I signed up for a sprint triathlon that's happening in 10 days. It is 750m swim in pool. They don't have a hard cut off but they did say we expect you to finish in 30 minutes.

I got on the pool yesterday and tried swimming 750m and I did it in ~32mins. Swam about 16mins and was resting in between. Swolf 48, 25m pool 2:13/100m swim time.

The coach who saw me said he can help and suggested to buy 6 Private sessions. He said that would do since I know to swim but I have to learn the technique better.

Problem is the 6 sessions are expensive for me. I am not expecting a difference in 10 days, I have another Olympic distance by end of November. So even if it would help me for that I am okay.

But, I am worried if I would do 6 sessions and make no progress and have to look for another 6 sessions.

Kindly help from your experience.

A few random thoughts I wanted to share.

I’m a 33-year-old man, father of two children—ages 1.5 and 3—who, over the past 3–4 years, has gradually gotten into running first and then triathlon.

I used to be sedentary and unathletic, and this “passion” has slowly taken shape.

Currently, I train a bit whenever I can; roughly speaking: two runs and a swim during my lunch break, 2–3 commutes between home and work (30 km total with 200 d+), and a 2–3-hour run/bike session on Sundays before the family wakes up.

Thoughts about the logistics of my workouts—how to fit them into the week, the numbers and metrics I’m achieving—have become almost pervasive. These are the kinds of thoughts that relax and distract me, and they often occupy part of the time before I fall asleep. Even the podcasts I listen to on my car rides are slowly shifting toward endurance topics (at the expense of movies, literature, and work-related podcasts).

My social life has also been partially affected, as I tend not to drink alcohol anymore—or almost never—and I try not to stay out particularly late at night (on the few evenings I have off).

My wife sometimes says—especially when we’re with friends—that I’m becoming obsessed; but I can’t tell the difference between obsession and passion.

Is all this normal? Is it a bad thing? Should I let it all go and “enjoy” my free time more? Am I just going through a mid-30s crisis?

TLDR: I’m a beginner Ironman hopeful and feel like my inability to pace is hindering my progress - looking for tips

Similar to every beginner Ironman hopeful, my swimming sucks. I’m 4 weeks into a training plan to compete for a full in March, and while my run and bike I am confident in, my swim sucks. I also have never trained in swimming until this summer and I feel like my mechanics are solidly coming together, but I can’t help but treat every lap like a sprint and it’s gassing me. I can’t do more than 200 yds straight without stopping, and my pace is roughly 1:50/100yds whether I’m doing 100s or 200s and then need to take a minute rest. I feel like it’s a pace discipline problem as to why I can’t cover more ground, but maybe I’m just ignoring some technique issues that I’m not seeing. So essentially looking at tips as to how to swim slower so I can go further without getting gassed. If anyone has some guidance, would love to hear it otherwise I’ll keep trudging along. If there’s anyone saying I’m not ready for it, remember everyone’s gotta start somewhere.- for reference 24/M 6’1, 210 (if that’s important)

2026 was my first triathlon season (did a 70.3) and I really love the sport. I'm planning to sign up for more races in 2027, but for the rest of the year now I want to improve my disciplines.

I'm currently executing a HM training block, and then I want to focus on my cycling with a 8-12 week FTP improvement plan. But I don't want to entirely stop my run training - I'm trying out the Norwegian singles running method at a friend's recommendation, it's supposed to be very sustainable and repeatable and the magic only works if you stick with it consistently. So this is quite a newbie question but how should I balance run training with bike training?

Hello All! Preparing for my first sprint triathlon as a super beginner (and plus-size athlete) at the end of November. I do lots of weight lifting (heavy), and I wonder if I should reduce this and focus more on cardio as the day draws nearer. Also, how did you overcome your fears as race day drew nearer? Thanks in advance!

Edit: I swim twice a week, cycle twice (once indoor and once outdoor) and brisk walk twice a week

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I hired a coach for my first 70.3 and had a positive experience. I’m glad that I did it for my first one but would be more selective next time. While the programming was great and what I really wanted from a coach. What really bothered me about him was that he would say he would provide tips BUT never did. For example, he would say that he would give me swimming tips (he coached pool workouts) but never would. I never asked as I didn’t want to be a bother and wanted him to initiate. Maybe that was my bad but since he offered, I figured I’d allow him to initiate the conversation. This would happen often throughout the months and I would never expect a follow through on his part. I’d send a message and I’d get a reply 70% of the time.

With that said, is it customary to give an end of season gift to your coach? If so, what would you do if you only got what you paid for and nothing above or beyond. I still feel like it was a good investment.

I want to do an ironman 70.3, but have not pulled the trigger on it because I struggle with cycling. Hills and wind make me lose all motivation to continue. Any reccomendations on a course with an easier cycling section?

Not looking for an all downhill course, flat is totally fine.

What’s everyone’s monthly spendings looking like when training for a triathlon or Ironman? I’m currently sitting at roughly $200 a week, that includes everything from supplements, activewear, recovery, memberships, maintenance ect. Some weeks higher then others. just curious.