debating about doing a sprint this weekend, please help

Most races, you can float or hang on a bouy/kayak to catch your breath.  As long as the kayaker isn't moving you forward, you're good to continue.  Some tri's, the water is shallow enough to walk (and some people do). 

The first questions is:  Are you confident enough in your swimming ability to keep yourself safe?  If so, then you need to decide whether to race or not.  If not, then do not get in the water.  Don't trust your life to a lifeguard who may be watching 150 other swimmers. 

yohuallin - 2008-10-07 1:51 AM well i started working out about 6 months ago, not really trainning for this but more to get in better shape, im 24 years old, used to be heavy smoker, i know have found a way to stop one step a time, i usually run 4 to 6 times a week about 2 miles, usually after my run do stationry bicycle for about 5 to 10 miles, but i dont usually swim, i tried today and realized that my form and skills have gone down the drain, this weekend is the GOLDEN STATE TRIATHLON here in sac,my brother is doing it and his gf is doing the super sprint, i think the super sprint wont make me push myself, but for the sprint im not too convinced about the swimming, but i want to make sure i finish or else i would feel really down, my question comes to what happens if i stop swimming trough out the race to be able to catch my breath and please give me your feedback on your previous races, thanks

Honestly if you haven't put any time in swimming and it's an OWS you might want to stick with the super sprint.  If it's in a pool I wouldn't worry about it nearly as much because you can always put your feet down and rest.

Take it from experience, the boats tend to be further apart than you would like when you are running out of steam..

Well, as someone who just completed my first tri for which I trained about 5 weeks, I would say that you should have a pretty good feel of the shape you're in.  If you've only been running two miles at a time, three miles AFTER swimming and biking is a totally diff story.  I was running 5 miles 3 times/week in about 40 minutes and it felt great.  When it came to the race, I did the 3 miles in 30 minutes with much more effort than practice b/c the bike had killed my legs.

You'll probably end up walking most of the run but if your goal is just to finish, I think you have to judge if you can push it for two hours.

Debating....hmmmm..... I say DO IT ! You will have a blast - just remember HAVE FUN & be safe!

...Did that just sound like an educational poster in a new wave school.....sorry