Any advice for an enthusiastic beginner??

Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum and I'd love to hear any advice you can give me! I've been running recreationally for just over a year, and can already do 13.7 miles for my long run each week. Recently I've really wanted to get started in Triathlon, as I'd love to do many different Sports besides running. I'm sure I can handle the running, and I'm a competent swimmer, as I got bronze and silver sttandards during my final school year. Cycling is definitely my weakest discipline, so does anybody have any advice on how many times a week I should do each discipline? I run 4-5 times a week, so does anyone have any tips??

By the way, I've never entered any races before, running or Tri, although I really want to sign up for a 5 k to get started! Sorry for the massive wall of text- I hope it doesn't put too many people off! Thanks in advance for your help! Ben

Hi Ben, Welcome.

Sounds like you have a good level of fitness in the running and swimming, I am a newby to Triathlon having competed in my first sprint last year, I would recomend joining a Tri club if you have one nearby as the training and advice is invaluable and the social side is great too.

I am also planning on joining my local cycling club for the same reasons as above, I currently cycle to work 28mile round trip twice a week and have a long steady ride at the weekend building the distance a little each time, my long term plan is for an Ironman in 2015 so I am building up slowly and chucking in as many events on the way.

Ben, welcome to the mad house as Dave the Ex Spartan would say ........ never done a tri myself but thinking of easing myself in once I realise that Im never going to run as fast as your Phil Pubs and Ric F's so rather be a jack of all trades and master of none by doing tri's.

But what I was thinking (and this may be relevant to you), is doing some aquathlons first ...... essentially the tri but without the bike leg. Would ease you into it, not have the expense upfront of a bike and get you used to the atmosphere, what you need to do, and how the transition stuff works etc.

Anyway thats my thought process, take it with a pinch of salt if you like, but if biking is your weakest leg, maybe give a couple of aquathlons a go first?

Hi Ben

The bike is a major part of a triathlon, especially if you are already a competent swimmer.

1) you need to be good on the bike to be good at the bike

2) you need to be good on the bike to have enough left in the tank for the run.

Of the 3 disciplines cycling is also my weekest ... so i spend almost half my time cycling in some sort of way.

When yoy switch to Tri training you no long need to rely on running for overall fittness improvment as this will be gained from cycling ... so most people comming from a running background can drop back on the frequency of the runs.

A popular pattern is 3 of each per week .. then maybe an extra of your weekest. .. occationally cutting back on your strongest if needed.

Also it can be benifitial to move 1 of your runs to after a bike ride (a brick sesion) see point 2

have fun

There's also a good selection of training plans here ...

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/trainingplans-list.asp?l=0

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Ben, welcome to the mad house as Dave the Ex Spartan would say ........

Looks like I've been replaced....

I doubt I have anything to add to the guru that is DF3

Ouch! Was that a little dig there Dave?

lol NLR, I didnt say I knew better, I was just giving an alternative that he may not have thought of ......... the only reason why you British run off and buy a bike is because you all hate swimming ...... so you cant not do a bike and swimming  (otherwise youre just in a running face) ....... but clearly its logical in terms of a first experience to drop the leg that involves the most amount of expense, give that a go first, then adding biking if its the sort of thing you want to do.

I certainly dont want to drop a grand on a bike just to realise after my first triathalon that its not for me.

Whereas you enter an aquathlon, what have you lost? The price of some goggles?

I like swimmming, but there again, I am not British. I am English.

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all the hints! It's really great to know there are so many people out there that I can ask for help! I'm actually starting Uni in September so there's an ideal window there for clubs. I live in Brackley (about 10 mins from Banbury and 30 from N'Hampton) so I'll see what's around there.

Thanks again for the advice and for taking the time to help the newbie!