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Itrnall started when I was having problems motivating myself to work outrnand had gained a few unwelcome pounds. One of my good girlfriends,rnMelissa Page, had done one sprint distance triathlon and raved aboutrnit. I clearly remember hanging out with her the day she finished andrnbeing inspired to hear her talk about it and seem so fulfilled to haverncompleted a triathlon. rn

(My friend Melissa)rn

Asrna general life overachiever, I set a goal and then relentlessly pursuernit. Having trouble working out? Sign up for a triathlon! Sprintrndistance, let’s not get crazy here. That is a great goal to work for Irnthought. Go big or go home. And you know what? Signing up for the racernwas the biggest blessing in disguise I could ever ask for becausernthrough it all I found something I love that is also a very positivernoutlet for my time. Training for it changed me permanently. Completingrnit made me realize I can do almost anything if I put my mind to it.rnEven better, finishing the race in less than 2 hours (my newbie goal)rnwas one of the most satisfying moments of my life.

I ran into myrnfriend Jenna Novotny at a PR industry party at Tao, told her about therntriathlon, and was very happy when she signed up. We then proceeded tornchat with some of the VIP hosts at Tao who all said they were doing therntri too. Yeah right, none of them did. But in their defense, the TaornGroup just opened a new club which is clearly a time consumingrnendeavor. Melissa had already signed up for the tri so the three of usrnwere good to go. Friends in tow, check. Next step? Training. rn

(Jenna)rn

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Myrntraining consisted of endless spinning, and not nearly enough swimmingrnand running but that came out fine in the end. Being cognizant tornmaintain work/workout/social life balance, I hardly ever worked out 6rndays per week or 2 times per day. I learned to love spinning (after myrnbutt stopped being sore) and had a great routine at 24 Hour Fitness.rnMoving from Summerlin to central Las Vegas put a monkey wrench in myrngym routine but I discovered the amazing Saturday morning triathlonrnclass at the LVAC on Karen. Swim, bike, run with a group and be done byrn12 p.m.? Totally awesome, count me in! Consistent training was reallyrndifficult but in the end it was more than worth it.

A few daysrnbefore the race I met fellow LV Tri Club member Victor Rodriguez, whornwas an absolute angel and answered my many pre-race questions. I havernto credit him with some of my success because without him I wouldn’trnhave known to drink electrolyte laden water the night before (Eleternbaby!), eat breakfast the morning of, and to bring a colorfulrntowel/balloon/sidewalk chalk to the transition area to help find yourrnbike. All very important things that I would not have known otherwise.

Throughrnit all I met really interesting people, made new friends (always arnbonus), and most importantly learned about just what I can do if I putrnmy mind to it. I’m still a total triathlon novice and will be for thernnext few races but I’m hooked on this and will be committed tornsuccessful races in the future. I have learned that running is myrnweakest activity and to help mitigate this I’ve signed up for Las Vegasrn½ Marathon in December. I would love to join the running Elvi and runrnas Elvis but feel that could impede the race time. What do you think?rnSee you at Lake Mead!rn