Now I've got to share the story of my first 140.6. It was a self-supported solo swim, followed by an unofficial local group ride which I started late so was largely solo there too (but I did benefit from some of it's support) followed by a solo marathon with support acquired at various grocery stores, pharmacies, etc that I happened to find on my route. Oh, and at about mile 16 I dropped by my home to visit my family and eat berries from the fridge.

That /was/ an adventure. And I didn't pay any fees -- or get my time recorded on Athlinks.

I was a division 3 all american swimmer, about .5 off Olympic Trial cuts in the 50M freestyle and was about the relative same in the 100, 200 and 400 freestyle.

I Ran a 5k on a whim and went 21:10. So some reasonable talent. Got into tri because my sister said I would be good at it. Started slow, running 18-20 miles a week and built up to 35 over 12 months. Then ran a marathon. My half marathon splits were 1:40 / 2:40 I was shocked at how much I sucked. I was convinced I would run 3:20, looking back I doubt I could have ran 3:40.

Cycling probably translates better than swimming but...to get close to your potential...it takes a long time. The good part of it is... if you work on it you can improve for years....

... a kool-aid???