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\u201cIf you had told me four years ago I was going to be a triathlete, I would have laughed. It was nothing I had an inspiration to do, and quite frankly, it was something that seemed intimidating to me to do.\u201d

This is how northern Michigan runner Deb Kimball described her thoughts about triathlon prior to deciding to go for it and give swimming-biking-running a try in the past couple of years. Being part of a team of new and experienced triathletes\u2014Tri Again Fitness\u2014has made all the difference for this Traverse City athlete. \u201cSo much of my love of triathlon is really a love of the people I'm training with. Our team is like a family.\u201d

Deb Kimball and fellow Tri Again Fitness team member Kasha Martin join Heather on the show to talk about their evolution as runners-turned-triathletes. Both are training for IRONMAN 70.3 Traverse City this Aug. 25. Deb prefers nighttime workouts in the pool, while Kasha is committed to early morning exercise so that she can focus the rest of her day on work and being mom to her four young children.

Both women talk about how they came to love triathlon and what it means to be part of a team. They also share what it\u2019s like to be married to triathletes and how they fit training in their full lives. \u201cTriathlon training is my part-time job...It\u2019s a huge time commitment,\u201d Deb says.

Both Deb and Kasha had to work hard to become swimmers. \u201cI pretty much floundered in the water,\u201d Deb said. \u201cI was not a swimmer. I doggy paddled,\u201d added Kasha.

Having team support is amazing, both women said. \u201cWhen you go to these events, it\u2019s not just \xa0you. It\u2019s a group of people. You\u2019re in it together and they\u2019re cheering you on.\u201d

\u201cThey\u2019re waiting for you at the finish line,\u201d Kasha said. Her advice for anyone looking to give triathlon a try? \u201cGo find yourself a team or club or anything because it really makes the world of difference.\u201d