Maybe you want 2012 to be the year you do your first triathlon.  When most people hear the word triathlon their first thought is “I could NEVER do that and especially because of the swim”.  Well, first let me tell you that triathlons come in all different distances.  You have shorter ones called “sprint” triathlons.  You have mid-distance triathlons called Olympic distance.  And, then there is the famous Ironman- 2.4 mile swim/112 mile bike/26.2 mile run.  There is also a half-Ironman.  So, you can pick the one that is right for you.

Secondly, let me tell you about my experience training for my first sprint distance triathlon.  I get the bright idea I want to do a triathlon.  So, I get a book at the library with pre-made workouts.  The first swim workout calls for a 300 meter warm-up.  Easy enough.  Wrong!!!  I didn’t even make it 50 meters and I was gasping for air and had to stand up in the pool.  And that is NO exaggeration.  Swimming just for recreation or just to keep your head out of the water is totally different than swimming with your face in the water and turning your head every so often to get a breath of air.  So, what did I do?  I turned to the internet to learn how to “swim” and found the excellent site and resource www.totalimmersion.net.  It is through their book and website that I was able to go on and complete not only my first triathlon but several others after that.  Trust me if I could learn how to swim and not sink anyone can.  Here is a picture of me finishing one of my first Olympic distance triathlons.