First real race; coaching necessary?

[Rubylvr]

Hi All-
Trying my first race with my husband June 29th; he will run, I will ride 56 miles. Does anyone have experience with triathlons? Training programs? Advice? Did you ever use a coach to get ready? Was it helpful?
Any thoughts are much appreciated.
RL

[HillSlugger]

Hi,

You may want to repost your questions to the triathlon section down under Cross-Training / Special Interest.

I'm starting my 7th season of triathlon and have done a few relays (swim and bike but not run, so far). My longest events have been olympic distance.

What are your goals for the race? Just finish, have fun, be competitive?

There are lots of good resources over on BeginnerTriathlete.com (http://www.beginnertriathlete.com), including free training plans.

Good luck.

[Wahine]

You really don't need a coach for your first race unless you have some very specialized circumstances like a job that requires you to travel a lot. Otherwise, an out of the can program like those available on beginner triathlete will work just fine.

The most important thing is to remember to have fun, both training and racing. People often put waaaaaaaay to much stock into what these races represent.