I did two local tri"s(on a borrowed bike)here in Montana. Run,Bike,Kayak.(first time I kayaked) Due to no races in this area amd looking for a challenge,my first real race was an IM. I had run a marathon(slow)previosly. My thoughts were this. I wanted a challenge. I am slow and never was a gifted athlete so winning was really out of the question.Consequently what I was looking for was a "can I do this?"Signed up for IMCDA last sept 1 (though I had a 8-9hr week aerobic base already)and enjoyed CDA June 29th. Now I am hooked on this stuff. Fun,challenging and the people are awesome....including on this forum...I am hooked. Doing a marathon in Sept. Our local Tri,"Peaks to Prairies"Start at the base of the Beartooth mnts..Run 9 bike 43 Kayak 23. Then maybe a half ,sprtint and CDA again. Welcome to the forum.....By the way I was like you. Signed up before I had a bike,just got mine at the end of March this year. ....My suggestion ..Go for whatever you wish. Just train hard,give the race respect and learn the rules...Good Luck Kenney

A lot depends upon your current level of fitness and experience. Have you ran a marathon before? Biked a century? Are you a long distance swimmer? If so then you could try an IM, but if you haven't done much of any of the sports you should be looking at a sprint tri to see how you like it.

My first race was a sprint with 750m swim, 35 kms bike, 8 kms run. I knew absolutely nothing about tri but decided that I was going to do it just for the heck of it. I was a recreational fit middle aged guy with no specific competitive background other than a bit of track (100 m, 200 m) way back in high school. Started "training" a couple of months before the event. My very first training run I had to to walk after about five minutes. Showed up on race day with a 7 mm scuba suit for the swim because someone told me that I'd swim better with a wet suit. Finished 237 out of 314.

The positive thing was that I fell in love with the sport and started to read and research anything I could find about triathlon. The next year I knocked almost half an hour off my time from the first year.

In response to my current level of fitness, I'm currently training for the HP Houston Marathon in January. I'm not dying, even with the heat, but I don't have any illusions about winning either. I'm not that concerned about the bike leg, it's the swim that terrifies me.

Like Kenney mentioned earlier, I don't have a chance of being particularly competitive in the shorter distance races. That's a big part of why the IM appeals to me. I just want to make sure I'm not insane for even considering it, although I realize I'd be in good company on this forum!

Why do you have to wait until next year? Why not try Stampede next weekend. Tri Andy's Tri is a sprint intended for beginners and is in mid-Sept. There is also Cinco Ranch in mid-sept. If you can swim a little and jog a 5k then you can enter one of these.

The main reason is, no bike. I'm trying to save the funds to buy one, but with a small daughter and a wife with a horse hobby, it's taking me awhile.

The bike is a biggy. You should have at least rode a century a couple of times before contemplating an IM. Your running may be up to par but it sounds to me like you should be contemplating a sprint tri based upon your biking and swimming inexperience. Even if you chose a long length tri, a half IM for your first is a lot to bite off.

Get a road bike and fit it with short aero bars such as Profile Jammer GT's. My suggestion would be to go second hand as to save 50%, but find someone who knows bikes and can help you with fit and the different models available.

As for the swimming you've just got to spend time in the pool. Might consider a master's program or find someone who coaches swimming.

I'd go with Tom's suggestion and do a sprint or two this fall. If you really want to do an IM next year, plan on a couple of olympics and maybe a 1/2 next year in the early part of the season and do a late IM. The nice thing about doing the sprints is that there are many other beginners and the atmosphere isn't as competitive and intimidating. Experienced racers are often not as friendly towards newbies as are other beginners. You'll be surprised how much you learn in the first year actually racing. You would go into an eventual IM MUCH more prepared. You can read articles and ask questions, but there is no substitue for actual race experience.

FWIW, I went the traditional route. I knew I wanted to do an IM eventually, but I didn't want to do one until I knew I could actually put in a decent time and feel like I was actually racing and not just surviving. I was already a fairly strong runner when I did my first tri--one of those My First Tri races. I finished 4th overall, but it took me almost 7 minutes to do a 150 yd swim. I did a couple of duathlons later that year while I worked on my swim and then wound up attempting a 1/2 the following year but DNF'd on the run. Another year of sprints and a few succesful 1/2' s and then I did my first IM. It went extremely well as I finished in about 11 hours and felt comfortable the entire race. The things I learned in those first couple of years were invaluable to me going into IM. My 2.

Though I had no bike. I did spinning classes 3 to 4 times a week and rode a bike indoor trainer at the local YMCA,sometimes for 2 hrs at a time. Not the same as being in the saddle but it made the transition quick and easy..So when I finally received my bike I had been riding 3 to 4 hrs a week. Let me make this vey clear...I AM A NEWBEE!!! So be leary of my "advice" People like Cerveloguy are VERY experianced . Listen to them. With that though. If you want to do an IM. If your willing to train,spinning classes,indoor trainers at the gym ect...IM Coeur D'Alene is still open...or there are much more inexspesive Tri" even in Texas.... One more thing. With myself being a newbee,this forum will help ou greatly. Ask specific qustions,get specific answers. If you need help getting a bike....Keep asking Good Luck

Thanks. I've been reading the website and the forum for awhile, but I've only recently worked up the courage to begin posting here. At this point, no one is newer than me so everyone's input is appreciated.

"People like Cerveloguy are VERY experianced "

Thanks for the compliment, but I'm much more experienced as a poster on this forum than as a competitive triathete. I'm actually just a typical MOP AG'er that might get on a podium once in a blue moon.

This forum is all about fun and sharing.

Jaylew is also experianced so listen.. Something about myself. I am 43, and at the time of planning to do my first IM,I also did not not know if I would ever again have the time available to train to do one. It looks like now I will. My decision though was greatly influanced in having a wonderful wife who said "If this is your dream..Go for it" So I went for it all in doing my IM simply because I did not know if I would ever be able to put that block of time aside again. So much has to do with your circumstances....Congrats on your child.... And to do an IM your wife support must be with you.

Yeah... A blue moon is much more posssible than me... However you do have experiance. I do not know your level, but you know much more than me..... I wanted to share but being a newbee i did not want to give the impression of one with knowledge that I do not have. I have read enough here though to know when one is talking out his a-- or not. Your not.

I'm new here too. Kind of in the same situation as you. I havent done a race yet but I want to do an IM. Sprints don't really interest me too much, probably because I'm slow. However, after doing a lot of thinking and reading (this forum is very helpful) I agree with the others above that just doing a race is invaluable. Just getting used to the way a race happens, pre-race, transitions, etc... When I began as a runner, my first race wasn't a marathon. I ran numerous 5K's and 10K's to get used to the experience. So I wasn't in shock my first marathon race day. I knew the drill. So I would borrow or rent a bike and do some of the short races mentioned above. I'll be doing probably 2 of those this summer/fall. I'm gonna use my mountain bike, because I can't afford the investment in a road/tri bike. I've got 4 kids, so I may be doing my IM on my MTB :) Yeah and you're right. It is hot here.

Go for an Olympic Distance or shorter. Although I've run a lot of marathons, half-marathons and swam competitively from my early teens through college, my first tri was an Oly on an old Specialized Rockhopper with city slicks. I had such a blast that I did a few more Oly's before taking on a 1/2 Ironman, and I'm glad I did. It's important to get a feel (and respect) for the distance, and develop a foundation of fitness in all three events, otherwise it just won't be any fun at all, and isn't that why we do triathlons in the first place? Don't spoil the fun by biting off more than you can chew when you're just starting out. That's my advice. Good luck!

I just helped a friend buy a used Trek at Cyclone Cyles. They've got a few used bikes so be sure to check them out. If you don't want to go used, Bike Barn is a great place for a beginner to get his first bike. I got a Trek 1000 there in Feb. 2001 for $525 since it was winter and the prior model year. The Bike Barn people are great, very patient and geared towards helping newbies.

Another friend bought a $19 used road bike off of ebay! I saw him at a water stop at the Katy Century a few weeks after he got the bike! He said he paid more for the shipping than he did for the bike. As bad as the bike was, I'll bet you could make the top 10 in your age group in a local sprint tri on that bike.

Since I'm local (Pearland) feel free to email me if you need any local info.

>>I havent done a race yet but I want to do an IM. Sprints don't really interest me too much, probably because I'm slow. <<

What??? So, you will be faster in an IM??? Sorry, I just don't get this mentality. Like someone else said--start with sprints or Oly distance races and learn how this whole triathlon thing works.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Yes, I'm completely ignorant and think I would be able to race faster in an IM than a sprint. No...I like the idea of challenging my endurance, rather than a test of speed. But, the rest of my post goes on to say that I wouldn't attempt an IM without doing some shorter distance stuff first. So I'm not sure why your questioning me?