The distances
When I first met with my tri coach, she warned me that people would ask me "So when are you going to do a real triathlon?" By "real" triathlon (or "full" triathlon as I've also heard it called) people are referring to the Ironman. The Ironman is a race that includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and finishines with a marathon (26.2-mile run).
My coach, who has completed four Ironmans, told me that any distance is a "real triathlon." And for someone struggling to finish a 50-meter swim, I agree.
FYI, here are the distances of some of the other common triathlon races:
Half-Ironman: 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run
Intermediate (formerly called "Olympic" distance): 1500-meter swim, 40K-bike, 10K-run.
Sprint (what I will be tackling): This distance can vary from event to event, but generally, you're looking at a 400-meter swim, 12-mile bike and 3.1-mile run.
Today's scheduled workout is a spinning class to keep my bike legs in shape. Meanwhile, I may dig my snowshoes out of the basement.
