Hello from Ohio

Hi Matt,

Yes, what you're planning on is completely insane.

Welcome to the asylum, you'll fit right in.

If you can handle the volume, use the training plan as written, and start at week 5. Have you been keeping a log of your training? Do you know how much you've been doing the last few weeks?

Ease into the cycling. You don't want to get injured by doing too much all at once.

Here's what I recommend. Do 30 minutes on the bike instead of 117. The next few bike sessions will be a gradual increase from there. If you start to feel any pain, stop. You're obviously looking to complete the race and not take home a medal (which is perfectly valid, it's what I do) so there's no point in risking injury.

As to your swimming, you have to learn to regulate your effort. The idea of the swim is to get through it and still be able to do the rest of the race. You won't lose much time, if any. You probably are sinking when you slow down and that's because you're using sheer lateral force to keep yourself afloat. Much better to do an easy slow 1500 than exhaust yourself every 200 yards and stop. It's not a good place mentally when you're out in the middle of the water.

Another Ohio welcome to you Matt!!!!!  I'm tucked way up in the far northeast corner of the state though.  I love the Findlay area for biking though.  I've been on a few tours out in that neck of the woods and rode GOBA one year when the ride went through Findlay.

Check out the logging feature on this site.  Keeping track of my workouts and blogging with others on this site has probably been the most motivational part of this whole triathlon process for me.

Good luck on your first tri.  My first tri will also be this summer in Ashtabula (unless I get brave and decide to sign up for the Youngstown triathlon in May).

Diane

Welcome to BT.  I just started training in January, and I just began my swimming training about 3 weeks ago.  You will get better as you swim more. 

Starting slow on the bike makes since, 30-40 minutes then increase as you can.

I am thinking about doing Youngstown myself, then maybe another tri in July.  Likely Ceaser creek, then maybe going up to Bettylou's area for the Slyvania Tri in August.

Good luck