Why I Tri?  Because I do most things backwards, I actually started as a tri "coach" (I prefer the term cheerleader) before I became a triathlete. I had been a group fitness instructor for a few years and occasionally would have triathletes take my classes as part of their training. In 2002, one tri-er named Matt who took my Spinning class at SportPlex-Hoover started talking to our class about his sport. It sounded interesting, challenging, and more than anything -- different -- and possibly something that would help keep me and my participants active and excited about fitness.

I had been a fat kid growing up (topping 203 pounds on my 5 foot frame in 1986) and up until 1995, an obese adult, and always suffered from a "this is too hard for me" complex when it came to fitness, so I felt I had something to prove to myself. If I could do a triathlon, maybe I could overcome not feeling good enough or in shape enough. (Maybe I would actually get in shape?) But I didn't want to do it alone. I knew I would never stick to a training plan if I had to do it alone and I wasn't sure I would actually finish a race without ditching it, if I didn't have someone right by my side.

So, in fall 2002, I started swimming with my 8 year old daughter's swim team (and no, at first I couldn't even keep up with the 8 year olds) once a week and learning how to swim. After some discussion and coaxing by the more adventuresome SportPlex participants, by early 2003 our Spinning class members decided to buy bikes (most of us shopped at Walmart), ride outside and learn how to climb real hills. Then, came the hardest part for me -- learning how to run. "Fat kids don't run" was buried in my brain, and severe hip tendonitis and knee problems that came with years of teaching step aerobics offered more challenges. If I couldn't even run in the airport 100 yards to catch a plane, how was I going to run 3.2 miles to complete a sprint triathlon? The answer -- by starting slow -- very very slow (a 17 minute mile the first time I was able to actually run a mile without stopping) and just sticking with it.

By early summer, my SportPlex Spinning class decided to train to complete a race that was about 12 weeks away in August 2003. We set up a training schedule, of swim, run, and bike sessions, mostly at SportPlex, but as we felt more comfortable, we branched out and started trainings at Oak Mountain State Park. None of us -- other than Matt, had ever done this before, and Matt was off training for an Ironman, so I was left on my own to figure out the sport and lead 8 people to complete their first race. Thank goodness for books, the internet, the Team Magic website, and my main training partner Donna Tow who was sure that information and perseverance were enough to get us to the finish line.

Lo and behold, 12 weeks later, our group members showed they had learned how to swim a 400 distance without stopping (not gracefully, but we were able to go the distance), bike 6+ miles flat (the easiest part for our Spinners), run 3.2 miles of a knobby cross country course in Huntsville, Alabama, (this included ME!) and manage the transitions in between. When we finished the race, I felt so elated. Not only had I done something that was outside my comfort zone and outside what I thought I was physically capable of a few months earlier, I had encouraged and cheered others to do the same. Now I wasn't fast at all or graceful, but I finished. And, I hated to admit it, it wasn't actually all that hard to do, because we had trained for it and stuck to our training plan. I realized then that triathletes weren't necessarily supermen and superwomen, they just worked toward a goal and stuck with it.

Three more participants signed up for the next race, in early October in Northport, and we did it again. This time it was an open water swim, so it felt even more real. It was also a wet suit event, so I borrowed a wetsuit from a friend. But right before the race as I looked around, I noticed that nearly everyone I could see was wearing their wetsuits wrong. They had their zippers in the back. Then, it dawned on me. BACKWARDS! Me! I've never shimmied so fast -- getting my teeny borrowed wetsuit off, turning it around, and shimmying back into it. And I've never laughed so hard. My race buddy Kimm and I could hardly get our goggles on and start the race amongst all the laughing.

I decided that day that I wanted to train more and encourage more people to do the same, and that frankly, I would never be perfect, or even close to it, and probably never be fast enough to win an award -- but if I could encourage others to reach outside their comfort zones and do a triathlon, how truly rewarding life could be. And, I wouldn't have to train alone; there would always be someone to train with me. Win -- win.

In 2004, I had another gym ask me to lead a triathlon training group, and by the end of the season I had led, encouraged, and coaxed 28 people to complete their first-ever sprint triathlon as part of the LJCC Tri Team. This included my 10 year old daughter who had been told by her coach-mom again and again that it didn't matter if she had to walk her bike up the steep Mountain Brook hills, or walk during the run, it mattered that you gave it your best and just finished the race, no matter how long it took.

One of the neatest parts of the 2004 season was meeting Sherry Coglin, who led a similar group at SportsFirst, and having a chance for my group members to train with hers, and Therese Bynum, whose life work has involved her encouraging and leading people into this sport. All we needed was someone to put it all together to make this effort city-wide and organized. Then, in 2005, the class member who abandoned me in 2002 after giving me and my class the conviction to venture into this sport in the first place, Matt Bonvicin, had the courage to officially incorporate Vulcan Triathletes and launch its website. I was now blessed to be a part of a city-wide effort of triathletes-in-training and have the privilege to work out with and continue to mentor others in this sport. Win-win again. How much better can life get?

So why do I tri? Because I want to be fit and have fun, and I want to do something that is still outside my comfort zone and still quite challenging (and will always be), but most importantly, it is indeed within my reach. I'm still not fast (I can run a 12 minute mile on a very good day, but that's about it), still make funny mistakes (like riding with my brake on for an entire 15 mile bike ride in Scottsboro this year), but boy, am I having a ton of fun! And yes, I still don't feel like I'm in very good shape or good enough, but I found a group of people who don't care and will wait until the end of the race, when all the pizza is gone, to cheer me to the finish line. And sometimes they save me a slice. I love this sport and am grateful to be a part of Vulcan Triathletes -- from START to FINISH.