Hello fromTexas

Welcome to the forum. Everyone was a newbie at some point. This is a great place to learn and grow. Super Sprint and Sprint Triathlons are great opportunities to learn while doing. The focus on these distances is really all about having fun. This is the one competitive sport where the vast majority of athletes go out of their way to encourage and mentor. It is very common to pass and be passed by other athletes who typically respond with encouragement. I've never experienced a sport where the athletes are so gracious.

It sounds as though you have three things that you see as barriers: 1) swim technique, 2) lack of a bike, 3) weight loss goals. Do not let these things be barriers! Weight loss is a helpful thing, but in my opinion it should simply be looked at as something that will happen as you train. Yes a 5 lb weight loss will show dividends in your run and bike, but don't wait for weight loss before you start moving ahead with your triathlon plans. A bike is a necessary think to complete a triathlon, but it does not need to be anything special at Sprint and below lengths. I have seen people on every type of bike imaginable at Sprint length races. Have fun with it! Buy or borrow a bike, buy what you can afford, but whatever it is ride it frequently, the bike is a place where you can hurt yourself and others easily. Be proficient in your bike handling skills. Do this by riding it often. The swim is where most triathletes have the most trepidation. I recommend trying to find a swim instructor who specializes in adult learn to swim. There are major differences in how child and adult learners need to be approached. If nothing else, a trip to the local pool is good to observe other swimmers and is a part of my approach to adult swim lessons. Can you pick out the proficient swimmers? What sets the proficient swimmers apart? What key elements do you see? Etc. proficient swimmers have slow meaningful movement with little wasted movement. They are easy to pick out as their movements don't make much splash and they appear to glide through the water at great speed. They breathe rhythmically and they exhale whenever their face is under water and they inhale only as their body rolls for the breathe. Body roll is smooth and even and the head does not lift from he water as they breathe.

So welcome to the forum, enjoy what may become a life altering sport. It has been life altering for me.