First Step Fitness: Try a Tri??

I was walking with my friend Victoria and she mentioned that a friend of her's was doing a tri and that she was seriously considering joining her. I told her if she did it, I'd join her. Well, after I said that I couldn't get the idea out of my head. A tri? Could I do a tri? I'm not a strong swimmer. I can swim, but the thought of swimming with all those people, in open water, getting kicked, trying to see - it seems so overwhelming. I did a duathlon and I loved it. Could I really do a triathlon?
Of course I could! I can do anything I put my mind to, so I did it. I signed up. First thing I did after signing up was look up the hours for the base pool. If I'm going to do this I need to get comfortable in the water. I told Victoria I signed up and then I told her when I was going to start going to the pool.

She met me last Tuesday for lap swimming. Victoria is really good at swimming. She used to be on a swim team as a kid, so she was giving me a lot of pointers. We took over the "easy" lane of the lap pool. We went down and back about 6 times in 20 minutes or so; it was really tough. I found myself breathing very heavy and struggling, so I took a small breather after each trip down the lane. Then we had to get out (they have three large indoor pools that they shut down for one hour for aqua zumba and water polo). We actually hung out and did aqua zumba too. Good times.
My plan is to go every Tuesday and Thursday. I want to squeeze one more day in there if I can. I need to get more confident in the water and I need to find a stroke that works for me. I have a terrible time getting my head in the water, so my neck starts to hurt. I took my goggles with me the second time I went and they fogged up the entire time, so now I have to figure that out too.
No worries, all is not lost. I signed up for a local team called - Tri Gulf Coast. They have a program called Mere Mortals. They will teach you everything you need to know about triathlons. It starts in June and goes through September. They finish the program off with a members only triathlon. It's not just a summer team either, they meet all year for rides, runs, swims, socials. It sounds like a great program. The cost of it? Only $45 for the entire year!
I also signed up for my first triathlon - Portofino Tri Series: Envie Ladies Only Tri. It is at the Portofino Towers on Pensacola Beach.

Victoria, Janet, Jennifer, and I all signed up about two weeks ago and it's a good thing we did because it sold out! They only allow 80 people. I'm so excited for this event! It's a sprint so its:
Swim: 300 yards
Bike: 7.5 miles
Run: 1.5 miles
It's going to be great!! We all promised to stick together since it'll be our first one. Victoria is strong on the swim, Janet is strong on the bike, and I'm strong on the run. We're all going to do great things this summer! I really can't wait. I signed up for the yearly USAT membership because I saw two other triathlons that looked very doable later this year. Right now, the focus will be on my swimming.
I hope it's like this first photo - me and the girls just running through the water having fun.