Jumping off the couch without an ouch!!

If you mean nutrition during the race, then no, it isn't that important in a sprint.  You should be able to get by on just water.  At longer distances, it begins to matter.

As far as advice, well, just get out there and do it!  Stick to the plan.




Edited by Experior 2009-07-11 2:40 PM

i say do an event 1 time to just complete it so you know how things go and where you're weak points are.

also, go and watch some events too to get more comfortable.

other than that, build your fitness in swim, bike and running... once you lay your benchmark, you'll kno whats up.

I did that training plan last spring and liked it.  I was a mom of two, 15 months from last birth.  I needed the walk/run plan and found the initial swim plan over my head.  So was pretty much "on the couch." But I raced fine on race day!  I did not follow the heartrate monitoring part of the plan.

thanx for all the advice...

...i did mean nutrition in training but thank you for letting me know not to worry so much about the race (although even training nutrition is not that difficult, very selfexplanitory)

either way i guess after i get this one under my belt i will have a better understanding of not only my weak points but also the sport in general.

I just completed my first sprint tri yesterday so I guess I was recently a newcomer, too. I think I can come up with the advice I found most important for my training:

- Stick to the plan. If you've chosen a plan that's reasonable for your current level of fitness and stick to it, you'll do just fine. Trust in the plan! If you skip a day (or even two) don't fret, just hop back on and keep going.
- For me swimming was my weak point. I took 4 or 5 swim lessons over 12 weeks and it really improved my form.
- If you haven't swam in open water before, find a way to practice. It is very different than a pool.
- Get used to all the equipment you'll be using on race day. That way you'll be comfortable with wetsuits, swim caps, lace locks, tri suits, cycling shoes, and all the other equipment you'll be using. It's no fun to struggle with equipment when you just want to be racing.
- Be open minded and learn to listen to your body. I went into training thinking that I'd swim to survive and then enjoy my bike and run. Throughout training I liked swimming more and more. On race day the swim was my favorite part.
- Read these forums often. They provide a lot of inspiration and many helpful tips that you may not have thought of.
- Most importantly, have fun!

Those are the biggies I can think of from my experience. Hope your training goes well!