We are visiting my wife's family in Spokane for the last week. My FIL runs the medical tent at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, so we went and watched yesterday. Well, I am hooked!

What, who, when, where and why do I do to start getting into triathlons? I don't have a bike (or an extra $3000 to buy a race bike). I'm fine running a 10k. I swim well, but don't do it regularly so I have no idea of my fitness level. My gym has a pool, so I can train there. Any advice or resources would be greatly appreciated. I'm in Katy, TX, if anyone knows of anything locally.

I'm in the same boat. Been marathoning for a bit but watched a friend run IMTX and got bit by the bug. I've got a steel framed, 80's vintage, Panasonic road bike that I'm training on. Snag a cheapie and let's ride the George Bush park trails.

Before sinking a lot of money into it find a local sprint tri. Most are 300-400 swim, 12 mile bike, 5k. I did my first on a Walmart mountain bike.

But be warned - it can be an incredibly addictive sport.

I went from Sprint tri (on a borrowed mountain bike) to iromnan, though I had also done a bunch of marathons. That said, I couldn't swim for **** when I hit "register" on my first Ironman.

Find a local tri group that does open water swims. They can also teach you the small things and what to expect on your first race. Pick a sprint and use whatever bike you have now, after you do one or two you can decide if you want to keep doing them.

Unless you have played water polo your swim needs work. I would also say the majority of people freak out during their first time in the open water.

It is an addicting sport, did a few sprints and the next year got a coach. Think I did them for about 5 years before calling it quits. For the last two years I did all my bike rides on the trainer due to kids at home and a busy work schedule and that just got old. Riding outside at a safe area took too much time to practice long rides to do the longer races.

As others have said, don't go all in right away. If you end up liking it, you will get to spend all the money you want.

You don't need a fancy or expensive bike. I've done several tris from sprint to half iron on all sorts of different bikes - cheap steel framed Jamis that didn't fit me, full suspension mountain bike, road bike with clip-on aero bars, and a Quinta Roo TT bike. They all did the job. To start, look at getting fitted on a decent road bike. If you end up really liking the sport, you can upgrade bikes later and hold on to the road bike for training.

Really work on your swimming. Get in with a masters swim group or a tri swim group. There will be plenty in your area. If you aren't used to swimming in open water with a bunch of flaying arms and legs, that part can be daunting. Practice swimming in open water with a group. I would also practice your transitions - swim to bike and then bike to run. This will help train your body along with refining how much time it takes to transition between the disciplines.

The hardest thing for me was balancing the training. You are now training for three disciplines, so each needs your attention. Also adding some gym workouts is not a bad thing.

Start by doing some Sprints and then work up from there. And the main thing, just have fun.

You have a gym with a pool, you can start right away. Use the stationary bike at the gym while you shop bikes. Stack your workouts and you'll know pretty quick if this really appeals to you, and you still haven't spent anything. Then get your bike (a road bike is the most versatile choice), find a Tri store for group training/beginner clinics, and watch lots of videos. A Sprint Tri with a pool swim is the easiest way to start, but if you learn in open water you'll be way ahead.

Thanks for all the advice. I just flew back into Texas this afternoon. I'm going to enjoy the holiday and then really start trying to find some groups and start researching training plans and ease into it the best I can.

After you do what Bert suggested, then you'll realise you're better off with 5 or 10K's.




Serious

I live in Katy and taught myself how to get into triathlons back in 2015. Ive done a few sprints and just did my 1st olympic. I could go on and on about everything ive learned and am willing to share my experience. I swim at lifetime, bike in and around fulshear on saturday mornings (you would be welcome to ride with our small group), and run near my house.

My advice is to start focusing on a sprint like what was said by other posters. I would start by swimming laps at the gym, find a bike that you can barrow for a few rides to figure out what you want, and get good running shoes.

Feel free to message me and your more than welcome to join me on a ride and ill show you some routes i like.

I am a triathlete in the Houston area (Woodlands). I was in the same boat and just decided to look into coaches because I didn't know where to start. I am with Mind Right Endurance. It is a triathlon team with coaching. We have people in Houston area, Austin, Louisiana and Colorado.

I went from couch to Ironman, injury free, in 18 months. I guess I am now a feign. I have done 7 long course triathlons (5-70.3 and 2- 140,6) in the past 1.5 years.

I could not have tackled it without a coach. The team has become a family. Everyone is super down to earth and inviting. Our group can be found at mindrightEndurance.com

I'm interested in doing one as well, but am a long way off as I have always been a big guy and not sure how my body will handle it. I know I need to drop weight first and have made good progress. I've set a goal to do a sprint in 2020 at some point.

Any good routines out there? I need a couch to sprint type program.

The idiot's guide to triathlon was a good start for me. But I have a very strong swim background. I've done two so far and see all different abilities at the races. I do recommend having a coach because it makes life easier.

There are a quite a few in Katy. No Label Tri in April, look at itrievents.com for there otheres. I think Jeff and Brede is soon or just finished. Usually events are in the spring or fall.

If you want to be a better swimmer look at Katy Aquatics Masters group

I'm right there with you OP. I've always just run and my drive/motivation has been lacking the past year or so. I still keep up a consistent 25 mile floor on weekly mileage, but some of the "fun" has dissipated.

I signed up for my first sprint and it's coming up quickly on July 28th. Since working the bike and swim into my routine, I'm back to feeling excited about workouts again.

A few thoughts for you to consider:

1 - You don't need an expensive bike to do triathlons...especially sprint distance ones. You can have a lot of fun and get a lot out of a $500-1000 used bike.
2 - If you can't afford an expensive bike now (and realize that $3k isn't "expensive" when it comes to tri bikes), carefully consider how deep into the sport you really want to get, because the farther you get into it, the more expensive it will be. By the time you get to doing half IM and IM distance races, you will probably be at the point where you will want a better bike, and the entry fees and other gear you will convince yourself that you need will make the $3k you can't afford right now look cheap.
3 - Get involved with a group, whether it is through a club, your gym, friends, whatever...it is easier and more fun to train with friends and the structure of a coach/group/team will give consistency to your training
4 - If you are a YMCA member, many of them have a triathlon group with a coach included. If you are on the west side of Houston in the energy corridor area, consider TR triathlon. They have various coaching packages, including some that include memberships at Memorial Athletic Club which has both an indoor and outdoor pool to do swim training in. The lead coach for TR is a lady named Carolina Carstens who has run many full and half IM tris and used to compete on the Venezuelan national team. She is very cool and a lot of fun.

This is why I started doing Tris. I needed a break from just running. It has been a blast and after my next tri in August, I'll be ready to focus on half-marathons again.

Did my first Sprint Tri last week, and I'm hooked. I did great on the bike, but need to improve my swim and run. Been practicing at least one discipline daily 5-6 days a week. Next race (another sprint) is Labor Day weekend. I'm baby stepping into it, but I want to do a half Ironman one day. So far, I've lost about 35 lbs training and eating better. Hope this thread keeps going.

My swimming is by far my weakest. I'm sure my form is poor. How the hell do I get better? Are there swim (for distance) classes for folks like myself who know how to swim but not how to go out and swim 600 meters without being exhausted

tamuags08 said:

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My swimming is by far my weakest. I'm sure my form is poor. How the hell do I get better? Are there swim (for distance) classes for folks like myself who know how to swim but not how to go out and swim 600 meters without being exhausted

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what distance are you wanting to do? In my swim I am confident enough in being able to swim 400m at a good pace that I don't even train. The effort is better spent trying to run or cycle faster.

When I step up in distance I will once again train to build swim endurance.

I'm signed up for a sprint (Cypress Triathlon) and the swim is 550m.

I picked up several swimming tips off of YouTube to improve technique. I still am weak in the pool, but getting better. Step one should be learning to properly breathe. Once you get that, increasing distance should become easier with time in the pool.

Before my first Tri I was worried. I swam every day at lunch for about 6 months. 400-300-200-100

Day of adrenaline helps.

I would just find a coach or a masters club. Ask any coach out there, they'll say they'd rather be called sooner than later. Easier to teach someone how to swim properly vs getting you to break bad habits.

I'm a tri newbie as well. Did a couple sprints and was hooked, signed up for IMTX 2020.

My wife swam through HS so would swim with me and give me drills. It helped a lot, but I recently got a tri coach to prep for IMTX. It's only been a couple weeks but I've already drastically improved with his guidance and drills.

TriWaco is next Sunday in case anyone in interested. Registration is still open. Just signed up for the sprint.

Been on vacation the past two weeks. Both in cooler climates. This might hurt.

Nice! I'm in the same boat OP, and also live in Katy. Even survived my first brick workout this morning!

I'm planning to run the 70.3 in Galveston next April, but I'm seriously nervous about the swimming portion. I've never had any formal lessons, but plan on figuring this out pretty quickly.

If you'd like to ride together, I have a few neighbors that are pretty consistent. We're just off Gaston road, near the new Kroger.

Watchful Ag said:

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I'm planning to run the 70.3 in Galveston next April, but I'm seriously nervous about the swimming portion. I've never had any formal lessons, but plan on figuring this out pretty quickly.

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My #1 tip to folks that are learning to swim as an adult? Get a coach. Don't ingrain poor mechanics. Get it right from the start. Swim is 100% about technique.

Agreed. It's the one discipline I haven't even touched because of this.

The hurdle I'm struggling with the most is finding the right coach ... Do I select an IRONMAN coach? Just a swim coach? A triathlon training group that has a coach who's certified in some pseudo-federation of triathletes?

Is there a "can't miss" organization or coach that can help me get squared away?

Watchful Ag said:

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Agreed. It's the one discipline I haven't even touched because of this.

The hurdle I'm struggling with the most is finding the right coach ... Do I select an IRONMAN coach? Just a swim coach? A triathlon training group that has a coach who's certified in some pseudo-federation of triathletes?

Is there a "can't miss" organization or coach that can help me get squared away?

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Find a coach who knows all three disciplines. I also suggest a coach that actually does tri. A group is great, but you have to be able to do things on their schedule. USAT has a list of coaches on their website.

If you're having trouble finding a swim coach, see who the coach is for your local high school. Guaranteed they will take some money on the side and know how to teach people to swim.

It's 80% about correct form and 20% about fitness. Triathlon is great, but the bike is a beating if you come out of the water tired because your form is atrocious.

Where/how did y'all find the right size bike? Should I go to a bike shop and let them do it or can I just measure my legs? I've been looking on Facebook marketplace and craigslist and have found some deals, but I'm not sure what size I need.

I strongly suggest your local bike shop. Also sitting and riding the bike will help you decide if you like it. Can't go by numbers alone.

I looked up a chart for my height and weight. Then bought a $400 road bike.

If I were to spend a lot of money on a Tri bike I would get fit.

I may take this next step if I sign up for a 70.3.

You can use the charts to get close f you are buying used, then take it to a shop to get it fit to you. But if you are planning to spend any serious money on a new bike, I would pay for a professional fit. I am not sure if he still does it, but Tad Hughes used to have a fit package where he would do a fit for you on a dynamic bike, then give you your measurements and a list of frame sizes from different makers that would best suit your measurements. Once you buy a bike, you bring it back and he will fit you to that specific bike. He was able to steer me away from a few brands that I was looking at that would not work well with my measurements. I was also surprised at the range of sizes that I would have needed for different brands. In Trek, I needed a 56 in most, but on the domane I would have needed a 58. But on Giant, i would have best fit on a 54.