Dirty Love Race Report & Training Update

What running couple doesn't want to kick off their Valentine's Day with a race? Especially a trail race close to home such as the case with the Dirty Love Trail 10K. This was the 3rd or 4th time my husband Steve and I have run it. Last year we missed because we were on vacation but this year we were ready to tackle the sloppy, snowy trails again. And just as I recalled it was a tough one.

Enjoying the down hill!

Steve and I got in a little warm up, used the facilities and lined up in the field of snow to head into the woods of North Chagrin Reservation. As always the start was fun and crazy. Sprinting in a field of snow in cleats will sure spike your heart rate! I tried to position myself close to the front of the ladies. I think I started in 2nd or 3rd and pretty much stayed in that position until late in the race when a couple of ladies overtook me. I ended up finishing 5th female, 1st in my AG. This was pretty consistent with the last times I have run it. Steve also finished 5th or 6th male and 1st in his AG so it was a good way to start the Valentine's day festivities.

Following the race we got in a cool down with our Snakebite Racing teammate Ken Hagan then we headed into the shelter for some food and the awards. After that we headed over to Willoughby Brewing with some Cleveland Tri Club friends for some hard-earned Peanut Butter Cup Porters! 

In general my training for the upcoming Green Jewel 50K, Boston Marathon and Cleveland Marathon have been going well. I just wrapped up a close to 60 mile run week including a tough 20 miler on Saturday and a hard week of core work/lifting. This was the second 20 miler Steve and I have done in the last couple of weeks so I am feeling pretty good going into the Green Jewel next weekend. I am cutting back the running to about 40 miles this week and adding a little more bike then next week will be pretty light with a couple short runs and rides leading into the race on Saturday. I am hoping for a speedy recovery as I have been recovering from the 20 milers pretty quickly. We are running a local 5K this Sunday so that will be a nice change of pace to do something short and fast versus longer and slower. I am hoping for semi decent weather for that because in Cleveland in February you never know what to expect!

Recap of the 2015 Race Season

2015 was a good year for me. It was also a challenging year. I learned a lot about myself and my capabilities. I hope to take some of that wisdom with me this year and hopefully have an even stronger season. 

The year started off with Run for Regis in late January. I opted to run the trail half marathon. It was below zero degrees at the start, which made for a slow and frigid race for me. While its referred to as a "fun run" I still tried to push myself as hard as I could.  I ended up 5th in the race and 4th in my AG with a not so fantastic time. Steve finished 2nd male. After the race we rewarded ourselves with Winking Lizard food and brews with a group of friends. This was the "fun" part of the race!

A week later (early February) I ran a cross country half marathon in Lakeland, FL called the Holloway Half Marathon. It was maybe 55 degrees at the start so naturally Steve and I raced in shorts and tank. The locals were in tights and long sleeves. This was also a tough race. I started fast and led the race for the first 7 or 8 mile before a couple of women passed me. The last miles I was overheating and fading and I slipped to 4th female but managed 1st in AG. Steve ended up finishing 2nd overall and 1st in his AG. After the race we drove back to Clearwater Beach where we were staying and flew home the next day.

Next up was the Green Jewel 50K in early March. It was my first ultra distance race and it is a road race that starts in Rocky River and travels along the Emerald Necklace finishing in the Brecksville Reservation. It ended up being a snowy, cold and very icy day which made for a slower race than I expected. My friend Jillian ended up winning and my time was good enough for 2nd place female. Steve finished 7th male, 1st in Masters. After the race we headed to Fatheads for some hard earned food and hoppy beer! This was one of my favorite races of the season! 

Then it was the Fools 25K trail race just before April Fools, which was painful. The ground was not snow covered or muddy this year but rather frozen and jagged and icy in spots, which really got into my ankles after 16 miles of running. I was a little faster than the previous year and finished 6th female, 1st in my AG. Naturally we headed to the Winking Lizard after this race with it being in Peninsula.

Then I decided to run the 10 Mile Drop in mid April since I had done the 20 the year before as my last preperation for the Toledo Marathon. This was 2 weeks out or so. I had a decent race finishing 4th female and 1st in AG. My friend Jillian won the race and we headed to the Winking Lizard in Mentor for post race food and beers.

The Toledo Marathon in late April was the first of 4 consecutive marathons I ran last year to qualify for Boston. I had high hopes for Toledo and ended up PR'ing by 5 minutes but still had a ways to go to BQ. My friend Jillian ended up getting her first BQ so that was exciting but I knew I had work to do. Overall I loved this course and would definitely run it again!

A few weeks later it was time to run the Cleveland Marathon. I was lucky enough to be an ambassador for the race last year, which was a lot of fun. I am happy to be on board again this year! It ended up being rainy, hot and humid so I did not have the race I had hoped for here but still managed a decent time for the conditions that day. Steve ended up getting his BQ again for 2016 here. Afterwards a group of us met at the Winking Lizard downtown for post race food and beer. Typical M.O.

A week later for Memorial Day weekend it was time for the Blossomtime Run in Chagrin Falls. We met up at my friend Ginny's house with a group of Cleve Tri Club folks before the race. This is a tough 5.25 mile road race and my legs were pretty trashed but I had an okay day and placed 3rd in my AG. Steve placed 3rd in his AG as well. 

Then it was on to the first multisport race of the season, the Twinsburg duathlon. I did the first run and the dropped out of the race because Steve had flatted and I thought he said he was out. After a miscommunication and learning that he changed his wheel and jumped back in I had lost too much tine and opted to get in a longer run while they finished up the race.

My first triathlon of the season was in June at the Great Western Reserve Olympic tri at West Branch. I would say I was definitely not in tip-top tri shape yet here with the big focus on running and also training for another marathon later in the month so I was pretty excited to finish 6th female and 1st in my AG despite a tough day.

Rev3 Williamsburg, also in June which was Challenge Williamsburg has been one of my favorite races the last few years. This year I got a sinus infection a week before the race so it ended up being a last minute call to even race or not. Needless to say it was not my best day. Racing with a sinus infection in 90+ degrees and high humidity was a pretty icky experience. I did not even place in my AG here but just racing was a win that day. And of course seeing my teammates was fun.

The Charlevoix Marathon in late June was a great race. I fell in love with Northwest Michigan. It is gorgeous and the race was perfect. I fell just a little short of my BQ but PR'd by about 4 minutes. Steve raced the half and won his AG so it was a successful race for both of us and we made a fun long weekend out of it.

July was a month full of ironman training and short races. First up we ran the Johnycake Jog 5 Miler where I finally won my AG. The next weekend we ran the Painesville Sunrise 5 miler, which was a hot and hilly race. I ended up placing 3rd female there as well as the Mayfield Wildcat 5K the next weekend. This was all part of my plan to not let the IM training make me slow this season in preparation for Erie!

The month of August started off with my first multisport win at the Greater Cleveland Olympic Triathlon. It actually turned out to be a duathlon with the swim being cancelled but this worked out for me since running and biking are my two strongest events. This was fun and afterwards we headed out for food and drinks with some Cleve Tri Club folks. Next up was the Miller Marut 5K in Concord Township on my birthday which was hot and hilly and I placed 3rd female there. The last race of the month was the inaugural Rock Hall Half Marathon, which I used as my final speedwork leading into Erie. I ended placing 4th in my AG here with some tough competition. 

September was an intense month. First I ran the Erie Marathon and finally got that almighty BQ with a PR time of 3:35:15 - knocking about 7 minutes off my PR time in Charlevoix! Needless to say there was a celebration for Steve and I at Willoughby Brewing afterwards! Two weeks later it was time to race the 70.3 triathlon at the Deer Creek Fall Challenge. This was a tough race in terms of winds on the bike and it was a hot run. I started having some bladder pain about halfway through the run which caused me to slow down and even walk a couple times but I managed a PR time of 5:34 and ended up 2nd female so it was a great day and we celebrated afterwards at Matt the Millers by Polaris in Columbus on our drive home.

October was a tough month as I fought some health issues with my bladder and trying to balance out the final training days for Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 Tri. I was not sure if I would be able to race and/or complete the race so when I got the go ahead from my urologist I was a happy girl. He told me to just go out there and race and we would figure things out after. Steve and I made a vacation out of the race in Wilmington, NC. It was a lot of fun as it is a great town, we had a terrific place on the water and lots of friends there. Despite having to stop a lot to pee and some discomfort I was able to finish in 12:17 a nice PR and just a little short of my 12 hour goal. I was totally smashed for a couple days following the race so it was a tough recovery. I guess that's what I get for racing while sick.

A few weeks of recovery led into some shorter races in November and December to close out the year because it is too boring to sit around! First Twinsburg Turkey Trot 5 miler, which did not go great for me due to some allergy/breathng issues and also probably some lingering fatigue. Still I placed 2nd in my AG and Steve placed overall. Then we both raced the Painesville Turkey Trot 5K to win our AGs again. Then we ran the NERC relay at Westwoods with our Snakebite Racing teammate Mark Erzen and placed 2nd co-ed team after losing by less than a minute to some high school XC kids! Next up a 4th place finish/1st in AG at the Jingle Bell Run 5K at Legacy Village, a 2nd in AG at the Frosty 5 Miler in Hudson on Xmas eve and finally a 5th place female/1st AG place at the Great New Years Eve 5K in Stow. 

That was a busy season and 2016 looks to be the same with maybe a marathon less and no 140.6. Plus I am spacing my big races out more to allow some extra recovery time. I hate resting but I need to work on that because maybe I will race even better if I can learn the art of recovery! 

2016 starts up this weekend with Run for Regis half marathon again. Forecast says 17 degrees, Brrr. Should be painful I am sure!

GWRT Race Report - Good Start to the 2015 Tri Season

Yesterday I raced the Great Western Reserve Olympic Tri put on by Champ Racing. I will admit that I was nervous going into this race. I am always a little worked up about the first OWS of the season and I was not really sure that I was tri-ready with so much focus on the run this season and not as much focus on the bike. I have been pretty good about my swimming and gotten in as many bike miles as I can around a very run-heavy schedule. I just had to give it my best and see where I am right now.

West Branch State Park was the venue for the race. I really liked this venue. The swim was in a calm and warm inland lake and for the most part the bike roads were good and the run course was a nice setup. In addition to the olympic race, there is a sprint, a half and a half aquabike option so that brought out some good people to race. It was nice to see so many friends and fellow Cleveland Tri Club members at the race. Many of which had a great day at the races!

Steve and I both raced the olympic and we are racing an olympic again this weekend at Challenge Williamsburg (formerly Revolution 3 Williamsburg). I love the course there and it's my first team race of the year so that's pretty exciting. Racing GWRT was a great way to test my fitness before Williamsburg.  I am pleased with how things turned out yesterday and looking forward to giving it another go Sunday!

Prerace: We arrived at West Branch around 6:30am to pick up our packets and setup our transition areas. The olympic was scheduled to go off around 8am. The start was delayed about 30 minutes due to the other waves starting later. This was actually not a bad thing for me because I had time to relax and chat with friends as well as get in a nice warm up swim. The water temperature was 71 and my sleeveless Blueseventy wetsuit was very comfortable.

Swim (1500 meters):

Start of one of the swim waves

The olympic men's wave went off and then olympic women were 5 minutes later. We were the last wave. This again was okay with me. I like a relaxing swim where I am not crowded with people. It was a double loop course and the second loop really felt like it went quick. I looked at my watch leaving the water and I was around 26 minutes and change. Once crossing over the timing mat I was at 27:31 (about a 1:50 pace), which is not bad for me in open water. I am working on my sighting as I have a tendency to get off course.

T1:
I felt wobbly in T1 but got the wetsuit off pretty fast, dried off a bit, put on my gear and got in a Powerbar energy blend gel before heading for the bike mount. My 1:52 was a little slow but I'm just getting back into the swing of things.

Bike (26 miles):
I liked the bike course. It was mainly flat with a couple sections of rollers. It was a straight forward course so not too technical. The best part I think was riding along the dam. It felt like flying through that section and I got to see Steve and some friends here. My goal for the bike was to average between 19-20mph. I knew that my bike fitness was not as good yet as it was during some of last year's races where I was close to averaging 21 for this distance. I felt pretty strong on the first 13 mile loop and through the first half of the second loop but started to labor toward the end of the ride and had some pesky low back pain as well. I haven't spent too much time in the aero bars yet this season so I am sure that I will build up my tolerance to this again. My new Lazer aero helmet worked great. It was light and comfortable and well ventilated. My bike time ended up at 1:20:16 (19.4 mph average) so for where I am right now this was decent. I will be switching my focus to the bike in early July after I recover from the Charlevoix Marathon.

T2: 
Again I felt a little slow here with a 1:23 but as the season goes on hopefully I will be quicker with my transitions. The one thing that annoyed me in T2 is that my GPS signal for my run watch did not come on right away so I just had to start the run without it.

Run (6.2 Miles): 
The run was pretty straight forward and flat. Leaving the park was hot but most of the olympic run was shaded, which was nice on a hot day like yesterday. It was an out and back, 2 loop 5K course with 2 aid stations on each loop. It was nice to see so many friends on the course and I got to see Steve a couple of times as well, which was a nice boost of motivation. I ended up running a negative split for the second loop, which allowed me to move up at least a handful of spots in the race. I ended up running a 46:08 10K (7:41 average).  I was glad to have my run working for me with all the miles I have been logging training for my marathon June 27.

Post race with my hubby

Finish & Post Race:
It was nice to have Steve cheering as I finished. I am happy with my time of 2:37:12. It was good enough to win my age group and place 6th female. In looking at the results the swim is really what killed me for this race along with not having my bike legs at 100% yet. I am okay with that. I will get stronger as I change my focus to multisport! Steve had a solid race too and placed 3rd in his AG. We stuck around to hang out with friends and eat. Champ does a great job with the post-race food especially the pizza! Mmm! Many of our friends set PRs and placed so it was a good day at the races!

Closing Thoughts:
I liked this race and will plan to do it again - possibly the half too. Champ did a nice job with the course, volunteers, food, and I loved the race shirt! Today is a recovery day and then I get back into a hard week of training followed by the Challenge Williamsburg olympic tri this Sunday!

Cool shirt & my AG medal

Cedar Point Preview Day & Training Update

CTC Rev 3 Preview Day:

This past Saturday the 16th Cleveland Triathlon Club held a course preview day for the upcoming Rev3 Cedar Point Triathlon. Riders had the option of riding a 62 mile loop or double loop that ended up being 100 miles. Close to 100 riders came out to take advantage of the day. A number of CTC members and local companies volunteered their time to make it a successful training day. Thanks to Ken Beech for helping manage the event; Leah at Liquid Lifestyles for helping with the swim clinic; Boom Nutrition  for donating some nutrition and a huge thanks to Powerbar for providing us with a lot of great products for the event including gels, bars and the delicious new wafers!

getting ready to start the ride!

It was a chilly morning when the ride started just after 9am but things quickly heated up. The weather was good and the route was clearly marked thanks to CTC. Unfortunately things didn't start out so well for me. Not thinking, I had had a deep tissue massage the day before the ride to celebrate my birthday. It was a painful hour or so to warm up as my hips, quads and back felt like they were on fire and I was a wee bit crabby. Once that feeling passed I was okay. Special thanks to my husband Steve for putting up with me for the day. CTC had arranged for an aid station and restroom to be available around mile 40 and then again around 80, which was awesome. They had water, cookies, Powerbar, Boom and pretzels available, which really helped us out. Thanks to the folks that volunteered at the aid station!

Steve before the ride

Overall the ride went okay for us although not as well as I hoped for. We finished the 100 miles in around 5 hours and 30 minutes (around 18mph) despite a heck of a lot of wind and it getting hotter in the afternoon and it just being the two of us for the last 40 miles. I think we would have been more efficient with our race wheels and aero helmets. After the bike we headed over to Fatheads Brewery with our friends Janet, Joe and Brandon for some hard earned beer and burgers, which was a perfect end to the day!


Training Update:

So the bike has been going well and on schedule with about 10 hours of riding last couple weeks and the same planned for this week leading into the 2-week taper. I'm hoping to finish the 112 mile bike in around 6 hours on race day but also know I have to save a little juice for the "little" 26.2 mile run after the bike.

The swim has been going well. I've actually been swimming three times a week for at least an hour to an hour and a half, which is terrific for me. I am hoping this consistency pays off. Last Sunday I completed a long open water swim at Mentor Headlands alone. I swam for an hour and 5 minutes and calculated about 3400-3500 meters. I felt good even coming back against the current.  Because I tend to swim better after I am warmed up I hope to have some more efficiency in the second 2000 meter lap. I am hoping to complete my swim at Cedar Point between 1:15-1:20.

So ironically my run has been the only area of concern and only for the last week. I started to feel some abnormal fatigue and pain in my left foot at the end of my long run on Sunday the 10th. It started around 90 minutes in but I pushed through for another 45 minutes on it. Following the run it was sore so I iced it and took some ibuprofen for a couple of days. It felt okay by Wednesday so I went ahead with my 10 mile run that was scheduled for that day. All seemed well and I had no issues until later that evening. It was painful to walk and get onto my tip toes. I then decided to follow PRICE (prevention, rest, ice, compression, elevation) so I have not run on it since last Wednesdsay.

I went into the chiropractor Monday after work and he moved around some bones in my ankle and put the STIM on the foot and massaged it and also made some light adjustments to my back. He said he did not want to do anything too aggressive right now with the race being so close. In terms of the left foot, there is a history of injury with this foot including tendinitis and stress fractures. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my ankles years back but have been able to work through it. My left is definitely weaker and something I need to once again address in the off season. For now I have went back to using a shoe insert to give me a little extra support on the foot. I will also be using KT tape and/or compression socks for now. My chiropractor told me to run on it tonight on an even surface as we both suspect running on the roads (often the same routes) is largely part of the culprit for this current bout with tendinitis. The foot feels okay so I am hoping for good results and I will probably keep the run to 45-60 minutes at most. If that goes well I will do another shorter one Friday and then hope to attempt my long run on Sunday just before the taper starts. If the run does not go well I may have to shut it down for another week. For the race I would like to finish the 26.2 miles in 4:15-4:30 but will have to see what I have left in the tank at that point.

I think we're 17-18 days out now so much of the work for the race is done. This week is the final push with next week starting a recovery week and the following week being very relaxed leading into race day September 7. At this point I am feeling pretty good and assuming my run goes well this week I will feel very good about the training going into the race. All in all I hope to finish in around 12:30-13 hours but will have to wait and see what the day brings. The main goal for this one is to be able to finish.

Successful & Fun Training Weekend this 4th of July

This 4th of July weekend was awesome! Complete with racing, lots of training, friends and family it was a very fun and productive long weekend.

Thursday night:

Thursday night Steve and I decided to take the night off before our hard training weekend and go out to eat at the Beach club and have a tasty beer. They had the Southern Tier Unearthly on tap. Yum! I'm glad that we took the night off because it helped us relax and recover a little before Friday morning's race and ride.

Friday:

post race with my friend Jillian

Friday morning we got up around 5:45 and got ready to race the Bay Days 5 Miler in Bay Village. We were out the door to make the trip over to the west side by 6:40 and got over there around 7:40 with plenty of time to pick up our packets, meet my friend Jillian and get our warm up in. It was perfect weather and lots of of friends were there running so it was great to see everyone. The race went smooth and as usual my first mile was my fastest mile. I ended up with a 35:45 (7:09 pace) so not a PR and with such a competitive field I was only 5th/37 in my age group so that was a little disappointing but it was still fun as it was a nice, flat course that finished on the Bay High track. Who doesn't love track finishes?! Steve had a great race at 30:51 (6:10 pace) and ended up placing 2nd in his age group so at least one of us got to bring home some new hardware.

Steve and Mark D. bringing home the hardware!

After the race we met up with some of the Cleveland Tri Club folks for a 20 mile group ride on the west side. It was fun seeing new things on our ride, chatting with friends and making some new friends. After the ride a group of us headed over to Fatheads Brewery for food and some Headhunter IPAs, which topped off an already awesome day. Afterwards Steve and I headed home for some rest and relaxation and I was not feeling well that evening so I ended up going to bed early and missing the fireworks.

Saturday:

I was glad to wake up feeling better and after a big breakfast and some coffee Steve and I headed out to ride. We started at 8 and were meeting our friend John at the Civic Center in Mentor to ride with us. After picking John up we headed towards Mentor Headlands. Not too much later Steve had a mechanical issue with his bike as one of his spokes came off and he had to wait for a ride from John's wife to head back home and change out his wheels. John and I continued on to headlands, turning around and heading back up to 283 and then Hopkins to 84 to Little Mountain where we met back up with Steve. We rode into Painesville, took the trail up to a loop that came out back to the trail and then headed back over towards headlands for another loop. Sections of the bike were hot and windy and the 4 hours went by pretty quick. I got in 72 miles, which was about an 18mph average.

After the ride we made lunch and relaxed for a little bit before heading to my Dad's house for a cookout. It was nice to see family and relax for a few hours before heading back home.

Sunday:

Steve and I got up around 7, had breakfast and headed out around 8 for a 2 hour run. It was a hot run and the back half of the route we did went through Kirtland Hills up some tough climbs including Baldwin Rd. Ouch! All went well except I started having some chaffing issues on my inner thigh around mile 8 or 9 so the last miles were not quite as fun. We finished up around 10 with 13 miles. Right after the run I downed a chocolate milk and headed out by the pool to relax and cooldown before lunch.

After a big lunch we got the kids ready to go to the beach at Fairport Harbor and met up with our friends Bill and Tony for an open water swim. We got in 1500 meters in 29 minutes and change and called it a day. After that we relaxed with the kids for a little bit and then headed home to get cleaned up and run some errands, make dinner, etc. Needless to say we were tired last night and probably in bed by 9.

Today is a recovery day and then we'll ease back into the training ramping up for another big build weekend. Yay!

So You Want to be a Triathlete? Some Tips for Beginners

So you want to be a triathlete huh? It happens! Just as with other endurance sports such as running, some people just catch the tri bug. I'll be the first to admit there is something oddly arousing about jumping into a lake, river or ocean with hundreds or thousands of others and frantically pulling and kicking your way into position! Who wouldn't catch an adrenaline rush from that?

But let's get serious for a second shall we? If you really want to be a triathlete there are some things you should know before you move forward at 2800 mph into this all-consuming lifestyle. Below is my list of beginner tips (please note that although I'm going into my 4th season (3rd full season) of the triathlon sport, I am still learning myself and may still be considered a rookie to some of the badasses of the sport).

What You Need to Know, Do, Buy and Believe to Succeed in Triathlon:

• Start Small - Do yourself and everyone else a favor and get your feet wet before jumping into a full iron distance triathlon or even a 70.3. This will not be as straight forward as just competing in one sport like running. You may be able to go from a 5K to a half marathon quickly or right to a marathon in running, but succeeding in a triathlon involves more than just putting one foot in front of the other. Start with a sprint and work your way up as you gain experience.
• A word about Sprints - Do not assume that sprint triathlon is for sissies either! There are plenty of fast, experienced triathletes that like competing in sprints out there. Do your best to stay out of the way if you're new and fumbling around in the water, transition area or anywhere else on the course. 
• Prerace planning - Triathlon involves more planning than one sport. Prepare for your race at least a day or two in advance. Make a list of everything you need or think you might need and pack your transition bag with those items. Have your bike ready and checked by a bike mechanic either before or at the race to minimize the chance of bike issues. DO NOT FORGET YOUR HELMET or you cannot race. Also don't forget your googles, shoes, etc. And don't forget water and race fuel. At least have a couple of gels even for the sprint. 
• Learn the Rules - Triathlon is governed by USAT, which has some specific rules such as bike drafting, no headphones, etc that you need to be familiar with. You can be penalized or disqualified from a race for ignoring the rules.
• Swimming - You will need to have some level of swimming experience - how much depends on your goal but no matter what the goal please dedicate some time to swim in a pool AS WELL AS OPEN WATER before the race. If this is your first swim since you were in middle school or your first time venturing out in the open water you may panic. 
• Open Water Starts - May be intimidating even for veterans. The initial pace of any swim is fast and anaerobic for the first 100-400m of any race distance as athletes settle in to their desired paces. If you are new to the sport, it's a good idea to start off towards the back on the left or right side of your wave. Try to site the course at least once every 20-30 seconds so you make sure you are not off course and adding to your time in the water. If you feel a body right by you beware you might be kicked or hit accidentally. It does happen.
• Transitions - Transitions can be flustering and even slow moving for veterans. The only way to get better at these is to practice and try to learn and improve a little each time. Accept that there is a good chance you'll be slow at transitions as a newbie. If you're good at them then you're ahead of the game there. Try to make sure you know where your rack space is and this will help speed things up. Before the race take the time to setup your transition area with your biking and running gear. Remember to take a drink and eat something either in the TA or after you start your ride or run.
• The Bike - Do not ride on your old rickety ten speed from 20 years ago or your heavy mountain bike unless of course you do not care how you perform on the bike. While you don't have to rush out and buy an expensive carbon triathlon bike, you may want to at least purchase yourself or borrow someone else's trusty road bike. This will help. I recommend using clip in pedals if you are experienced, if not cages will suffice. Pace yourself on the bike. It is very easy to go out hard and either bonk later in the ride or else blow your legs out for the run. Also utilize the time in the saddle to hydrate and fuel. 
• Running - The run is more difficult than your average run because it is the last of three events. Your legs will feel tired and maybe a little like wet noodles for the first mile or so. You can practice doing bike and run workouts called "Bricks" to help adapt your running to this sensation. As with the bike, it is easy to go out fast on the run especially if you do not pay attention to your pace. It will feel like you are running slow right off the bike when in fact you might be running faster than your planned pace.
• Training - Try to allow time in your schedule for training for all three sports. You may be better at some sports than others and that is okay and normal just don't neglect the training. The key to success in triathlon is consistent training. As you gain experience and/or obtain help from a coach or mentor you will learn how to train best for your specific goals and life circumstances.
• Fun & Group Training - Triathletes are a dedicated group of people that like to have fun. This is a social sport so it is likely you will meet many interesting people. It may help to join a local triathlon club such as Cleveland Triathlon Club if you are from Northeast Ohio. Wherever you are there is likely to be a club you can get involved with.
• Ongoing advice and info - There are a number of sources for learning about and keeping up with the triathlon scene. For beginners there are websites such as Beginnertriathlete.com and tri-find.com that can help. Magazines like Triathlete are also good sources of info. If you have a local triathlon shop or running and cycling shops you can also look into the resources they have available too. 

I could keep going but this post would end up being pages and pages long. Hopefully this list will steer you in the right direction. If you have questions or want to add any points to this list feel free to leave a comment. Happy triathlon training! It really is a fun and rewarding lifestyle!