Totally New

[rodagf]

Good Morning.

Lately I have an obsession with wanting to train for a triathlon. I have been trying to learn everything I can about the sport but I cannot seem to get enough. I want to train and ultimately race. My biggest problem is that I really do not have any clue as to where to start (other than running as it is easily accessible. I run all the time).

I currently do not have a bike and have never swam competitively before, let alone in open water. Maybe I am crazy but I want to get involved.

I have sent a couple of emails to the "contact us" section of this website but have not received a response. Can someone point me in the right direction? What are my first steps? Where can I get a bike? What kind of bike? Where can train to swim? My questions are essentially endless.

I do not quite know why I have the urge to do this but I do, and I want to find out what it's about.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Greg

[jimdehner]

Good goal - suggest you get tied into the Newbies group - they can help you when it comes to training for you first - as for a bike - see the guys at Bike Authority - they can get you started right - they have a wide range of tri and road bikes at various prices - they can put you into something that will meet your needs - while you are there check out a wet suit - if you are serious about triathlon you will eventually need one - good luck and remember to enjoy the sport

[kenb321]

Hi Greg, welcome to the sport. Best piece of advice to give you right now is to start slow. If you have any bike, use that bike for the first race. Even a mountain bike will work. why? because your first race should be a sprint distance. Your bike ride will only be 13-15 miles in that race. No reason to drop that $$$ on your first race. Don't worry, if you are like the rest of us, the money will start easily flowing out of your pocket after that race. Second, on swimming, get in the pool and start swimming. Pay attention to the people around you. Try to swim like them, (unless it is a little old blue hair lady doing nothing but the breast stroke). Check out youtube for some pointers and drills for swimming. It is the hardest of the 3 disciplines to get good at even with practice.

Check out the newbies training section. The Cleveland tri club is very lucky to have a USAT certified coach in charge of our newbie program.

[marie]

If you don't have a bike at all, you might want to see if a friend has a bike you can borrow just to see how you like it.

[marsitam]

Hi Greg. I was just like you a few years ago, no experience in the sport but wanting to jump in. For the swim, I started with some refresher adult swim classes at my gym. I hadn't "swam" since swim lessons 30 years earlier. That was a great start. From there, I attended a lot of the Tri Club Newbie events, especially the swim clinics. You may also want to check out Liquid Lifestyles. Leah does open water clinics in the summer that you can just pay a drop in fee for. In the fall, the club offers a regular tri swimming program that I would also highly recommend. All of those have helped me gain confidence in the water.

Find a bike and ride it. I would also recommend holding off on buying a bike until you have a better idea of what you want and/or like. But once you do decide, Bike Authority has a lot of great options.

Keep your eyes out for the newbie events...there's a lot of good resources out there. And keep posting...you have access to a ton of experience in the club through the forum. Good luck.

[Rodney]

Hey Greg, I was in your spot less than a year ago. There's some good advice here already.

Check out the CTC Facebook page. They post training and other related info there. Tim Edwards at North Coast Endurance Coaching does a lot of work with Newbies. You might try him: www.ncecoaching.com.

For basic swim instruction, I like the Total Immersion program by Terry Laughlin. You can start at the very beginning with learning how to breathe properly in water (O2 in H2O) up to advanced open water techniques. I like this program because it starts with getting you comfortable in the water and creating an efficient stroke. It has helped me immensely. There are books and videos you can buy or get at the library.

Get a used or cheap bike and ride. Try craigslist or your local bike shop. I bought an inexpensive new bike (GMC Denali), some tools and upgraded parts so I could learn how to work on it. I will be ready for a nice one at some point and will head over to Bike Authority.

Welcome to triathlon. Hope to see you on the course, Rodney

[ajirousek]

Hello,
I am totally new as well. I have my bike, helmet, gloves, water bottle, pretty much what I felt are essentials. I am going to purchase a wet suit and goggles for sunny days. Do you think that it is necessary to have cycling shoes for a first time sprint? What about special water shoes? Any advice on the essential gear and accessories would be appreciated.
Thank you,

[Brandon]

ajirousek,

Welcome to the sport. One of the great things about triathlon is that we all can continue to learn new things and search for new ways of doing things to improve performance for years to come. Keeps us coming back ;D

It is not *necessary* to have cycling shoes for your first sprint. I will say that I think they are *essential* to buying speed...but I'd assume you want to be sure that you'll be doing plenty of racing before "buying speed." Clipless pedals/cycling shoes are a great first upgrade for training and racing. Aero bars could be on the list of possibilities as well.

Since you are going to buy the wettie you'll have already bought some speed for the swim (I don't think wetsuites are necessary IF you know how to swim) No need for special water shoes (not sure what those even are).

Other advice that I have is to continue to ask questions and learn as you go. There is alot to learn about the sport and many ways that you can customize your training and gear to suit your needs. I would consider attending the practice triathlon on Saturday....USAT certified Coach Tim Edwards will be on hand to answer questions. Here is the link to the facebook event for the practice tri...

www.facebook.com/events/241879859251533/

I'd also encourage you to attend some of the newbie training sessions this summer (also put on by Coach Tim). Here is the link to that training schedule...

clevetriclub.com/training-menu/newbie-training/55-2012-newbie-calendar.html

And a link to some newbie resources on our website....
clevetriclub.com/members-menu/members-newbies.html

[jimdehner]

some good advice from Brandon
for your first tri - you have what you need - a bike helmet is a must anytime you are on your bike - you don't need to have cycling shoes or a wet suit for that matter but as you continue in the sport you will want to add them - you can build as you go -
I would suggest joining the newbies group and networking with them -

If you haven't seen a tri first hand I would recommend that you go as a spectator just to see what goes on during the swim and transitions before you do one -
in any event for you first tri - just bring a good attitude and have some fun out there