Tri Tri Tri Away....How it all began!!

My involvement with Triathlons began in late July 2005….my friend Amit, an avid cyclist, got bit by the Triathlon bug - BUT unfortunately couldn't swim and had to find someone to cover that portion of the race….he remembered me mentioning to him that I'd been swimming since I was a kid (mandatory for ALL kids in Singapore!) and asked if I'd be interested in doing a relay….I was absolutely intrigued by the idea of triathlons…I didn't know "normal" people did it…figured it was something that only happened @ the Olympic level! I did some research after that and found out that Texas was home to tons of awesome triathlons…some of the best in the country….and Austin itself hosted several every year….Most of these races do have an Elite segment…for the serious contenders…but for the large part, these races were open to really anyone…no prior Tri experience needed…

So Amit Ashwin and I formed a relay team and signed for the Dilloman Triathlon in September that year - Sprint distance... I swam (800m)…Amit cycled (12 miles) and Ash ran (5K)….and we had an absolute blast!!...And had a decent ranking as well - quite impressive for 3 absolute rookies to the Tri-world…Following this race, we did another relay in April 2006 - the Cactus Challenge, and came in SECOND!!...We even got a sweet little plaque to take home! After these 2 relay events, both Amit and I were eager to do more than just one leg of a relay...as much as fun that was! I mean we weren't really TRUE Triathletes...in order to be that...I had to get more comfy with a bike and Amit had to get more comfy with the water....I wouldn't say I was a good runner then....but somehow, that didn't scare me as much as the bike did!....

To ensure that we didn't chicken out from this new goal of ours, we signed up for the Rookie Triathlon that was to happen in New Braunfels in mid-May that year right after the Cactus Challenge...The Rookie Triathlon is an awesome race for newbies to the sport - it is a mini-Triathlon with a reduced distance compared to the Sprint distance - 300m swim, 12mile bike, 2mile run!...Amit signed up with Clay Madeson to learn swimming...and I bought one of his friend's old bikes and started biking....I also signed up for this accelerated Triathlon training course offered at the Dell gym! We probably trained for a grand total of 4 weeks....and next thing we new, the race day had arrived....

To cut a long story short...let's just say that it was an interesting experience! :)...I'd been part of Triathlons, but it was a whole new world doing the whole race on my own...there were several challenges along the way which I had not anticipated or been prepared for....but I guess what really mattered was that I got through them and reached the finish line with a big smile on my face! And that really was my main goal...

I just recently completed my 1st ever Sprint Triathlon - the Danskin Triathlon....an all-women event raising funds for the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation... it was one of the most amazing experiences that I've everbeen part of...it really garners a whole post of its own though....

There's a Tri- quote that goes:
"If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have take Him by complete surprise."
- P.Z. Pearce

I have to disagree though! Entering the world of Triathlons was one of the smartest decisions I ever made! It's made me fitter, stronger, and taught me how to appreciate my body and all that it is capable of ! It has also taught me a lot about sportsmanship and teamwork! (I did sign up for a Marathon recently though...haha...I'm still debating if THAT could be considered as stupidity!! :)....just j/k!!)