Triathalon completed!

Ok - August 1st has come and gone and...I did it!!! I completed the triathlon. I had a lot of goals when I started training. One was that I actually complete the triathlon. Another, though I didn't realize it at the time, was not to come in last. Happily - I did not. I came in 9th in my age group (out of 23) and 53 (out of 183) overall.

Breaking down the events:

The Swim:
Wow - for all the training I did, I was expecting the swim to go better than it did. Unfortunately, I had rented a triathlon wet suit and had not tried it before hand. Had I tried it, I may have realized that it was too tight in my neck and chest area. I just could not catch my breath. I spent a good portion of the time just gulping air. I did not swim freestyle like I had done for so many hours in the pool. Instead, I did some weird hybrid of a side stroke and a dog paddle. Sigh. In the middle of the swim I actually had a slight panic attack (not a good thing in water). If there had been a boat nearby at that moment, I probably would have asked for a ride (thereby getting disqualified). Thankfully, there was no boat close so I just decided to keep going. I un-velcroed my wetsuit and tucked it under and that did help. In spite of what I thought was a dismal swimming event, I came in 86 out of 183.

A point of irony - the water was very warm - 75 degrees. I could have swam without the wetsuit but I wasn't willing to give up the buoyancy.

Swim to Bike transition
The swim to bike transition was one I had been worried about. I was mostly worried that I wouldn't be able to get my wetsuit off. However, it went just fine thanks to the person at the wetsuit rental shop who showed me how to do it. (I also practiced). I just pulled on a shirt, shorts, hydration pack, socks, shoes, gloves, helmet and sunglasses. Wow! In retrospect, that was a lot! Then I had to run to the "mount line".

The Bike Portion:
Thank goodness the bike ride was awesome. I basically spent the entire time passing people. I swear I think I passed 50 people. I was just flying. It was the most fun part of the race for me. And even though I was passing people, I said, "good job" to everyone who I passed and gave a shout out to anyone who passed me. It was bliss. I am so grateful to my friends who helped me with the bike by lending me a road bike and getting it fit to me. It was really good. I came in 29th out of 183 on the bike portion.

Bike to Run transition:
This transition was also fairly quick. I just had to divest myself of all my bike stuff and start running. I wasted a few moments trying to find a handkerchief and ended up blowing my nose in my towel. (I know, over sharing). I left this transition in 28th place out of 183.

The Run:
This is where it all fell apart for me. I thought the swim was bad, but it was nothing compared to the run! I had definitely under trained in running and it showed. I just did not have the stamina to keep up a good pace especially as it was HOT with the sun just breaking as I took the running course. All those people who I passed on the bike? I think they all passed me. I even walked a few times when I could not catch my breath. It was dismal. I came in 110th out of 183 in the run which pushed my overall place to 53 out of 183.

After I ran through the finish I was handed a medal. My daughter was so excited! She asked if I came in first place and I told her I didn't. Then she asked if I came in second. I told her everyone got a medal. She was still pretty excited about the whole thing. She also got to witness the kid's triathlon which interested her. I told her that if she did it next year, I would do the triathlon again. This is just about the only way I would do it again. I think I may just be done. Don't get me wrong - I am glad I did it. But I haven't been bitten by the "bug".

I kind of lost track but I would like to go back and see if I can figure out what the total outlay of money was and how far I swam during my training.

In summary, the actual time that I raced was only about 1 hour and 35 minutes. I didn't even really feel sore afterwards. If anyone wanted to try a triathlon, I would definitely recommend it. Definitely train for it, but do it and enjoy it.

Dismal failure or unrealistic expectations

Ok - I am not even going to discuss the title of this post. FYI - I am referring to this blog - not to my training.

The training for this triathlon has been a bumpy road. I started really fast and furious - working out two times a day some days. I kept that pace up for around 6 weeks. And then it feels like I got a little burned out. Adding to that I started getting migraines which I believe are related to stress. All that to say that if I hadn't told so many people about doing this triathlon, I probably would have given up! ;)

Seriously though, I am still plugging away - just not with the same fervor that I started with. Working backwards, here is what I have been up to:

* Rode my bike yesterday for 50 minutes. I forgot my water! Duh'oh!
* Swam 1/3 mile on Monday. Also did a 1.5 hour hula hoop dancing class.
* Sunday I went for a hike for about an hour.
* 6/30 I tried to go for a bike ride but only rode for about 15 minutes (I had tire issues).
* 6/29 Went for an hour walk.
* 6/24 Went to my first 1.5 hour hula hoop dancing class.
* Week of June 14th - went running two times. Tried to swim in the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast. (Bad idea).

So - I have a little momentum which I am trying to continue. The race is on August 1st - gulp! My friend and I are going to do a mock triathlon on July 18th. Should be interesting. It will be good to know we can do the whole thing.

It was a great idea

I think this blog was a great idea. However, I have not been keeping it up to date. Who knows? Perhaps this shows a normal journey of a first time triathlon. (OK, can I just tell myself that?).

My training has waxed and waned of the past month (which is when I last posted). My masters swim class was going really well...until work got in the way. I know now that I can swim a mile and so doing a 1/4 mile seems doable to me. I will be going to the coast next week and am hoping to get some open water swims in. I will probably need to rent a wetsuit though! (Pacific Ocean in Oregon is COLD).

I am enjoying biking when I get the time to do it. It is hard to carve out a decent amount of time to go on a good ride. But I really need to get my butt in the seat!!! I don't think I am particularly fast on a bike but I know I will finish.

Running is definitely my weakest link. I used to be an extremely fast sprinter. Time and 25 years of playing soccer has really slowed me down. My knees ache when I run. I suspect that part of my warm up for the actual race will be downing some Advil! I have intentionally minimized this in my training. I would love to get back to long walks with my neighbor but I need to actually make it happen.

I did buy "fast laces". Sadly, I bought the wrong size and have to exchange them. (They work great on my 3.5 year old son's shoes though).

There are only 7-8 weeks to go before the triathlon. The week or at least couple of days before the actual race you are supposed to take it easy. So I have 7 weeks to ramp up my training. Gulp.

Maybe this is a trend?

Interesting a week has passed since my last "catch-up post". Maybe this will just be a weekly blog? I am not sure. I think it is better if I post every day...especially since I did not write down what I did last week. Sigh.

April 6 - Did not swim, went for 50 minute fast walk.
April 7 - Walk/ran for 20 minutes.
April 8 - Pretty sure I swam 28 laps, walked 50 minutes.
April 9 - Off.
April 10 - Swam 32 laps, did not bike.
April 11 - Went for a multi-hour (2 I think) hike with my family and a friend.
April 12 - Off.
April 13 - Started master swim class. Swam 3/4 mile! Wahoo! That is a personal record. We did work to get faster which is what I need. I think it looked something like this:

200 warm up
200 kick only
100 kick only
50 swim
100 kick only
50 swim
100 kick only
50 swim
200 swim
200 cool down


It was a good work out. Can't wait until next week.

Another Catch Up Post - Sigh

I am still here - training in fits and starts. Here is my catch up post:

March 27, 28, 29, 30, 31st: Took all these days off due to an event that I had on the 28th plus a minor lack of motivation.
April 1: Swam 22 laps. Walked for 45 minutes.
April 2: My official day off and I took it.
April 3: Swam 28 laps. Biked 5 miles (and looked at bikes at a bike shop).
April 4: Short hike in the morning and then rode 7 miles along the Columbia River. Beautiful.
April 5: I was supposed to do something today but I hung out with my family. Sundays should really be my day off. (I did sand and paint two doors though!).

I signed up for a Master Swim class which starts April 13th and I am looking forward to it. According to the bike shop, I actually need a 56cm woman's frame. I am not sure how that translates to a men's bike.

Week 8; Day 4: Thursday (plus catch up)

Daily learning / random notes: As I suspected, I have not had a lot of time or energy to train this week. I have a big creative event happening on Saturday and my energy is going into preparing for that.

I got a whole bunch of books from the library and have been working my way through them. As someone who is training for her first triathlon, some books were less meaningful than others. One of these books, which is more appropriate for someone who is not on her first triathlon, is called The Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel. I did find a great quote in this book that really struck me, "Swimming, cycling, and running reduce life to its most basic elements---breathing and movement." The quote is in a section called "Training to Go the Distance" and is all about why people do triathlons. What it says is that it is less about the races and more about the training. Having not actually competed in a triathlon, I cannot comments on this but it resonates with me.

I signed up for a Master Swim class at my pool. It will be only one of the 3 swimming training days each week. I do think it is exactly what I need to make sure that a) I am swimming correctly and b) I can figure out how to get faster (I am s-l-o-w). This added to the total training cost but I think it will be worth it. It doesn't start for a couple of weeks though. I will report back after it begins.

Total training cost: $198.50

Total distance swum: 11150 yards. (6.33 miles!)

Results of past few days:
Monday - Swam 32 laps, ran/walked for 15 minutes as my partner couldn't go.
Tuesday - Supposed to bike but did not because I had to watch kids for spring break.
Wednesday - Swam 22 laps, ran/walked for 60 minutes. Not motivated today but trained anyway.
Thursday - Today is supposed to be my day off but I need to change my training schedule because I am not getting to work out on Sundays. According to that, I should do a 10 mile bike ride. Ok - done. It took me 48 minutes and 40 seconds. I was in traffic for part of that. And coming home there was a huge headwind. Yuck. This is the first time I have ever timed myself. I really like riding by the river.

Week 7; Day 5: Thursday

Daily learning / random notes: I like biking but I am having some neck pain. Is that normal? Technically this was my day off but I wanted to make up the bike ride I missed on Tuesday. I am thinking of mixing it up a little.

I am also thinking of doing a run - Bridge to Brews. I would run over the Fremont Bridge (which I have always wanted to do) AND get two beers at the end. What could be better?

Total training cost: $154.50

Total distance swum: 9000 yards.

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	6 miles	Biked 6 miles.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Catching up...

Ok, it may seem like I gave up on this whole endeavor. But I haven't, really! I have just had a few obstacles. The last time I wrote was March 9th. Here is an update on what I have been doing since then.

As you may remember, I had fallen on March 8th. This ended up causing all sorts of problems which were fixed (?!?) by rest and chiropractic appointments.

March 10th was a bike ride which I skipped because I had a sprained wrist.
March 11th was a swim and run. I did swim 16 laps (and bought another 10 swims for $65).
March 12th was my day off and I took it.
March 13th I swam 30 laps but did not bike because of wrist.
March 14th and 15th I had no childcare and didn't exercise at all.
March 16th I went to Boot Camp which ended up being a mistake and within that hour I ran for 13 minutes. I also went swimming but sadly I didn't track how many laps I did. It would have been at least 20.
March 17th I was supposed to go for a bike ride but I was too tired.
March 18th I swam 20 laps and walked but mostly ran for about 30 minutes.

Which brings me to today. I definitely was de-motivated in general and more so by my fall. But I feel like I am back. I understand that these ups and downs are a normal part of training.

Week 5; Day 7: Sunday

Daily learning / random notes: Because I got a cold, this week was not a very intense week for me. But I feel like I finished strong...

I am struggling with what to do about the cost of swimming. It may actually make sense for me to join the health club where I have been swimming. I need to do the math.

Another question I have is about neck tension while riding a bike. How do you not get it? Where are you supposed to be looking? What is the proper neck angle. More research to do.

Total training cost: $89.50

Total distance swum: 6850 yards.

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	4 miles	Biked ~9 miles today. I biked to the path that runs along Marine Drive which was almost 3 miles just to get there. I did have to go over a bridge where there is not much room for a bike but it was ok. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 5; Day 2: Tuesday

Daily learning / random notes: I think I need to move my mouse from my right hand to my left hand. I can't believe that I didn't talk about bike fit yesterday! My friend C offered to help me fit my bike. I brought my bike into work and he helped me get the seat set up and checked the pedals. There are a few issues. One is that my seat is quite a bit higher than the handlebars. About 10 cm actually. The top stem (?) is at it's maximum height so I won't be able to get height there. Unfortunately, it is also an older style so it would be very difficult to change out. I am going to try putting my pedals on the bike and just try it out. Basically if it hurts to ride it, it is not right. I will test it out today.

I am grateful to C and all the others who are helping me to meet my goal of doing a triathlon.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	5 miles	Rode 5 miles. My hands definitely got numb at points which I don't think is a good thing. I also had to be a little careful because in some positions my right knees was hurting. I still have to put my pedals on.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 4; Day 7: Sunday / 1 Month Recap

Daily learning / random notes: Today marked the end of the first month of training. I wish I could say I went out with a bang but I am afraid I am going out with a frizzle. Sundays are just not good days for working out. I think I may have to trade my "off" day so that it is on Sunday. Up to now I have been unwilling to change the plan at all but I think I will be more successful if I do.

I have been feeling a little bit down and it is reflected in my motivation. Hopefully I will be able to get it back together.

Total training cost: $89.50

Total distance swum: 5450 yards.

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	5 miles	Biked zero miles.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 4; Day 5: Friday

Daily learning / random notes: I was actually driving to swim when I realized that my shoulder was hurting so at the last minute I decided not to go. I think I made a good decision.

Total training cost: $89.50

Total distance swum: 5450 yards.

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Warm up, Freestyle 200 yards, Cool down 100 yards	Skipped swimming today because my shoulder was hurting. I am hoping it is only because I did a bunch of push ups yesterday and not because I am swimming improperly.
Bike	4 miles	Biked 5 miles on bike a gym.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 4; Day 2: Tuesday

Daily learning / random notes: I am very sore from yesterday's swim. I am not sure how I will fit in a bike ride today as I am really busy during the day and have an event tonight. I may have to go for another evening bike ride (with lights!).

I did fit in a quick ride today. I also checked to see if my bike seat post would fit on my friend's bike. I am happy to say that it does fit. However, I know I don't have it adjusted properly so that is what I need to work on next. I know bike fit is very important.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	4 miles	Rode almost 4 miles exactly. That was all I had time for.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 3; Day 7: Sunday

Daily learning / random notes: I really, really, really, really, really didn't want to go for a bike ride tonight. I was tired and grumpy and very demotivated. My DH gave me a pep talk and a shoulder rub and I decided to go anyway. (Thanks W!). I am still tired and grumpy but at least I rode my bike.

I cannot believe that I am at the end of Week 3! I feel that I have done pretty well with my program so far. I am worried about money and I know that I will continue to have expenditures. Swimming in a pool will cost $234 - $507 depending on which pool I go to. Sadly - I am not crazy about swimming in the lakes and rivers around here. And even if I wanted to, I would need to wait until the weather gets warm enough so that I would not need a wetsuit. Also, there is an entry fee of $60. I am not counting anything else at all and I am sure there will be other expenditures (for example, I suspect that before this is over, I will need a new bathing suit). I wish I could find a free lap pool close to home open hours I am available...sigh.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	4 miles	Biked 4 miles on my mountain bike because I was biking at night and I have lights for my bike.
Run / Walk	Off	Hiked today with the family. While stopping for a snack ran up and down a hill a few times for the heck of it.

Week 3; Day 5: Friday

Daily learning / random notes: I tried to keep track of my laps in the pool by moving my shoes around on the tiles. Sounds weird? Well, it didn't work any way. LOL.

Total training cost: $89.50

Total distance swum: 4200 yards (I will go with my lower estimate).

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Warm up, Freestyle 150 yards, Cool down 100 yards	28 or 30 laps of 25 yards = 700 or 750 yards. I lost track which I why I am not sure how many laps I did. How to people keep track?
Bike	3 miles	Biked 5 miles on the course I discovered last weekend. Not to many starts and stops and fairly level.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 3; Day 3: Wednesday

Daily learning / random notes: I decided against walking today because a) we had company and b) I thought 3 workouts in one day was too much. I want to be smart about this whole thing and I don't want to get burnt our or hurt.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Warm up, Freestyle 150 yards, Cool down 100 yards	26 laps of 25 yards = 650 yards.
Bike	Off	5 miles as part of Boot Camp class.
Run / Walk	Walk for 20 minutes	Did not do this today. What I did do was a Boot Camp class which was very intense. During the class I actually biked 5 miles (plus a whole lot more).

Week 3; Day 2: Tuesday

Daily learning / random notes: It took me a while to realize that I don't have to ride around every time I have to do bike training. I can utilize the stationary bikes at the gym. They are not optimal but it is nice to have options.

In three weeks of working out (actually longer since I was working out before I started training) I have not lost a bit of weight. This makes me sad. But perhaps I am turning fat to muscle. Right?

Seriously, I think my body is trying very hard to maintain its current weight. It is where I have been for 2 years and I think it is used to that weight. Consequently, I find myself unconsciously eating when I don't need to.

A few years ago I stopped eating after 7:30 pm at night (except on special occasions). This worked well for me to make better food choices and not eat for the wrong reasons (boredom, feeling low). I need to re institute this. I think it would really help.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	3 miles	Today what worked for me was to ride a bike at the gym. I rode for 6 miles. I chose the "racing bike" and I realized afterwards that is was really uncomfortable. I will not use that one again.
Run / Walk	Off	Just to test what it would be like I walked fast on the treadmill for 3/4 of a mile.

Week 2; Day 7: Sunday

Daily learning / random notes: Today I tried out John's bike. I felt like I was flying!!! It was a very fun bike ride (even though I wasn't that motivated to go). I do think either it is too small or I need to adjust it. My hands hurt a little bit. I guess I am just not used to leaning on them.

I am excited that I have made it through 2 weeks of training. This coming week the swimming continues to increase and the program says that you can choose to start adding in some running now. I am worried about my knees (too many years playing soccer) so I will likely take it very easy with the running. The bike distance also keeps increasing.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Off	n/a
Bike	2 miles	Biked a little over 5 miles. Felt like I could have done more but am glad I took it easy.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a

Week 2; Day 6: Saturday

Daily learning / random notes: Today I picked up my friend John's bike to try out. It feel much different than my mountain bike (obviously) but I fear it may be a tiny bit small. I am hoping to get my bike friends to help me fit it, if possible. I am very excited to try it out tomorrow.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Warm up, Freestyle 100 yards, Cool down 50 yards	22 laps of 25 yards = 550 yards. Wahoo! This sets a personal record for me in my training. I tried practicing bilateral breathing but it was fairly difficult.
Bike	Off	n/a
Run / Walk	Walk for 25 minutes	Walked 20 minutes to J's house. Also walked around the mall so I figure I am good.

Week 2; Day 5: Friday

Daily learning / random notes: I am inextricably hungry today.

Total training cost: $89.50

Activity	Distance	Results
Swim	Warm up, Freestyle 100 yards, Cool down 50 yards	22 laps of 25 yards = 550 yards. Wahoo! I broke a personal record today by doing 22 laps. I practiced bilateral breathing but I don't think I did very well.
Bike	2 miles	Combined an errand with my bike ride today. I rode down to the library and back up for a total of 2.5 miles with a big hill.
Run / Walk	Off	n/a