First Triathlon Help

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I know I need

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If you're going to dive in, by all means, go for it. I did and have no regrets. But you don't need quite a lot of stuff. Saying that because I've easily spent 10k on crap over the last several years and could have gotten by on much less. When I think about it like that it kind of makes me sick, Haha. But at the same time, triathlon changed my lifestyle for the better.

I know I did one in Houma a few years back. Think it's at the end of summer if they still do it and relatively cheap as far as triathlons. It's a pool swim that's very short (weave down the lanes for like 200 yes total). Bike is only like 12-15 miles. And the run was 2 miles. Think it was called Macho Man or something at the Y. Wont lie, it was a shitty race when co.pared to any other I've done (just small and no frills). But it's small and good for a beginner. It's a rolling timetrial type start in a pool, so you don't jump into the sport getting beat up in open water mass start. That's the only race I've done in LA though (was visiting family)

You can get by with a pair of running shorts, a mountain bike and helmet, and shoes. Sky is the limit from there.

As noted above, the Miles Perret tri would be a great beginner race. There will be lots of people there on all kinds of bikes so don't worry about having a "good" bike. This year they are offering a "beginner" race that will consist of only one loop of the bike course vs. two. You won't be eligible for awards but it will ease you into it.
I'm not sure how tall you are but it would be mighty hard to "walk" the swim as the pool is 10 feet deep at one end. Just seed yourself accordingly so nobody is swimming over you.
I'll be there for my 30th year of doing at least one race a year. I've definitely slowed down over the years but I still have a good time participating. Let me know if you need a bike; I'll be happy to loan you one of mine for the race.

Yeah, I wouldn't focus a ton on the swim for sprints. But I'd be comfortable and know my pace (i.e. 2:00 per hundred yards). Dont assume you'll be a little faster in a race scenario. So if you have to seed yourself, you do it properly. My first race was hell in the swim. I actually paced myself well, but most others didn't and it was like swimming in a washing machine. Was significantly more tired by the run than I should have been. Learned that unless I'm breaking away from the group, hang out in the back. The minute I gain in the swim is lost being exhausted the rest of the race.

Now for long distance, it turns into quite a few minutes. The washing machine affect is done after a few hundred yards. You can put 20 minutes into a slow swimmer and still be fresh as a daisy.

I typically swim 3 times a week while training. And for half or full IM distance that's an average of about 2800 to 3000 yards per workout. That's a lot though. You can get by with 1500 for sprints and that's about a 45 minute workout. Usually can still run or bike on days you swim also.

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it seems to me that being a poor swimmer, as long as you can do at least OK,is of no detriment.
The swim portion takes up so little of the overall time. I do realize that swimming can be exhausting, though.

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In age groups, mediocre swimmers still do great with a strong bike & run. The saying goes, you can't win a triathlon with the swim. But you can lose it.

When I first started years ago, a guy in my age group swam for Cal Berkeley in college. He could win with the swim.