Beginner Triathlete - Beginner Q&A articles

Do you want to jump-start your New Year’s weight-loss resolution?? Then here is what it's time to do…TRAIN FOR A TRIATHLON!! Part I of a monthly series.

This is the time of year where you focus on your ‘weakest’ event and practice your drills, techniques, form, etc. Here I list some BT training plan options to get you through the off-season.

Tips for completing the run portion of your first triathlon plus exercises and stretches to possibly help your shins.

The off-season is the best time to fine tune your skills and prepare yourself for the next season. It is also time for you to gain some strength and get a little rest after a long season of training.

Since your “A” race is your marathon, which you stated in your question, this should be your main focus. I encourage you to taper a bit for the sprint distance triathlon.

Since I didn't have much time and since it's a super sprint, am I OK just go to at the training relatively hard through Thursday or even Friday?

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

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.

Is there a magic number of days off for your training plan? Is it a one size fits all or an an individual choice?

My main concern is obviously the running but my priority is weight loss. I really need any advice on how to get ready.

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.

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.

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.

With a hectic schedule and the desire to throw in other forms of exercise, I went from following one of the training programs to doing my own. Would it be better to follow a training plan?

I have been able to swim 200-300 yards without stopping for the past couple of weeks, but this morning I couldn’t swim more than 50. Could not eating make a big differance?