I have decided that I am going to do at least 1 triathlon this year.  I have always loved swimming and cycling (i literally learned how to swim before I learned how to walk) but HATE to run.  I have never run a mile nonstop.  That said, I am getting back in the pool this week to start working up my endurance and started Couch 2 5k a week and a half ago.  I never liked being forced to run in school, but since this has been a decision I have made for myself, I've almost been looking forward to my runs just so that I can achieve my goals.

Try trinewbies.com for training plans and trifind.com to find triathlons in your area and local traithlon clubs to train with.

ETA: Haven't found anything that would actually compare to ARFCOM. Might be ahead just to talk to those of us on here who run triathlons. I think I got nearly as much information from other guys on here as I did elsewhere.

I thought that the ARFCOM triathalon was unpackaging a rifle, shooting fifty rounds through it, then doing an AAR.  

Well then, whatcha got for a newbie?  

 

Well, what length triathlon are you planning on (mini-sprint, sprint, olympic, 1/2 iron, ironman, ultra)?

What are your goals for the triathlon - finish, place in your age group or be a top finisher?

What experience do you have swimming, biking and running?

I did my first sprint tri late last year and LOVED it so much, I scrambled to find another open one before the season ended. This year I'm planning no less that 2 tris, 1 half ironman and 1 olympic length along with a few sprints thrown in.



Best advice...have fun with it and learn from the other racers



You won't really need any specialized equipment for your first race. Bicycle helmet is a must though.




Unless you have a swimming background, that's might be your biggest training hurdle. Work on your form and breathing. Improving your drag gets you better bang for your buck. Practice in open water if possible. If the swim is swimsuit eligible, rent one rather than buy (alot of bike shops rent them for about $40). There a bunch of youtube videos on swimming that will help your form. Practice that and drills rather than just doing laps just for the sake of doing laps.



Learn the rules also. aka You can't draft on the bike portion.



There is so much info you'll pick up during the preparation. Just keep reading and asking.
 

More like something to do with foing out of mom's basement...

OP - where in CA are you?  San Diego Tri Club was great when I was there in the mid-90s.

The ARFCOM would be Slowtwitch, but it isn't really beginner-friendly.

beginnertriathlete and trinewbies are good

I recommend checking out your local tri club though

I'm planning on an olympic for my first Tri.

 

Ride your road bike.  Do the race or three.  If you get hooked, new bikes will always be there.  This coming for a guy who part-times at a tri shop building bikes.

And talking about how you almost drew down on the guy eye-balling your house.

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Blading at a 45 would be the third event I guess

Your WAY ahead of me on where I was in fitness last year and you're ahead of me on gear now. I'm still using a road bike i picked up at a garage sale. I haven't picked up a wetsuit yet either.  One thing you might want to look into is a heart monitor. They're real handy in making sure your training is in the aerobic zone and monitoring your progress.

What I'd suggest is looking at the beginner Olympic plan on Tri-newbies and modifying it slightly. Since you know swimming is your strong event and running is your weak event, I'd drop one of the swim workouts in their plan and replace it with a run.  In addition, because the swim portion of the race is so short compared to the bike and run portions, a weak swimmer can make up time on the bike a lot easier than a strong swimmer can get far enough ahead in the swim to make up for his biking or in your case running.

The other thing you might do is use tri-find to find a sprint tri a month or two ahead of your Olympic. The practice in the transitions will be helpful in your longer race and will give you some confidence. I can't remember if it's Trinewbies or the USAT site but there is a good video online on setting up your transition area to speed your transitions. That reminds me. An inexpensive and helpful item to purchase is speed-laces for your running shoes.

I'd second the recommendation that you find a local tri club. They'll give encouragement and help finding the best local deals for equipment.