7 months and counting

So it started last summer....working with Tom (trainer) and mostly back into shape....Tom starts telling me I should compete...of course he meant weights...he was impressed that I lifted as much as people half my age...ha.

I go off and start thinking that competing in college was fun. And for some reason triathlons get stuck in my head - now mind you I am NOT a runner, nor swimmer, nor biker. In fact I am not endurance minded at all. I liked the well roundedness of it - made sense to me. So without knowing wtf I was doing , I signed up for a 'sprint' distance triathlon for March 2008 - I figured that was before the season in Massachusetts - enough time to see just how bad I really am.

At that point I figured I would use my 1989 mountain bike with slicks on them. My right hand was still in a cast from an accident on said bike (on the streets of Boston). So I started spin class for biking - a place I never thought I would venture. I had run here and there - nothing spectacular and no races. Last time I had been swimming as in laps was about 1980 - so into the pool I went. Ironically on my first day, a swim coach was working with a few people who clearly were triathletes. I told her I needed about a month before I was ready to even start working with her. It seemed destined - her name being Kitty, mine being Cat. My sons chanted Kitty Cat all through the house....

I started with one swim one bike and one run per week along with weights, then upped it to 2 whilst I read everything I could get my hands on (and of course there is a plethora). By October it was clear that my mountain bike was not going to cut it, and knowing I was not so into road biking I decided I wanted a triathlon bike. A wee bit of reading and I really wanted carbon fiber.

Now here comes the funny part - I got the bike paid for - sponsorship - due to my consulting in the supplement industry. Many of the companies loved the idea of a non-genetic freak, middle age doctor mom doing this - upping the ante and being an example. So I got my end of season Cervelo P3 Carbon. Clipless pedals - which I learned how to get in and out of on a trainer. And the bike store manager was great about holding my hand and teaching me.

to be continued