With 300 days of sunshine a year, plenty of pristine hiking and running trails, miles of biking terrain and a reservoir with a strip of sand that’s the closest thing to a beach this side of the Rockies, it’s easy to see why Boulder is considered one of the country’s fittest cities.

And, fittingly, Boulder has become an epicenter for one of the most demanding sports since, say, mammoth hunting or crocodile wrestling—triathlon. It seems, sometimes, as you’re passed by a herd of bicyclists riding faster that it’s legal to drive in some areas, or find yourself staring at yet another pair of impossibly toned calves at the checkout line in the grocery store, that subduing a thrashing beast might be a mere warm up for some triathletes.

But what about the rest of us? What about those of us who have toyed with the notion of attempting three sports in, gasp, a day rather than a year? Is it time to accept our fate as mere mortals and give in to a life of non-competitive but at-least-it’s-good for-me exercise?

The answer is a resounding, “No.” And when that no comes from one of the biggest names in the sport, Dave Scott, you might want to listen. As someone who has been doing triathlons for 30 years and at one time was training “33—36 hours a week, running 60, riding 350 and swimming 15 miles in a week,” Scott is certainly no beginner to the sport. In fact, many consider him to be one of the “fathers of triathlon,” and he boasts six Hawaii Ironman wins, the top event in the sport. He believes anyone attempting triathlon for the first time can benefit, no matter how short or slow his or her workouts may be. You have to be willing tochallenge yourself. “When people step out of their comfort zone, it allows them to develop faith within themselves that helps them define a new level of personalsuccess,” he says.

Do Your Homework

And while stepping out of your comfort zone and into the world of triathlon may be, by definition, a little uncomfortable at times, it doesn’t have to be intimidating—even in Boulder.“There are a great number of groups and clinics in Boulder and Denver that are teaching people the basics of the sport,” says Barry Siff, owner of Boulder-based 5430 Sports, which holds some of the area’s biggest races, such as the Boulder Peak, an Olympic distance race that boasts over 1,600 participants each year.

In fact, 5430 Sports and The Boulder Center for Sports Medicine have teamed up to host a series of triathlon clinics for beginners that will cover everything from open water swimming techniques to how to set up your transition area. These and other clinics in the area offer newbies a friendly, supportive environment in which they can ask questions and learn the fundamentals of the sport.“We’re going to feature some very experienced athlete speakers. It’s comforting for beginners to get their questions answered by experts,” says Siff.

Group Therapy

Such group environments have other payoffs as well. When it comes to training, one of the best ways to stay motivated, be social and have fun with the sport is to join a training club or group suited to your ability level. Despite appearances of being overrun by elite athletes, the triathlon community is very wel-coming to new participants, with more and more first-timers joining the sport every year.

“Each year, probably 75 percent of the group I coach has never done a triathlon before. Half of those people are somewhat physically active, and the other half hasn’t worked out in years, or even ever,” says Katherine Schwab, owner of Foxborough, Mass.-based Big Dreams Fitness and head triathlon coach of the Massachusetts chapter of Team in Training, an organization that fundraises for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Training with a group gives new athletes a support system and a sense of direction in their training.

“A lot of times, the newcomers don’t know where to start, so I give them a very basic training plan. It helps people have something to follow, something that tells them they’re heading in the right direction versus haphazardly trying to train for three sports at once,” says Schwab.

If you don’t want to commit to a weekly training group, the Denver area offers other options for group training.

“The swim can be very intimidating to new athletes, especially if it’s in open-water. A good way to practice your open water swimming is to attend weekday non-competitive fun events, like Stroke and Stride or Splash and Dash. They allow you to get the experience of swimming with a lot of people and build confidence,” says Siff (www.racingunderground.com/strokestride).

Siff also credits group training for “pushing you a little bit to make you a better athlete. … The peer pressure forces you to try a little harder, and makes the race experience that much easier.”

Shop Talk—What Do I Need, Really?

While training for three sports at once will most likely flatten your stomach, you wouldn’t want it to have the same effect on your wallet. Luckily, it doesn’t have to. It’s true that one could spend an exorbitant amount of money on the sport, but as a beginner, it’s important to stock up on the basics and then focus on getting comfortable with the training, instead of buying flashy, unnecessary gear. Here’s a guide to the essential pieces you’ll need to get you across the finish line of your first race.

“All you need for the swim is a good bathing suit, a pair of fitting goggles and a swim cap,” says Schwab. In Boulder and Denver, most triathlons have an open-water swim, for which you’ll want a wetsuit, preferably one that fits well. Because wetsuits can cost anywhere from $185 to $500, a good option is to rent one a couple of weeks before your event.“There are lots of outlets now that rent wetsuits, which are really important because they protect your body from low temperatures and increase buoyancy in the water,” says Siff. Practice swimming in your wetsuit at least two or three times before your race to get used to its feel and to make sure it fits correctly.

For the bike, there’s only one rule: safety.“It’s fine to ride a mountain bike or an old bike—whatever you can get your hands on—as long as it’s not rusty, is tuned up, and all the gears, tires, and brakes are working properly,” says Schwab. Schwab also lists helmet and sunglasses as biking must-haves. Padded bike shorts, cycling gloves and a basic bike computer that calculates distance traveled and average speed are in the “very nice to have” category.

Running is the simplest of the events, but the most jarring on your joints and muscles. A good pair of running shoes is essential to preventing injury while training and racing.“Get running shoes that really fit you—take the time to go to a reputable running store that fits shoes based on biomechanics,” says Schwab.

Just Do It—a Training Plan for New Athletes

You might be surprised that it doesn’t take more to get across the finish line of your first sprint distance triathlon, which typically includes an 800-meter swim,  a 12-15 mile bike ride and a 5K (3.1 mile) run.

Starting out: For a new triathlete, it’s important to spend a little time getting acclimated to an increased physical workload. Translation: Don’t overdo it or you could risk injury.“I generally suggest a new athlete spend their first four weeks of training doing one workout of each discipline, and one day of strength training focusing on the core muscles, per week” says Schwab. She recommends spending 20 to 30 minutes each on swimming and running and 30 to 45 minutes biking. Building up: “At the fifth week, I have athletes bump it up to two workouts per week in each sport, so they’re training six days a week,” says Schwab. Scott agrees that completing two sessions in each discipline per week is a reasonable goal.“At this point, new athletes should think about training six hours per week. For instance, you could have two swim sessions of 30 to 40 minutes each, then two bike rides of 60 to 90 minutes and then two run/walk sessions of 30 to 50 minutes, ”he says. To get up to or surpass six training hours  per week, Scott recommends increasing workout time in each discipline by 7 to 10 percent each week.“That means if you’re currently swimming 30 minutes a week, you’re only going to increase by 3 minutes the next week, or 90 seconds per swim workout. It doesn’t seem like a lot at first, but it will build up over time and make you more aerobically economical,” says Scott.

Getting Race Ready: After six to eight weeks of training, it’s time to start incorporating long workouts into your training regimen. Using Scott’s 7-to- 10-percent increase plan, start increasing only one of your weekly workouts in each discipline instead of splitting the additional time between both. This would mean one workout in each of the swim, bike and run would start getting longer, eventually building up to be as long as or longer than the distance you plan to travel in your race. “Once you decide which race you’re going to do, back track from the race date to figure out how many weeks you have to get to that endpoint. Ideally, you should achieve all of your longest workouts two weeks before the event,” says Scott. For a sprint distance triathlon, Scott suggests working up to long workouts of 1000 meters for the swim,20 miles for the bike and about 4 miles for the run.

 Recovery: Since triathlon training will inevitably place new stress on the body, taking adequate recovery time is crucial to maintaining energy levels and warding off injury. Scott recommends taking one complete rest day per week, and making sure to incorporate easy days between hard workouts. Need a bigger break? Try Schwab’s plan. “Every fourth week, I have my athletes go back down to only three workouts total, and ensure that they don’t do anything strenuous that week. Taking a recovery week every month keeps them fresh and strong,” she says. On top of going easy some days, use common sense in the rest of your life.“Stretch after all workouts, get enough sleep—at least eight hours per night—and eat enough for your new workload,” says Schwab.

Now you’re ready to try a triathlon. In doing so, you might decide that even mortals can be, gasp, athletes.“As soon as you embark on your triathlon journey, you should think of yourself as an athlete,” says Scott. And Schwab believes that most beginners do benefit from this new way of thinking about themselves. “To be able to finish a triathlon sets people apart and gives them a new appreciation for themselves. They realize they’re more of an athlete than they ever thought they could be,” she says. Not to get all touchy-feely on you now, but the bottom line is that doing a triathlon could actually make you feel pretty darn good about yourself—maybe even crocodile-wrestling good.