Well, I did it! I finally did it! I signed up for my first triathlon! Walking/running, biking and swimming have always been my favorite activities, mostly because I didn't have to be overly coordinated to be successful. (I played volleyball, basketball, softball, etc. as a kid, but was terrible.) Because I like all three activities, I have many times thought I would like to try a tri, but knew I wasn't ready for a full tri.

One of the women in my WLS support group asked me to try a super-sprint tri with her in August. So today I bit the bullet and paid the fee and I am signed up! For those like me who don't know, a super sprint tri is 200 yards swimming, 7.5 miles biking, and 1 mile run. I figure that should be enough to wear me out but good! I start swimming tonight.

Right now 200 yards is quite a ways, but add in open Water and I don't think I'd have a chance. I am a slow but very competent swimmer so the chance of drowning is probably minimal, at least by race time in August. I am hoping with time to train that I might even be able to be competitive!

By the time of the race, I will be just under 9 months post-op and will have RUN 3 5Ks. I start serious training after my next 5K on April 9th, but I start swimming again tonight - need to see what I can do to build some endurance already.

Anyone else out there done a triathlon? Words of wisdom? Wish me luck!

pam

@@mngreeneyes, would you mind sharing the plan you found? I too, just committed to my first triathlon. I have never been a swimmer, so triathlons have never been appealing to me. A co-worker of mine asked me to join her, so I accepted the challenge. The one we are doing is a 500M swim, 16K bike and 5K run. The bike and run do not even phase me, but the swim freaks me out!! Our trainer just sent out a communication this morning, to get us some help in the swimming department, but anything you have would be appreciated also. I wish you the best of luck!

There are a bunch of free training plans at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/%C2'> I am doing a mini or super sprint length. Yours sounds like a sprint length tri. I already found a sprint length tri for next summer (2017) that I want to train for!

Good luck and keep me posted on how it is going. My sis-in-law is thinking about doing the tri this summer with me, but she is really scared of the swimming too. Her son is a swimmer and he says he will train her. He's 9!

pam