Duathlon

The triathlon ended up being a duathlon of the run and swim portions only - 3k and 400m respectively. It was a COLD morning of only about 12 degrees at the start line, and there was still plenty of ice and snow on the track that we ran around. It was a really small race with only about 50 participants, if that, and I was bringing up the rear nearly the whole way. By the time I warmed up it was time to head back into the building for the swim - all the while my snot had already frozen inside of my nostrils. I looked down at my watch and saw that I was just over 20 minutes in - not bad considering running isn't my strong suit.

I spent MAYBE 2 minutes in transition as I had my trisuit on underneath my running clothes, so it was just a matter of peeling layers, taking a quick drink of water, and then crossing the mat and jumping into the ultra-warm water of hte pool.

I was pretty well exhausted by this point, and 75 meters in I got a nice big mouthful of water which stopped me in my tracks and I spent the next 30 seconds or so hacking and coughing halfway down the lane. That hampered my moral a little bit, but I was soon back at it and, arms tired and out of breath, I managed to swim on.

I got about 3/4 of the way done and passed a guy who had been backstroking. At the end of that lane, I finally caught up with Alicia (my tri partner) who had been at least 2-4 minutes ahead of me during the running portion. Alicia looked exhausted and said "I'm done." "You're not done, girl . C'mon" and with that I was freestyling again.

During all of this, the man and wife team of Kelly and Jeff Miller who own VO2 Multisport in Louisville, and who also put together the triathlon training for the Knoxville Oly in May, were cheering us from the side-lines. It was a tremendous help to see them at the end of the lanes as I popped up to head back down and heard "Great job" "You're looking good" etc. It really kept me going.

I got near the end of the swim and saw some steps to the side. I stood up and was about to walk out when I heard "Touch the wall, you have to swim to the wall!" Duh. Another step, and one huge swimming leap, and I was done!

I forgot to hit stop on my watch, but Alicia seems to think we finished in about 32 minutes - we both started at the same time, and she did remember to hit stop, about 30 seconds after we finished up.

It was a great experience, and even though it was exhausting, I had tons of fun! I'm a little nervous about the next one three weeks from now when we will be doing all three events (weather pending), and the swim will still be last at that point due to the season. Not sure how I'm gonna keep up my endurance for that, but we got our training workout from the Oly coach today, so that'll keep us working out like we need to and hopefully survive this next event!

Well - spin and swim tomorrow, should be good times!

T-minus 12 hours and counting...

Been keeping up the training pretty regularly this week, and in approximately 12 hours I will be competing in my first sprint-tri of the year! The bike portion has been cancelled since we got some snow last night, but the run is on and the indoor swim as well.

Had my third spin class this morning and I feel like it's getting easier as far as me being able to keep up with the class, and I love the way I feel afterwards! I also did a swim after class a few days ago, but that kicked my butt since I was exhausted - but so worth it!

So.... 3k run at 8:30 a.m. with a 400m swim afterwards - here I come!

Spinning!

Had my first ever spin class last night and, man, that was tough! Five minutes in I was already watching the clock and it must've been the longest 45 minutes of my life! I clipped in with my new cycling shoes for the first time, and tried getting used to those as well. Everyone around me was kicking my but as she told us to "stand, run it out!" "jump" and "turn up the resistance." I don't think I did even half of what she told us to do, but sat there cycling most of the time. I was dripping sweat the entire time. Afterwards though, I felt great and slept like a rock. Tomorrow, the plan is a morning swim before work, then a meeting at local multi-sport store about triathlon training and an upcoming oly in May in Knoxville. I'm really hoping Alicia will go for it - it's an open-water swim and the longest length we will have ever competed in. YIPPEEEE!

Events for 2010!

Well, I'm back after taking several months off after the Chicago Marathon. I've now been training for about a month or so for several triathlons this year, as well as a few half-marathons. People have been saying to me, "But... didn't you do a full marathon, and aren't you going to stick with those for now?" Well, not quite. I found that as easy as it is to "fake" a half-marathon (i.e. complete one with little to no training - no matter how agonizing that is) you can't do that with a full. So, I'm back to half-marathons with some sprint-length triathlons in between.

So far on the agenda for this year:

January - sprint trithalon (400m/6m/3k)
February - sprint triathlon (400m/12m/5k), Mardi Gras Half Marathon
March - Anthem 5k, Rodes City Run 10k, sprint triathlon (400m/12m/5k)
April - Papa Johns 10 miler, Derby Festival Half Marthon, St. Louis Half Marathon
May - sprint triathlon (400m/16m/5k)

Those are the ones I will definitely be signing up for (or have already) and I'm also looking into some longer bike rides as well as a half-Ironman in September to help me celebrate my 34th Birthday!

Since completing that first triathlon I am completely hooked! My friend Alicia and I have been working with a swim coach for the past month and have improved our form and time in the water significantly from last September. I find that I get bored easily with 'just running' and that the three separate events switches it up just enough to keep it interesting and keep my adrenaline pumping. So, I'm super-psyched about these upcoming events - the first of which is a mere week away!

Training, at this point, has consisted mostly of swims with a little running thrown in. Ran my longest distance of the new year (four miles) just yesterday, and haven't been on a bike since Fall, but feel confident that I can pull off the small distances in next weeks event with no problem. I've joined the YMCA where they offer spin classes and a pool, to keep my legs strong and to continue working on my stroke and form for the swim. I still have the treadmill at home, and am planning on utilizing that a whole lot more in the coming months - especially if I DO end up registering for that half-ironman in September.

I'm nearly off to bed now to get ready for an early 6:30 a.m. swim lesson. As always, I will continue to post with my training, thoughts, epiphanies, etc. during this crazy time. Happy 2010!