Triathlon: Why I did it - and how I trained

I started training in late November. At the time, I hadn't swum a lap in a pool since I took lessons when I was 5 years old. The only bike I had was a yard sale mountain bike I picked up. I hadn't been on a bike for 20+ years. And I hadn't run in nearly a decade.

My plusses: I was in reasonably good condition - I went to the gym & used the elliptical, walked, took aerobic classes occasionally etc. and I did know how to swim - just not with my face in the water!

I took a few swimming lessons to learn how to lap swim, which I was able to pick up in about a month. I started walk/running (which I still do), just increasing the running bit over time.

I am still not comfortable on the bike! I did finally get a hybrid on sale at Sports Authority. A friend gave me an old 10 speed which I want to learn how to use - a road bike is definitely better.

I'm not sure why I picked a tri as my first event to do. A smarter move would have been to start doing some 5K fun runs first. But, a tri felt more ambitious and I was looking for a real challenge.

For me, having that big goal at the end kept me focused. Losing
weight (while important) wasn't enough to keep me getting out there on that D*&$ bike on a cold Saturday morning. Visualizing myself hugging my son after I crossed the finish line and hearing him say he was proud of me - that kept me going!