Advice for a beginner

Lushlisa

Hey Guys ,

If there is already a thread covering this subject please just send me that direction!
I would like to set a goal for myself to complete a Triathlon this year, I have been searching online about where to begin , but I cant really find much guidance online for the first timer !
Can anyone help me out on where to start , are there mini Triathlons I can do to work my way towards longer distance Triathlons ? I play sport but my fitness isnt off the scale or anything

All help appreciated
Thanks
Lisa

TriFirst

Lushlisa wrote: »

Hey Guys ,

If there is already a thread covering this subject please just send me that direction!
I would like to set a goal for myself to complete a Triathlon this year, I have been searching online about where to begin , but I cant really find much guidance online for the first timer !
Can anyone help me out on where to start , are there mini Triathlons I can do to work my way towards longer distance Triathlons ? I play sport but my fitness isnt off the scale or anything

All help appreciated
Thanks
Lisa

Hi Lisa, there are lots of resources out there. My advice would be to register with triathlon Ireland first and become a member for the year, this will then allow you to compete in as many competitions as you wish, mind you, you still have to pay individually for each race. As far as mini triathlons are concerned the best solution would be to attempt a race like Try a Tri , like the one in Athy at the beginning of June. These races are purely for people like yourself who want to try doing a triathlon but the swim / cycle and run distances are very short and very manageable and will certainly answer any questions you may have about whether you wish to attempt the longer distances of sprint/ olympic/ iron man.

You may choose to join any of the triathlon clubs around the country who tend to be heavily involved with organising triathlons. The triathlon season runs from May to the end of September and there are plenty of races to whet your appetite. As far as help with training programs is concerned I have found 220 triathlon website to be very good for providing comprehensive training programs for all triathlon distances and all grades of triathlete.

griffin100

TriLaois in April has a short swim option and is pool based so is good for beginners. It's always a well organised race. www.trilaois.ie

A high level of fitness isn't necessarily needed to complete triathlons, but you will need some swim proficiency. You don't say how good your swimming is but that's usually the achilles heel for beginners, especially when it comes to open water races.

Lushlisa

TriFirst wrote: »

Hi Lisa, there are lots of resources out there. My advice would be to register with triathlon Ireland first and become a member for the year, this will then allow you to compete in as many competitions as you wish, mind you, you still have to pay individually for each race. As far as mini triathlons are concerned the best solution would be to attempt a race like Try a Tri , like the one in Athy at the beginning of June. These races are purely for people like yourself who want to try doing a triathlon but the swim / cycle and run distances are very short and very manageable and will certainly answer any questions you may have about whether you wish to attempt the longer distances of sprint/ olympic/ iron man.

You may choose to join any of the triathlon clubs around the country who tend to be heavily involved with organising triathlons. The triathlon season runs from May to the end of September and there are plenty of races to whet your appetite. As far as help with training programs is concerned I have found 220 triathlon website to be very good for providing comprehensive training programs for all triathlon distances and all grades of triathlete.

Thank you so much that info was really helpful

Lushlisa

Thanks so much guys :-)

yosser hughes

What about the bike? Do you need a decent bike to try a triathlon?

TriFirst

yosser hughes wrote: »

What about the bike? Do you need a decent bike to try a triathlon?

Nope, I did my first on a bog standard racer that cost 200 quid. Obviously if you are going to get serious about competing and wish to reach the podium etc then your equipment will need upgrading. Essentially the more money you spend on a bike the lighter and more aerodynamic and by extension the faster (potentially) you will be. But if you are just starting out keep it simple, a well maintained cheap bike with the correct tyre pressure will do you alot of credit.

thesimpsons

another good try a tri is the Joey Hannan in Limerick at end of April (run by Limerick Triathalon club). the swim is in the pool and both the cycle and run are flat. Its a great beginning place to try triathalons, they give you loads of encouragement. In the tri and even in sprint distances, you will find bikes of all levels so get a loan of one for the first one or two so you can decide if its a sport you want to continue with. For a pool based tri, all you really need is swim togs, throw on a pair of bike shorts and teeshirt for the cycle and run. (helmet is obligatory obviously). A river swim will mean a wetsuit but again try borrow one until you know what you want to do. Once you can swim the rest will come together for you. check the triathalon ireland website to see the distances and each of the swim/bike/run and see what you can do.

edited to add - if you think you might just do one or two events this year to get the feel, you can just buy a one day licence from Triathalon Ireland for the particular event. from what I remember, 2 x one day licences is cheaper than a 12 month one.

Lushlisa

thesimpsons wrote: »

another good try a tri is the Joey Hannan in Limerick at end of April (run by Limerick Triathalon club). the swim is in the pool and both the cycle and run are flat. Its a great beginning place to try triathalons, they give you loads of encouragement. In the tri and even in sprint distances, you will find bikes of all levels so get a loan of one for the first one or two so you can decide if its a sport you want to continue with. For a pool based tri, all you really need is swim togs, throw on a pair of bike shorts and teeshirt for the cycle and run. (helmet is obligatory obviously). A river swim will mean a wetsuit but again try borrow one until you know what you want to do. Once you can swim the rest will come together for you. check the triathalon ireland website to see the distances and each of the swim/bike/run and see what you can do.

edited to add - if you think you might just do one or two events this year to get the feel, you can just buy a one day licence from Triathalon Ireland for the particular event. from what I remember, 2 x one day licences is cheaper than a 12 month one.

Heya , Thanks for the info. I just went on to register for the tri athy in June but I see there is a section asking about a licence , must I reg for the licence first is it ? Sorry , this is all very new to me so pardon my ignorance.

68 lost souls

Lushlisa wrote: »

Heya , Thanks for the info. I just went on to register for the tri athy in June but I see there is a section asking about a licence , must I reg for the licence first is it ? Sorry , this is all very new to me so pardon my ignorance.

If you are buying a one day licence it needs to be bought before the Thursday preceding the race I believe.