What have I gotten myself into??

Hey there.  I'm in the same boat.  Except I don't like my sister.

I am 50 lbs overweight and totally out of shape.  I decided to do a sprint tri to get in shape and lose weight because ... let's face it, there's a medal. And anything worth doing is worth doing for a medal.

I downloaded and am following Michael Pates Total Sprint Program aka "chubby on the couch to sprint tri."  I was going to start my training 12/7 but I chickened out. 

I started my training today and I feel great.  I'm totally psyched.  My first tri will be the Iron Girl 8/29 in Boulder although the plan promises to get me ready by 5/23.

You can do it.  Just START and follow a plan. 

Hey you two... congrats to you both on taking the plunge... and quick... go sign up for the mentor groups before they're all full.  They are *great* for support and info! 
-Stu

Kudos to you both for taking the plunge!
The first thing I would say is, it's not as hard as you might think.  The 2nd thing I'll say is, it will get a little harder every day you don't  take action...Signing up is itself a challenge!
Start with small steps: join one of the mentor groups here, start reading the articles (and applying them), start doing the activity now that will help you later, and log all your activity; it's a great motivator to see those bar charts, and the details of what you accomplish...
And above all else, have fun!

I did my first sprint triathlon last summer.  It was a lot of fun and a good challenge.  I managed to lose about 5 lbs.  It was mentally challenging as well.  I was a little intimidated by the fitness of my fellow competitors and was real nervous about swimming in a lake.  I ended up having a great time and hope you have a great experience.

Hey - Icandothis -
Well, I can't tell from your post if you are a guy or a gal - but if you are a gal, join the Springs Trichic's e-mail list and look for training partners locally. We have all levels and often there is someone looking to swim or bike or run with others. We have a running list, too, just for women.

Here's the info:

Running:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/colospgswomensrunninggrp/

Tris:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/trichics/

There's crossover between the two groups. You can find someone to work out with locally at your level, no matter what your skill level, experience, or speed is. Except probably pro. I don't think we have any pros on the list...

You can do it!
Where's your tri in GA?

You'll have more oxygen, but more humidity. The extra O's will help more than the humidity will hurt, but you'll feel the heat and humidity more. I have family in different parts of GA and it always amazes me how much that summer air feels like running in a swamp!

Thanks so much for information Helen. I am a female, with NO prior experience, a training partner would be great!
Thanks again for helping me navigate this process!!
Allison

Helen-

I participating in the "My First Triathlon" series at Lake Lanier Georgia. I chose this one becasue I grew up in Georgia and my older sister still lives there so we are going to do this together. You are right the humidty is horrible but hoping the extra oxygen will be a plus!!

Last year at this time I was busy eating cookies and sitting on my big fat butt.  In January I finally started going to the gym, but was really just screwing around.  In February, I got serious and signed up for the Rattlesnake Sprint in August and started actually running, biking and swimming.  I couldn't run a mile without stopping until late February and that was at a 12 minute pace and just about killed me. 

But, by May I decided not to wait until August for my first tri and signed up for the Longmont triathlon.  I came in last for my age group, but I finished it.  By the end of the summer, I had done four tris (Longmont, Tri the Creek, Rattlesnake, and Crescent Moon) and had moved into being a middle of the packer (well, okay, more towards the front of the back of the pack).  I've lost 55 lbs along the way. 

You can certainly get ready for a sprint triathlon by June, but you probably want to get started now.  Start slow, but be consistent and you'll get there.

This is awesome.  I just read Slow Fat Triathlete and was laughing my butt off and feeling really inspired at the same time.  Also, as a Christmas present to myself I signed up for a women's tri club Team CWW.  This week at the gym has been about overcoming my own fears and mental issues and it feels great! I am *really* excited to get in shape and do this thing!

The training plan is a big confidence booster.  It's 22 weeks and has a really slow start so I'm glad I chose that one.  I'm really starting to feel like this can and will happen and that's gotta be a big part of the battle.