Beginner Triathlete - Beginner Q&A articles

USAT and membership and racing.

I am not going to buy a tri-suit before my first tri - I want to make sure I am going to stick with this before I spend a lot of money on it so I want to figure out what will work best.

Looking to do your first triathlon? Here is a look beyond the distances.

Should I be working on getting faster at running by doing the longer distances and working up slowly over time or run faster for shorter distances now?

"On a six-mile tempo run is the warm up and cool down miles"

Keep in mind that the taper period is as important to your body as all of the long hours you’ve put in the pool, on the bike and on the road. It is meant to help you rest, recover and rejuvenate.

A few tips for beginners during taper week to settle your nerves. Includes a race day checklist and some race day tips.

From smoking like a chimney to triathlon training

Which sport do you believe is easier to continually improve at: swimming, bicycling, or running? What makes you think this specific sport is easier to improve at?

I have pedals with the cage and when I ride 2+ hours my legs feel much more tired then if I took out my husband's bike with clipless pedals. Do clipless pedals truly make the difference?

Should I have time goals for the first sprint? Should I just finish the race at a reasonable pace? I'm not sure how to approach this.

I just bought a slant board (for sit ups) and an adjustable dumbbell bench, as well as a starter set of dumbbells (25’s, 20’s, 15’s and 10’s). Now, I need a good dumbbell workout.

It's extremely frustrating and I even get in a bad mood when I run. I think I might have increased my mileage too fast. I have a hard time catching my breath now too, even at short distances.

How important is it to train on the actual road vs. treadmill and on a real bike vs. spinning classes?

When I swim I struggle to get a full breath and consequently run down faster. I spend part of my training on the side of the pool gasping for air.