Feel the fear and do it anyway

Today, I did a triathlon.

This morning I did a 30 minute interval workout on the bike (inside on the trainer). Then I went out for a run. This evening after work, I went to the gym to meet a swim coach and swam for 45 minutes.

All 3 disciplines in one day. That counts, right?  😉

 

After waking this morning, I drank 1/2 a smoothie. This is usually what I have before I run. Then, after the run, I have some sort of protein like an egg sandwich or hard boiled egg with the rest of my smoothie. I don’t know why I thought a 1/2 a smoothie would sustain me today for my first brick workout.

Brick: cycling followed by running.

I thought for certain it’d be no big deal to add 30 more minutes to a morning workout on the same nutrition. Boy was I wrong! By mile 2 of my run, I was done. Kaput. Finito. Bonk.

Note to self: Ya may want to have more food and also? It’s practically boiling outside so you may want to hydrate first too.

 

On another note, this new swim coach that I met with tonight heads up the aquatics department of my gym. She’s a swim fanatic and lives in a bathing suit 14 hours a day. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was sort of afraid.

I’ve been in a panic about this swim thing for a while now. I’m not sure why I’m so terrified of the open water swim in the tri but I’m going to break it down. I have to push through it. I will get control of this. And my new swim coach is going to make sure of it!

She’s awesome. She’s helping me to improve my newly attempted bi-lateral breathing technique. She’s helping with the form of my stroke – which she said looked great! (Yay!) She’s also very positive and uplifting. (She normally teaches children.) I’m thrilled. I can’t wait to see what improvements I make under her instruction.

I’ve also been invited to an open water swim tomorrow evening on a lake nearby. I skipped out on the last one I mentioned due to pure fear. This time, with a little more pool time under my belt and a hearty “You can do this!” from Kelly my new swim coach, I’m going to do it. How else will I get past the open water panic? How else will I beat that battle and find that muscle memory and zen breathing while swimming? How else will I rock that tri?!

Feel the fear and do it anyway!

 

This week’s training:

Monday: 2.5 mile run

Tuesday: 25 minutes in the pool, training with props, 600 meters or so

Thursday: 30 min interval training on bike, 2 mile run, 45 minutes in pool, 400 meters or so

Friday: planned open water swim

Saturday: planned bike ride or upper body strength training by kayaking

 

(What up with my training buddies? How are things going?)

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Training Update

Scott was sick last week so I was sans a work out partner. Working out wasn’t half as fun. He is slowly gaining strength back and getting back into the swing of things. Yea!!

Last Thursday, I went to the park and had a great run! I was SO excited! Felt great, felt like I ran faster, smoother. Then, Sunday, I ate SO very good and so very much…and lots of sweets, which is probably why my run on Sunday night was miserable. I couldn’t catch my breath at all. Scott came out and ran too and we ran a mile and a half and called it quits. 😦 We will be running tonight and Thursday night. Hopefully we get back into the rhythm soon!

Last night we went up to the Tech Pool to swim. Our friend Katy (with whom I am doing the Rocketchix Tri with this weekend) met us there and had LOTS of good swimming tips! She and Scott laughed at my form (I am sure I look like a fish flailing in the water!) but after going over a few things I hope I can start to grasp this swimming thing and become more like a dolphin than a flailing fish. That’s pretty high expectations but you have to have a goal, right? I have two more nights of swimming before the Tri this weekend to practice. My goal in the pool is not to drown. 🙂

I am ready to start biking and actually excited about it now with my new bike! Tonight, the goal is to ride to the park, run, then ride home. There are Saturday rides with a bike club here in town and hopefully on the weekends without the kids we will be able to ride with them along with another ride or two during the week!

Looking forward to hearing ya’ll’s updates!

 

Training Plan & Finish Goal 2011

So far this year, I’ve really only focused on running. Running is not my favorite part of a triathlon. Ok, I like that it’s the last discipline before the finish line – I’ll give it that. However since doing the Couch to 5K program, I have been very happy with my progress. I’m looking forward to my first 5K of the season next weekend.

In the meanwhile, I’ve decided to set my finish time goal even higher. I found my race results from the last time I did the River Cities tri:

1/2 mile swim: 34:47  (pace 4:21)
First transition : 3:28
18 mile bike: 1:12:20 (pace 15.4)
T2 (second transition): 3:22
3.2 mile run: 34:44 (pace 11:13)
For a total triathlon finish time of: 2:28:39

I hope to kick up my running pace to knock off some time there. (I’m looking into a new running method that’s more efficient.)

I can certainly pick up my bike pace.

And I definitely intend to be able to swim better, calmer and therefore faster by then. I was swimming 1/2 mile in the pool in 22 minutes that year. It was the state of freak-out that caused my swim to be so slow during the actual tri. (Hundreds of people swimming on top of/around you. *shudder*)

***

As mentioned in my previous post, I joined the gym again this week to have access to a pool and swim coach. I will be in the pool, more than likely, on Friday evening to see if I can get in a few laps. I really don’t want to start with a coach without having been in at least once to assess what needs fixed.

Also, on Saturday, I am going cycling with some friends of mine. These are the guys that I usually train with and participate in the Bike MS: Sams Club 160 mile bike ride. They’re all training to ride 80 miles a day. I haven’t been on my bike in months! Yikes! (I will not be riding the Sams Club this year.) They claim to have not been training and will be as slow as I will be. We’ll see about that. The plan is to ride 35 – 40 miles. In any other year, that’d be a no-biggie for me. But since I’ve not been really on the bike, I’m sure it’ll be a great challenge.

Which leads me to consider what my training plan will be until our triathlon. This is a plan, and hopefully a good one, that I intend to adhere to for the next 4 months.

Note: You can also log on and create a great custom plan with suggestions and distances on BeginnerTriathlete.com.

Monday – light yoga, bike (indoor trainer or spin class)

Tuesday – swim

Wednesday – run, yoga class

Thursday – swim

Friday – run, yoga class

Saturday – bike outdoors, light yoga

Sunday – rest/recovery

Beginner Triathlete also recommends gradually increasing your time in each discipline for a few weeks and then slowing things down for a recovery week. I’m going to see if any of what I’m learning and observing helps me to meet a better triathlon finish. The woman who finished first in my age category that year had a finish time of 1:31. Perhaps I can hit…. 2:15 or better?

The triathlon is 4 months away. Let’s do this thing!