Thread: new to everything here.....

I am new to the triathlon experience. I would like to do my first race August 2009. I am not doing it to be the best, just for stregth goals and a sense of accomplishment, at least for now. I have noticed alot of the people who ask questions have at least some background in one of the 3 sports. I have done 5k's before. But now i am recovering from illness and surgery and i have no endurance in anything. Which is why just being able to do this in a year will be an accomplishment. So my question is, where do i start. I can walk. Which is where i am now, as part of my surgery recovery. Doctors have given me their blessing, up to the point that i feel i can do things. So i decided to set a goal, the sprint triathlon. But, i have no idea where to even start.

MP

You have started! You decided to come here and WELCOME.
I started out my training exactly the same way you did, walking and joining this site.
I need to ask some questions first,
Male or Female, age group, do you have a bike, can you swim, do you have access to a pool, what part of the country are you in, how much time do you want to devote to training.
We can start there, most of these questions can be answered by filling out your profile. A sprint in 09 is very doable, do you have a race in mind? If you do then we can break it down so it is much easier to swallow:)
I know when we get into it together it will be as much fun for me as it will for you. We will be joined by my buddy sfricks as we go, he has helped me many, many times (thanks Scott).
Until next time.
Spike.

Well, to answer your questions, I will be 37 years old next month and I live in the west burbs of Chicago. There are 2 sprint triathlons I could next summer, the Danskin one in Pleasant Prairie WI, or the one in Naperville, IL. I have had an autoimmune disease since I was 13, and because of it I had a kidney transplant 10 weeks ago. So the walking was part of my rehab. And yes, the transplant team knows this is a goal of mine, and support it as long as I dont over do it. I have done many 5k's in my life, but I usually just walked them. Now I feel I have a new lease on life, and I want to the things I always dreamed of. Being in shape and leading a physical and healthful life, and the ability to have the stamina to keep up with my 2 year old are what i am looking for. I have access to a gym in my office, they also offer muscle training/toning classes 3 times a week. As for a pool, since I didnt think i would have to worry about it until the first of the year, so i havent sorted that out yet. I have an old bike right now, just to get me started, but not even sure what type of bike i should get. I am not trying to be ab elite athlete, and I certainly dont want to spend thousands of dollars on this right now. Maybe down the road if this is something i enjoy and it turns out to be something I want to invest heavily in. Thans for replying, and hopefully, this will give you some more info on me.

MPSASHA

O.K. lets get to it, on the bike front, I have seen anything from a full blown tri racer with every bell and whistle to a beach cruiser with a basket on it in a sprint race. You should make sure your bike is tuned so it works as well as it can and won't give you any ploblems during training or racing. If the race that you decide on is open water you need to find a place to practice swimming in a place with no lane lines or sides, I have seen many good pool swimmers turn into not so good open water splashers.
I suggest that you get a day planer or something like that to plan and record your workouts and you can look back from time to time to check you progress, this helped me out alot in my first two years, now I'm a total nerd and keep all my stats on a spreadsheet.
The gym at your office sounds like a great place to do some strength training, in triathlon legs are what get you there so do some exercises to get your legs in shape. Don't worry about the pool just yet, lets get you out and working your lungs and legs.
Keep me posted on your progress and any questions you might have.
Spike.