Your Start

I've got a bit of general info on my blog:  www.jillbeamer.typepad.com

Long story short - good athlete in highschool - had a bunch of kids - got lazy - got fat - recently (1.5 years ago) decided to get my butt in gear and lose weight - and set some goals for myself - my first goals were to run a 5 and 10K - which I have done.

but as for specifically doing tris (my very first is in 6 days!) it was my Sun Run (10K) Training group leader who first put the seed into my head.  He told me I underestimated myself and my abilities (with regards to running) and he himself had done tris for many years and asked me if 'I had ever considered' giving them a try.  The thought had 'briefly' entered my head over the years but the biggest thing holding me back was I had never learned how to swim (with regards to any type of formal stroke).....that day I went and researched stuff on the net and by the next week's run I had signed up for swimming lessons, bought a road bike and signed up for my first tri (which actually is going to be my second since I am doing a different one first)!  I literally jumped in with both feet - and this was only 3 months ago.

I guess I came from a running background?

Rode my bike a lot as a kid, also ran cross-country, but that was a long time ago and was probably a 1 mile run or something.

Did the Sun Run in 2002, then in 2003 my New Years Resolution was to do the Squamish Tri because everyone else was doing it. So I guess I got started because I was able to run the Sun Run and because most of my friends had done some tris. Did the UBC & Delta tri in 2003 and finished the Squamish tri later that summer.

Did Tris more seriously (well still had fun, but trained a lot harder. in 2004 & 2005 ending with the Half Ironman in Victoria in 2005. Got into bike racing in these years and liked it better, so stopped doing tris in 2005.

I came from a running background looking for a way to cross-train.  Buying my first road bike in 20 years led me to triathlon and despite my inability to swim I'm hooked.

I'll be doing my first tri on Sat in Whistler where I'll probably bump into Jill (more likely eat her dust!) 

I think a big part of my enjoyment is the community at BT and the local multi-sport shops.  I also like the more thorough aspect of the training for triathlon.  Running seems to be more...  vague, less embracing of technology.

 Rob

Your first tri is this Saturday in Whister Rob?!?!?  How cool....are you the Rob Sy......... on the confirmation list? (there is only one Rob listed)....  what will you be wearing?  I'll look out for you!  I'll be wearing a 2-pce zoot tri suit (blue/black) that I just got today!  and my bike is light blue  too (trek)....when are you going up to Whistler?  We are going up Thursday late afternoon and coming home Sunday...can't remember where we're staying but it is supposed to be a 5 min walk from the rec-center....

and haha about eating my dust!  I am slow!  And I have hardly done any training the past 2 weeks - yikes!

Yup, that's me!  I'll be wearing a blue 2XU top and black Zoot shorts.  This is my bike.  I've added aerobars.  We're going up on Friday evening and going home Sunday.  We'll be staying at the Delta Whistler resort.  And well, I'll be lucky to get out of the pool!  It was so weird trying to swim a full stroke today after all the drills I've been doing.

 Rob

sorry Rob  - for some reason I thought you were wearing a white top (had to go back to this thread to double check - and nope - you SAID BLUE!!!) - I thought 2 other guys were you along the course.  I did see you at the finish though when I heard your name being announced - but didn't want to bombard you right after crossing the finish.  I looked for you a few minutes later but didn't see you anymore???

How was your race? - what did you think of it?

That's ok. I headed straight for the food at the end!  My son didn't want to get out of bed that early so I had to head back after that.  Too bad I missed you.

I had a great time!  I completely sucked in the pool, but that made the bike leg much more fun because I was constantly passing people!  I did get cut off by a car once when they stopped for the speed bumps then had to work my way past him because he wouldn't break 30.  Hitting a speed bump at 50 in aerobars was not as scary as I thought it would be when I saw the bump either...  The run was pretty good.  I don't think I did enough speed sessions in training for a 4k run though.

 How'd you do?  You had a daughter or two in the kids of steel as well, right?  How'd they do?