Meet The Triathlon Blog Writer

So, you want to do a triathlon…

Welcome! The Fun Time Guide to Triathlons will educate you, prepare you, inspire you and resource you to do your first Triathlon, and hopefully many more.

It wasn’t too long ago that I was where you are now, exploring the idea of doing a Triathlon. For many years I was a distance runner. I especially enjoyed competing in half marathon races; my personal best was 1 hour, 28 minutes or under 7-minute miles.

Then, life happened. Pam and I got married, Jessica was born, and I stumbled into becoming an author. I wrote Divine Nobodies and Wide Open Spaces, and I'm currently writing the next book.

I decided to get back into running, and increased my mileage up to marathon distances. Being a little older now, I began having some hip problems, and my physical therapist encouraged me to cross train. So I got a used bike, began cycling and loved it!

My first Century (100 mile) bike race I completed in under 6 hours. One morning I was running with a friend who told me about a 70-year-old nun who competes in Ironman competitions. It got me thinking.  Hmmm...I wonder if I could do that? The next week, I headed to the YMCA pool to figure out how to swim. It wasn’t very pretty but eventually I figured it out, and did a triathlon.

My big goal for 2008 is to do a Half Ironman in September. This summer I am competing in two additional triathlons as part of my preparation and training.

The main point is: If I can do it, you can! I don’t have a runner’s body or the genetics of Lance Armstrong, I’ll never swim as efficiently as Janet Evans, and I’m over 40 years old. But I don’t give up easily.

With determination, you also will do a Triathlon, and it will be worth it. The Fun Times Guide to Triathlons exists to help you. I hope this Fun Times Guide becomes a triathlon community of all levels and experience. We all have something we can learn from each other, and resources to recommend related to all the different aspects of swimming, biking, and running.

There are so many “fun” aspects of doing a triathlon -- accomplishing a significant goal, stretching yourself out of your comfort zone, achieving a high level of physical fitness, and the friendships and camaraderie of other triathletes. The lakes I’ve swam, and the roads I’ve biked and ran, were some of the most spiritually invigorating experiences of my life.

If you'd like to contact me with ideas, suggestions, or whatever, feel free to email me or leave a comment on a post that you found helpful.

Okay, to do a triathlon, you’ve got to train your mind, body, and spirit to effectively and efficiently cross land and sea for a long distance. You’ve got a pair of running shoes, a bike, and a swimsuit to do it. Here we go!

--Jim Palmer