As a newcomer to triathlon, Ive learned the hard way, because I thought I could do it on my own. I took on my first half IM 8 weeks after learning to swim and ride, and my first IM 10 months, later just to get sick on the second half of the run course.  My legs may have been ready and my training may have been adequate, but I had no idea how much there was to learn, how much could go wrong and the 4th sport...nutrition. At Austin 70.3, despite getting lost in the swim and going off course, my swim lessons with Cliff mustve paid off...I got a 3 second PR. Then I made up for lost time on the bike, a 20 minute PR. But losing my salt on the bumpy road proved costly, with a longer run time than expected. I learned again, the hard way, that while we think we may not need a coach for some training aspects, they can help us avoid costly errors. Next season, I plan on coaching with Cliff, not just learning to swim, so I can start racing at my potential that I know is there.  marisa r d'adamo ms pt scs atc owner/board certified sports physical therapist