Quoted:
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'm planning on an olympic for my first Tri.
I'm not looking to place or be a top finisher, but i'm looking to do better than just beat the time cut-off.
Swimming:
I learned how to swim before I learned how to walk (no, really).
I was on swim team and water polo for several years through middle and high school. (I'm 6'4" and have about an even ape index).
Swimming in open water isn't intimidating to me, I spent plenty of time in the ocean as a kid and have swallowed more than my fair share of both salt water and pool water.
Cycling:
Again, i've been on road bikes since middle school, doing a 50-60 mile ride just for fun on a saturday morning wasn't out of the question just a couple years ago.
Running:
My personal crucible. I have never run a mile.
I have started on a Couch to 5k program to get used to running, the nice thing is that before, I have never wanted to run, I was always forced to run, but now, I am running because I want to, and that makes a huge difference in the mindset.
I've been doing some reading over at tri-newbies and have been looking at a few upgrades to my equipment to get tri-legal.
I never rode with a helmet, so i'm picking up a Giro Atmos (i've always wanted one but never wanted to fork out the dough since I never rode with one in my personal rides) and a new pair of Speedo Jammers and some TYR googles, both brands I had success with back when I was swimming competitively.
Beyond that, a pair of Speedplay Zero pedals perhaps and a 2nd pair of running shoes and i'll be set. I don't think the tri i'll be doing in a few months will be anywhere close to being cold enough for allowing a wetsuit so i'm not even bothing with spending that money right now.
I wish I was at a level where I could justify spending the $9k on a Trek Concept 9.9, but that will have to wait a while.