 weeks of training, with weekly training hours ranging from about 2.5 to 4.5 hours. That isn’t much of a time commitment at all, don’t you agree?

Training Resources

If you don’t like to train alone, investigate local triathlon clubs. Often these clubs have groups for new triathletes. The group may or may not have a coach associated with it. Also check out your local city or recreation center offerings. Many times these facilities offer courses for beginner triathletes.

If you don’t need or want structured meeting times with a coach, there are books and online training plans available. Following a guide designed by a professional coach helps you be certain that you’re prepared for race day, without risking overtraining.

The book Triathlon Training Basics is a good resource for beginners, and it comes complete with detailed training plans for sprint and Olympic distance racing. Active.com offers sprint and Olympic triathlon training plans in an online format and I’ve designed training plans that you can find on my website.

You Can Do It!

I’m fully confident that you can be ready for a triathlon in just 3 to 6 months. What’s holding you back from starting your training now?

More: How to Train for a Triathlon (From Scratch)

This article was shared from Active
by Gale Bernhardt
http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/help-i-want-to-do-a-triathlon-where-do-i-start

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