What was your first event?

[KSH]

Let's see... my first event was a duathlon... in March (?) of 2005.

It was uummm... (if I recall correctly):

2 miles running
10 miles biking
2 miles running
10 miles biking
2 miles running

What do I wish I had done differently?

1) More cycling OUTSIDE. Riding a spin bike isn't the same thing.

2) Had worn clothes that were easy to run/bike in, without having to change clothes.

3) More bricks! I didn't do enough ride to run combos in my training.

4) More running! I should have been running 15-20 miles a week, not 5-10 miles a week.

Well, good luck, you have enough time to train- you should do great!

[northstar]

I feel lucky that the runs are shorter. For beginners like me, it makes getting involved in these types of events *possible*. The other great thing about it is it's a women's event...no guys! I guess they had over 500 people last year.

[alpinerabbit]

My first was a metric century/100K mountain marathon (road cycling, 3 passes) I enjoyed it bunches - thanks to DBF coaxing me along and my inner fire pulling me up the mountain - although we were 25 minutes late starting and catching up with the broom wagon until KM 30.

[mountainchick]

My first event is going to be in September. Its a sprint distance tri called Escape to Siesta in Sarasota, FL.

But my first official bike event will be Conquer Palomar in San Diego at the beginning of June.

[roadie gal]

My first tri was the sprint distance of the Donner Lake Triathlon. A few women from work had decided to do it. I live right there, so it was easy for me to practice the course. If you can scope out the course before your first race it really helps (as you can tell from my Rage race report where I couldn't get to the course beforehand).

[HillSlugger]

My first tri will be in July.

My first biking event was a 10k family ride for a local charity. This was less than a year ago (this year I'm doing the 45K ride). I followed that a few weeks later with a 25 mile diabetes ride (this year I'm doing the 50 miler).

I'm excited and nervous waiting for that first tri!

[JenLeath]

My first tri was Jordanelle sprint distance 800m swim/10k bike/5k run. I left my house (45 min away) 2 hours before the race started. There was a lane closure up the canyon, it took me 1 hour to travel about 10 miles. I was almost 10 minutes late. I was so nervous on the shuttle bus, I didn't know if I would still be able to race. I got to transition, put on my suit and sprinted to the lake, it was about .25 miles away (it's called "the trail of tears"). I ended up starting with the olympic distance people. My heartrate was 20 bpm above my normal range for the entire race. I finished, exhausted. In spite of all the hassles, I had a blast. Things I learned..

1. practice transition
2. don't be late
3. pack a t-shirt to wear after the race. It was so hot and sunny, I didn't stay for the stuff after because all I had were my tri clothes.
4. I wish I had my family there, I didn't want my DH and babies to wait all morning with me before the race. But I really missed not having them there to cheer me across the finish line.

Jen