First Triathalon

Hi Guys,

I'm from Vancouver, BC, Canada...I have decided that 2004 will be the year of the triathalon for me . I am thinking that for a first triathalon, I will do a sprint distance, at least that is what I have decided at this point. The only one that I know of in my area right now is in July. I have a partner that I will be training with and we have done a fair bit of running, and weight training in the past couple of years. The weak point is definately in the swimming area. I have heard that getting private instruction is the way to go in terms of correcting bad technique etc. but how long should the lessons go on for, or is that even the best way to go about it?

The big problem is, I feel like I'm a total newbie and have no idea what I'm doing. I want to have a proper training schedule, and nutrition program set up so that I will get the most out of all of this, but I really don't know where to start. I have started reading some information on training, etc. A lot of programs are geared towards the last number of weeks before the tri, but I am really unsure about where to start. How many days a week should I be training at the beginning for each sport? weight training? When should I start combining sports together? Do I train on time, or distance, or both? I don't want to overdo it, but at the same time, I don't want to train too little.

I realize that I have a lot of unanswered questions and I don't expect you to answer everything. I am just very excited about doing a triathalon, but want to make sure it is done right at the same time. It would be my goal to strive for a top ten finish.

I would be very appreciative of any help that anyone would be willing to offer. If there is any information that I have not included here, please ask me, and I will provide it for you.

Thank You,

Jamie