Total Newbie

[JennK13]

I did my first tri this year, too, in June and my second one last Tuesday. Here in Colorado we have quite a few ladies only tris that offer training plans and even practice tris at the location so people are comfy and know where they're supposed to go and see the course. If you can find something like that near you, that might be good.
A lot of people who do those, that is their only tri - they train all winter/spring just for that race, a lot walk/run the run leg, and you'll see every kind of bike racked there imagineable.
I quickly found out that swimming was my weak leg - funny thing growing up in Southern California and even being a life guard at 18 (many years ago).....totally underestimated that! What I learned is practice every leg so you know your weakness, and build on that. I swam in the pool some (not enough) and thought I'd be alright.
As I want to compete regularly in triathlons, my goal was/is to train to become better, not just to be able to finish like so many others that do the women only events. I wanted to get a feel for a tri, go through transitions, swim in open water with people all over me, and do all three legs under pressure without worring about distance. I found an organization that does a tri series, starting in June, and they do three tris two weeks between each one, and each increasing in length. Perfect for me! The first was a Super Mini Tri, 250 swim, 8 mile bike, 1 miles run - all things I can do without issue (okay, the swim was hard.....) It was an excellent way for me to learn exactly what I needed to work on, get through transitions and practice that setup, and see how my body responds to such an event, without killing myself in the mean time with distance - I actually finished 2nd in my age group and had the fastest bike leg of all women all this despite my crappy swim leg (ok, the swim....it seemed like an eternity out in the lake. Seriously, I thought I was in the water for like 25 minutes for a stupid 250 meters. When I crawled up the shore, I thought I really need to make up time on the bike if I want to finish with any decency - probably why my bike leg was so good! Lol...I was absolutely taken aback when they posted the results and my swim was only 7:30 mins! I swear, it seemed like forever!)
I was hooked! It was so much fun, I didnt exhaust myself, picked an easy, relaxed venue to do it in, and promptly made an appointment with my trainer for a swim lesson! I bought a three pack of sessions with the tri trainer at my local rec center - well worth it.
My next tri was the second in that series with a 500 swim, 10 mile bike, and 2 mile run. I felt awesome and relaxed, had great transitions, and was much more comfortable in the lake - still need to practice my swimming, but it was way better!
I am now ready for a larger, longer race, and I know I'll finish well, not just "finish".
ALL this said, what are your goals? To complete a tri for the experience of doing one and just finish it, finish that one race strong and happy, or make it a new hobby/sport? When I say finish strong, I'm not talking about winning or even placing, but crossing the finish line feeling good - tired yes, but not dead. If you can find a series like the one I did, I highly suggest it. It's been well worth it knowing what to expect. I also didnt buy any tri specific gear other than a pair of googles and some tri shorts. I wore my bathing suit top with a quick dry tank top over it, pinned my number to my HRM strap, and just used that. I was dry by the 3rd mile on the bike (although it wasnt snowing!) I didnt bother drying my feet, just put my socks on and they dried quickly, too. I wanted to make sure I liked it before investing money into any specific gear.
One last thing, I also took an open water swim clinic after my pool lesson with my trainer - if you're swimming in a lake or the ocean, it's well worth the money. Many people swim just fine in pools but freak in open water.
Most of all, have fun!

[roadie gal]

Just aim to have fun on the first one. Don't stress yourself about time or the other people, or what bike you have. The first one is always a huge learning experience.

If you can, find a smaller (in number of participants) race. It'll be less intimidating.

Come on over to the triathlon section of this forum. It's a supportive, friendly group.

[karentri]

I've been swimming since I was very very little, really before I could walk. I'm most concerned about the run leg because I have had some issues with my knees in the past, but I'm hoping that consistent bike and swim will strengthen them. I guess for me it's not about "just finishing" it's about finishing well and I would like to make this a consistent activity. I don't care so much about winning, but feeling good about what I accomplish at the end of day. At least, thats what I care about now I get a little competitive sometimes.
I'm definitely going to check out the Triathlon forum. I didn't even know it was down there! I already feel more confident about getting started. I've also read about the issues that can rise with anemia and low iron. So I'm going to start taking a women's vitamin and maybe Vitamin b12 as well.
It's great to already have people to talk to since I don't know anyone in my area that does this kind of thing. I'm going to search around for a women's group or tri group though. If anyone knows of one in KY let me know!!