Well, I am now taking this opportunity to tell you what I'm thinking. Cuz that's what a blog is for. ;)
So, last week in my daily blog perusing I came across a blog giveaway for a free entry into this mini-triathlon. It's a women-only, non-competitive triathlon, where they say that beginners are welcome and that there is an attitude of helping you know what to do. That's the most intimidating thing for me. All the where-do-I-go, what-do-I-do-now, why-am-I-here stuff. haha.I admit I've looked into the mini sprint triathlon idea before and kind of put it in my "bucket list" in the back of my head. Like, someday when I'm actually in a habit of lap swimming and biking and can run without being injured. (Haha - yeah, right.)
Well, but . . . this triathamom idea sounded almost tempting . . . and for free (!!!!) . . . hmmm . . . and I thought well, I'll just put my name on the list . . . and if I win it, then I'll just try it and see how it goes. Nothing lost, nothing gained. I ran the idea past Zac and we came to the conclusion that with all the back to school shopping etc, we couldn't afford the $70 entry fee anyway. So the only way I'd be doing it is if I won the entry.
And yesterday. of course. I found out I won it (out of about 21 entries)!! hahahahahaha.
oh, wait . . .
That means I'm doing a triathlon. HAHAHAHAHA.
(Nothing like winning an entry to push you into doing something you maybe want to try but probably wouldn't do otherwise)
Here are my thoughts:
- ok. It's a "sprint" distance triathlon. This means (for this race anyway): 300 yd swim, 12 mile bike ride, and a 5k run. I'm fairly confident I could do each of those independently - but . . . not too sure about about one right after the other.
- oh and the last time I've swam (swum? swimmed?) laps?!? uhhh, I think I went once last summer. uh huh. I'm a "good" swimmer, as in I know how to swim well. But an in-shape swimmer? Nowhere close.
- My bike. I have a cheap-ish mountain-ish type bike. A little while ago I bought a gel seat cover which is a bonus. But I'm just figuring out how to use even use all the gears properly. HAHAHAH. And I don't know how to change a bike tire. And I've gone on precisely 3 bike rides in the last year. (the last one though, I did make 12 miles! whoopeee!!) oh and I probably need a helmet that fits well. The one I have is a men's helmet I think. Ohhh dear.
- But I did run that 5K recently. I'm afraid to do too much running training since I always tend to get injured, but my zumba and 30day shred seem to getting me in good enough shape to run that distance if need be.
- I need good swim goggles. And a swim cap.
- And I need something to wear. I'm not going to be able to get any fancy "tri-suit" kind of stuff. But I either need something I can swim, run and bike in. Or be able to bike and run in my swimsuit. And have something to put over top. Hm. I'm not sure my walmart swimsuit is "supportive" enough to run in, so this will take some thought . . .
- oh and the swim is in an indoor pool. This is another plus of this race, as I will not need a wetsuit and open water scares me a little more.
- also, my running shoes have holes in the sides, along the little toe. Bummer. Add new shoes to the list.
- Anyway - I've got 8 weeks to train and most training guides I've seen basically have you running, swimming and biking about twice a week each. Not too bad. Hard part will be getting to a pool to do laps. We have a summer membership to an outdoor pool, but lap swimming hours are only for an hr in the evenings, and any thunder means no pool (which has been a lot lately). The indoor pool would require paying more but come Sept, that's what I'll have to do. I need to see how far I can actually swim without stopping. That's the first step, I guess.
- But I can do this. Right? Even if I have to hang onto the wall and catch my breath between laps. Even if I have to walk my bike. Even if I have to walk the entire 5K. Even if I come in very last. I think I can do this. That's worth something right? (Say yes, say yes, say yes)
- And . . . if I finish this, then this will be a kind of race that I can say I've done that Zac has never done!!! And that's saying something! (eh, so I can be a little competitive . . . so shoot me.) ;)
WISH ME LUCK!! (I need it)
And I'll take any advice, tips, warnings, etc . .. I need all the help I can get!!
5 comments:
I so badly want to join you, though I really think you would leave me in the dust right now. I'm so out of shape. lol! Anyway, I was just gonna say that if you want to borrow our swimming goggles or my bike helmet or something you are more than welcome to it. Give me a call if you are lacking anything and I'll let you know if I have something to help you out.
When we did our neighborhood tri last summer I had the same issue trying to figure out what to wear. I ended up with a sport bra the same color as my tankini top and I just wore both of them in the water, then took off the swim top and put on a shirt to do the bike and the run. I wore bike-ish shorts (spandex or whatever but not with any padding) in the water and for the whole thing. It made it easy to change quickly. This year I only did the swim and the run since I was 6 months pregnant and a friend did the biking for me and then we ran/walked the run together. Hope you have a GREAT time. We have loved doing ours and feel SO accomplished! Good luck!
Good luck :-) I'll be doing a tri here Oct. 2. My first one too. A bit scary, a whole lot of stuff to figure out. Too bad there's about 1500 miles between us or we could figure this one out together! Sending you good thoughts from Texas though.
Wow, sounds like fun! ;) Good luck!
I think the hardest part is just the fact that you haven't done it before, so you're not quite sure what to expect. I'm sure it will be great and I have complete faith in you.
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