triathlon

Keeping fit on a vacation is tough, especially when you're staying in places that have a breakfast buffet (and unlimited drinks). But what about a vacation that's specifically organized around the idea of fitness?

Goals. I've set myself a big one, a challenge for a not-particularly athletic mother of small children: complete a triathlon. But I'm starting from scratch and will need about a year to prepare. As I ease my way into training, the big goal seems to stretch farther and farther away. It becomes a maybe-triathlon, a haze on the horizon. "I don't feel like getting up for a run," I say to my husband. "So stay in bed," says he. "But if I don't get up every time I don't feel like it," I say, "I'll never go for a run."

In three weeks, I will stand at the start line of my first triathlon, confidently clothed and geared up. But a triathlon is not only a multi-sport race; it is also a test of endurance, and what's on the inside — quite literally — could make or break a performance. It's time to consider: what food will fuel me on race day? The short answer is: nothing new!

In a month and a half, when I find myself trembling at the starting line of my first triathlon, I'll be on my own. But I won't be alone. All of the friends who have helped me during training will be swimming, cycling, and running alongside, too, invisible to everyone but me.

Day one of the triathlon challenge: decide to do a triathlon. (Hurray!). Day two: stumble over a heap of questions. (Er .....).