Newbie with high hopes

I am new to the sport of triathlon. I live in Madison, WI so I have had the oppprtunity to watch the IM here the last couple of years. I used to watch the IM from Kona on TV and believed that Tri's were for the elite. After watching regular people fight through the pain and finish the IM here hours after the elite passed through, I decided I could too.

While I was once a skilled athlete, I have realized that with passing time has come mounting pounds. I have a friend who ran the IM here in 2003 and he has been a great force in getting me into the sport. While IM is far off for now, I do plan on running my first Sprint in June of 2005. I don't plan on breaking any records, but I do plan on losing weight, and being a lot more healthy than I am today.

I have lurked around the forums the last few weeks and have really gained some insight from other posts. I hope to make posting a regular habit with questions and information I learn along the way to aid in keeping me on task. It will be getting cold here soon, but riding an indoor trainer while watching TV will beat sitting on the couch any day.

Thanks for the inspiration up until now and all that I'm sure I'll get in the future.

Aubrey