Yet another NY Newbie

I caught the bug last year when one of my coworkers wanted to do a biathlon being held on our work campus- She was willing to bike but not run. Against my better judgement, I agreed to do the running leg.
Once there I saw that there was a huge mix of people- some looked like they should be on the front page of an exercise magazine- most looked just like me. It was a blast and I vowed that I would do a biathlon by myself next time.
I did the biathlon the beginning of this year and realized that if I was really going to do this, I need to learn how to prepare. My times sucked- I was 3rd to last to finish. But hey, at least I wasn't DNF.
So I joined a triathlon club and met some very inspiring people. They are folks just like me with similar fears and aspirations. I'm learning so much! Obviously there is a huge mix of skill, but none the less the comaradery is fantastic. When I finished my first club tri, it was all high fives even though I was second to last- very cool! Alicia