It's a dry heat.... (typical Phoenix introduction follows)

Hello! Just wanted to introduce my sweaty self and say how inspiring everyones' stories, photos and general comments are. I have asthma and I've been sedentary most of my life, not that that's an excuse, but I've certainly used it as one.

WARNING: DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! I learned to swim last October by getting drunk with a bunch of triathletes that my boyfriend, hereinafter referred to as Patrick (can you tell I work for a law firm?) cycles with. One chick found out I am going to school at ASU and talked me into swimming with the Masters Program at 6 a.m. one morning. Mind you, I couldn't even get across a 25 meter pool without thinking I was going to drown! I tried the butterfly soon thereafter and nearly drowned (insert x-rays of lungs here). But after taking a few months off to recover and psych myself back up, I was back in January, with a brand new inhaler, told the coach I was in for the long haul, and Patrick and I signed up for the Chicago Triathlon which is August 29, 2004. I get to swim a mile in Lake Michigan! Woo-hoo!

I am currently reading Total Immersion which has helped me 150%. I highly recommend it.

Patrick and I did the Firecracker Triathlon on July 4th, to try to get some sense of what Chicago will be like (I did the 750 m swim in 19:39, he did the 12 m bike in 36:08 and he also did the run in 22.00) and I'm hooked! I am going to start training for the whole enchilada!

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging quotes. I know a lot of it is mental, and I'm clearly mental........... so I shouldn't have any problems!

Namaste,
Alex


"Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes...then he's a mile away and you have his shoes!" - Billy Connolly