Beginner Triathlete - My First Triathlon articles

There is such a feeling of power and confidence when you take control of your destiny! A year ago, I was a fat slob with no athletic inclination. I made this happen!

I had a bucket list of "must do's before I turn 60" but it was made up of things like "take a course in public speaking, weekend trip to NYC with my 3 grown sons, learn to kayak, etc." I needed more.

My first triathlon was the confirmation that I made a life altering choice of fitness.

I thought I'd feel out of place among triathletes - until I realized I was one.

From the couch to a half Ironman the hard way.

The first wave takes off. Then the second. Then mine. That’s when things started to go awry. I wish I had read more of the posts on BT.

I looked at the swim buoys and start thinking, "Man! How am I ever going to swim that? That looks like a very long distance from the bridge. I have never done it in one go." There's no turning back.

Thousands of strokes, cranks and pushes later, I did my first sprint triathlon as a wheelchair racer. What a blast!

I was only halfway to my weightloss goal, but I was still able to finish my first triathlon only after 10 weeks of consistent training.

I decided that completing a triathlon would be the perfect celebration of reaching my goal and losing 83% of my excess body weight by dropping 230 pounds.

Training was harder than I ever imagined it would be. I've always considered myself athletic, but never really had a need to push myself beyond my comfort zone. This was so different and so rewarding!

I started training for triathlons in my early 20's but never entered one. Twenty years later found me still a newbie, with many extra pounds, much more humility and a healthy dose of reality.

A bumbling non-athlete makes her determined way to the Nation's Triathlon finish line!

It has been a bucket list item for years...something to do before I'm 25. Okay, maybe I'll push that to 30. Okay, maybe I'll let it go altogether.

In November of 2000, I noticed that I was losing the feeling in my toes. The sensation traveled up my body and within a week, I was nearly 80% paralyzed.