What should I do?

[sparkled_eyes]

Poll

Okay, so I thought the local sprint triathlon was going to be in 7 months, so I thought I'd be fine doing the regular sprint by then.

The problem is, it's in 10 weeks.

I've never done any sort of triathlon before, and I'm not in good shape.

Swimming: I haven't swam in years, but in my experiences I can work up to at least 1000m 3x a week

Comments

[rogerdoger]

I think if you got on a serious program you could finish the sprint. But if you feel that nervous about it, just do the mini and have fun. but still get a serious program together!

Without going into reams of detail, one thing to start getting your bod use to is the transition from bike to run. After riding your bike get straight on out to run. Even if its just down the block to start, but you need to get use to that adjustment.

[make_your_move]

The mini is probably a realistic goal for your current level right now. However you might be able to challenge yourself with the sprint. I highly recommend picking up the book "Guide to Finishing your First Triathlon" by T.J. Murphy, published by Triathlete magazine. It has a great training program/guideline that can help you reach your goal.

Good luck. You can do this. The hardest part is taking the first step!

[ny_yn]

10 weeks is decent time, you should be ready to finish the sprint.

The 6 mile bike ride is easy to finish. given that you already ride. The two-mile run -- where you say you can't run but then say you do 10min/mile which is not too shabby at all :) :) -- is absolutely, no questions, doable in 10 weeks.

But I see your point about the swimming distance. The 800m swim in open water is a bit scary, yeah. Do you think you'll be able to spend some time in open water before the race?

[getmeoutofhere]

Go for the sprint! I did a sprint triathlon (with a longer-than-average swim and bike) using a 12-week training program from beginnertriathlete.com. If you haven't checked out that site, you should, it's got a lot of great info.

I was not in shape when I started training. On race day, I weighed about 194 (I am female, 5'6", 30-ish haha).

One of the most valuable training tools was getting hooked up with a local tri club. The club I joined had a lot of free/inexpensive coached workouts, and I worked a lot harder in that environment than I did on my own. It was great.

Whichever you choose, you can do it! Like another commenter said-the hardest part is taking the first step. Register, make a training schedule and then go for it!

[dherblay]

Not knowing the extent of your cardiovascular disqualifications, I voted for the Sprint. The Couch-To-5K program works wonders.