If you have had previous experience in competition, chances are it was as a runner or biker. That would leave swimming as your weak area, and that is where you should concentrate your initial efforts.

If you are brand new to athletics, it may be difficult for you to determine which area needs the most work. Few people know intuitively the proper ways to swim, so instruction on technique is vital to your success, possibly even your safety, during the actual competition. The biggest gap between what you know now and what you need to know will be in the swimming part of the race.

That said, each of the sports will present its own set of intangibles and mysterious elements, so the proper overall focus will be to get comfortable with the distances for each sport. You may be able to do a 5K run, but can you do it after swimming 750 meters and biking for 20 kilometers? Your goal in training should be to gain the confidence that you can complete each of the three disciplines.