Tri photos

So the photos are in from the weekend....I totally love this picture of me on the bike. I was just as happy as I looked :)

And I felt just like that when I crossed the line...:)

But wait - I'm pretty sure my hat was green...other than that I can totally see how the photographer got us two mixed up...

Mike's third triathlon!

We set off at about 5:15a.m. yesterday to get to Crystal River for the first in their annual series of triathlons this year. Mike did one at Crystal River last year and really enjoyed it. Each year they host three triathons - all on Holiday weekends - Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. The distances are: 0.25m swim, 15m bike and 3m run. The swim is in the Gulf of Mexico and they have a 350 athlete maximum which keeps the numbers fairly manageable.

Since the bike distance is longer than for a lot of tris, there are some really serious bikers at this event. Mike is still riding a mountain bike until he decides whether or not he wants to upgrade - it's a significant investment but does give you a massive edge for events like this. There were some very expensive bikes there...

Here's Mike in the transision area with his mountain bike trying not to feel intimidated...:)

Maddy was very proud of her Daddy...

Looking good Mikey boy!

The swim looks very intimidating from the beach. They have to swim all the way around those orange and yellow buoys in the distance...

Mike managed to lose his wedding ring during the swim :(. This is the third ring that he's lost in the Gulf of Mexico now. At what point do you think - you know what, I'm going to take my ring off today since I'm going to the beach, Mike?:) Anyway, at least he had a smile for us when he came out of the water...

After a tricky transition he took off on his bike...

It's a really great venue and well-organized for both athletes and spectators. While Mike was out on the bike, Maddy and I spent some time on the beach hanging out and and waiting on the road to cheer him in...

We were happy to see that he was still smiling as he went out for the run (by now it was over 80 degrees and we were uncomfortable just sitting still and watching)...

And he's back and all done!

Congratulations Mike - we are so proud of you!!!

My first (and Mike's second) triathlon - I can't believe I did it!!!!

I was poking around on active.com on Thursday and found a local-ish Sprint Triathlon designed for first-timers and with a pool swim too! I have only technically completed a few weeks of my 13-week triathlon training program but I just have been feeling so strong lately so I decided to take the plunge and sign up for my first one this weekend! Mike volunteered to do it with me so we both got up at 5:15 a.m on Superbowl Sunday and headed for Sarasota for the Superbowl Sprint Y Tri...!!

They don't give you a whole lot of information in advance (or I probably wouldn't have signed up :)) but once you arrive there are Sarasota 'Storm Team' Triathletes everywhere to help you. First you have to register and get your body marked up. I didn't realize that the number on your leg is your age at the end of the calendar year - like I needed a reminder...

Then we set up in the Transition area with all of the paraphernalia that you need for each event. The Transition was definitely the part that I was feeling most confident about since I'm very proud of my organizational abilities :)

At the kick off meeting they explained the rules and how the whole thing works and told some really inspirational stories. As if that weren't moving enough, they traditionally start the event each year with one of the club members taking three disabled althetes each through a phase of the course. Totally amazing and inspirational...

The Swim...

The swim was really well organized and we were seeded in order of our predicted finish time and separated by 10 seconds to avoid too much overtaking in the water. There was also plenty of room in the lanes and I actually managed to jump ahead of a couple of people and even some guys! I was really surprised at how tiring 8 laps (400 mtrs) really was though and together with the nerves and excitement I was quite out of breath when I finished the first event.

The Bike...
I have never actually biked for 12 miles before so I was most nervous about this part. And rightfully so. If I never go another day without hearing "passing on the left!" I'm OK with it. I'm just not fully comfortable with biking yet at all so I really struggled to get in a riding position that didn't hurt. I also can't pace myself yet either so I had no idea how far I'd gone at any point throughout the event. So when I first thought 'I've been biking forever - this must be nearly over' I asked one of the race officials how much longer there was to go. She said 'I think you're about half-way' and I think I felt my heart break physically in two. Anyway, I got myself together and after what seemed like about 2 miles later I looked down and realized that the bike lane was actually marked along the way. Some of it looked like it was written in some kind of secret code but there was no disguising the one that said "Half Way To Go..." I nearly cried. Anyway, I felt a bit better when a girl in front of me fell off her bike (at least I was still on mine) and sucked it up and pedaled away. I was so miserable and just couldn't wait to hit the pavement for the run. I kept thinking - I know how to run! And it's only 2.2 miles! Then I'm done! Finally the bike was over and I was astonished to discover that I wasn't dead last at all!! And there's Mike in the Transition area! Did I catch him up on my bike?! Really? No...he must have waited for me so that we can run together...that's so sweet :). What's that Mike? You've done the run already...OMG - shoot me now...

The Run...
The run wasn't pavement at all but a trail run. And now I realize for the first time that not only do my legs no longer work properly after all the swim/biking but also running on a trail is harder than the kind of running I usually do. This will likely be the longest 2.2 miles of my running career. But only a crazy person stops at this point. So...I did the two loops and Mike did the second one with me :). And the great news was that several people (in fact about half) have actually started walking now so I can do some "passing on the left" of my own!

Here's Mike during his run sometime earlier...:)

The Big Finish...
I lost my ever-loving mind when I finally crossed the finish line - I can honestly say I've never felt anything quite like it!

Post-race pics...

I feel incredibly proud of myself and so very lucky that my 40-year-old body is capable of so much more than I ever imagined. Now I can't help but wonder what else I can do...:)

Like riding a bike? I think not...

It's been a really wierd week. At some point at the end of last week (ironically after a really good monster run), I just lost interest in the whole triathlon thing and my confidence seemed to disappear too. I don't really know what happened to be honest. On Sunday, I just sat around in my running shorts all day and when I finally forced myself to get out there I simply couldn't be bothered and gave up halfway and walked home. I just wasn't having fun. To try and get re-energized we got on Craig's list in the evening and found a perfect road bike for me! I was so excited - we rushed out right away, and brought home a shiny, barely-used Schwinn on Sunday night!

Now...the dictionary says:

like riding a bike
(simile) Said of skill that, once learned, is never forgotten.
 
It doesn't mention anything about road bikes vs. mountain bikes..or fat vs. thin tires...or curly bars. No, the inference of this expression is that biking (in general) is easy, so long as you've done it at some point before. So easy, in fact, that the expression is actually named after it. Anyway, it's a stupid expression. After about a half an hour of wobbling around, nearly falling off and hurting everywhere to get into that uncomfortable, low, crazy-looking position I was so fed up I gave up. I didn't even do 4 miles - it was pathetic. And the pain, oh my God the pain, my hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders - everything just hurt so badly. And the realization after about 5 minutes that I am so far from "tri-ready" just added insult to injury.
 
Here I was, less than two weeks ago, with my mountain bike and hopes and dreams intact...

 
And here is the pesky, bastard bike that is currently my arch enemy...
 

So what now? Well - I'm going to have to learn how to ride it. Apart from the fact that I'm cheap - I'm not ready to abandon the goal just yet. And as my work colleague rightly pointed out I also really hated running when I started this quest to get more active. In fact if I recall I actually hated it more! The triathlon training program (that I have just wasted 7 weeks of my life on) states that it is designed for people who can run 20 minutes, swim 30 mins and bike 30 mins. If that's true - I should be able to start the program again when I can ride my new bike for a half an hour straight without wanting to kill myself. Since I'm on vacation next week anyway (out west so I'll be hiking every day at least), this will be a great opportunity for a nice break from the gym and to refocus on my new objective to conquer the pesky bastard bike when I get back.

Did I really say at the end of my last post "One thing's for sure - if I finish the swim on the day, I'm not going to let a silly bike or run stand between me and the finish line ;)"? How could I have gotten it so wrong? Oh well, I guess life's a journey and all that - I just wish the mode of transportation didn't hurt your crotch quite so much :)

Braving the outdoors...

So far I'm managing to keep up with the triathlon training plan which is very exciting! Earlier this week I completed almost 5 hours of training including some things I've never done before such as: a spinning class (which I didn't fall in love with) and biking the 11 mile, beautiful, award-winning Flatwoods trail that I've managed to avoid for the 12 years that I've lived just down the street. Maddy rode the full trail too which totally blew me away! I am actually quite enjoying my bike now that I am not so scared of falling off it and think I may even upgrade to a proper road bike in time for the big day.

I am trying to finish the training plan slightly ahead of schedule so that I can "face my demons" sooner than planned, so this was also the week with the first dreaded 20 minute open water swim. The swim is consistently one of the top reasons that people don't want to do a triathlon, yet it's only about 10-15 minutes long for most first-timers. Apparently swimming in open water is very different than in the comfort and safety of a pool, so we headed out to Fort de Soto this morning so that I could find out for myself.

Lessons learned:

1. It takes a will of steel not to think about what might be underneath you when you are swimming in the ocean...or what happened to that poor Steve Irwin.

2. Warm salty water tastes disgusting and it's hard to breathe when you get hit with a new mouthful every time you make a stroke. Imagine someone throwing a bucketful of miso soup at your face every few seconds.

3. Seawater is full of random, sticky, nasty seaweed - much like miso soup actually.

4. The current is strong, even in calm waters, and it's very difficult to swim against. This becomes more of a problem when combined with #5....

5. My goggles were rubbish and fogged up within seconds so I couldn't actually see anything once I was out in the water. When I finally got them off my head and was able to focus, I'd been swept away quite a bit so it looked like I was miles away from dry land all of a sudden. Like that awful moment in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...

5. The very last of my problems is whether or not I am able to swim freestyle on the day. There's no shame in being a "breaststroker" - anyone who completes the swim, particularly with 100 or so other people flapping around them, has perfomed a feat worthy of a medal in my opinion.

Dori had it right when she said "just keep swimming, just keep swimming." After about 5-10 minutes I managed to calm down a bit but I was still so grateful when my 20 minutes was up and spent the next hour blowing salty water out of my nose. One thing's for sure - if I finish the swim on the day, I'm not going to let a silly bike or run stand between me and the finish line ;)

Mike's a rockstar!

After doing some research, Mike and I decided to do the sensible thing and complete a proper training plan to see how that went before making a firm commitment to sign up for a triathlon. We both liked the look of this one and decided to start at Week 4 to be ready by September:

Triathlon Training Program

On Day Two of the 13 week plan I came home from the gym to find Mike had gotten online and signed up for a triathlon for that weekend! We ended up in the gym on Wednesday doing a run, bike, swim workout to see how the transitions were and reading endless blogs to try and prepare him as much as possible. After very little sleep, we got up at 4:40am this morning and headed out to Crystal River.

You need a USAT license for a triathlon and there are lots of rules to be aware of that can result in disqualification (or a heart attack for that matter). It was really exciting to see everything getting set up while it was still dark. The temperatures were perfect and there was a really nice beach breeze too when we arrived...

You have to wear a swimcap so that they can see when you are drowning. Here's Mikey Boy in his...Check it...Booyakasha!

They write your 'bib' number all over you so that they can identify your body if you don't survive the swim...only kidding - the numbers are so that they can shamelessly rip you off afterwards with the 'post-tri' photos:)

Mike is literally in his underwear...

Don't let the thumbs up deceive you...he's terrified in this picture...

And they're off for the 0.25 mile swim...

 

He's done with the swim (incidentally - if there had've been a medal for noisiest spectator...I would have placed for sure:))

After an OK transition, he's off on his 'pimped up' mountain bike for the next 15 miles...

Thank God he didn't get a flat (there was no time to figure out how to fix a flat during the 3-day training program). Anyway, he's out for the 3 mile run...nearly there now Mike!...

And he's in!!!

It was so amazing to watch and Mike loved his tri experience! His times were fantastic too and he came in 8th out of the First Timers with an overall time of 1:31:12. He said it was the hardest thing he's ever done and promised to stick to a training plan for next time. For me, I am happy to be sleeping with a sexy triathlete but not sure if I'm inspired or terrified! Let's see how the training goes...Congratulations Michael - you have no idea how proud I am of you!

Swimming in negative waters...

I bounced the triathlon idea off a few people who are ordinarily very encouraging and was scared off a bit when all of them (with the exception of one mental person) said it was a really bad idea. The feedback has been completely consistent - the swimming part is supposed to be really difficult. Most of the folks I have asked however are runners, and it would seem that runners particularly dislike swimming for some reason? Now I'm a horrible swimmer and have never been able to do anything beyond breaststroke but I did used to swim a half a mile three times a week in college so how hard can swimming a quarter of a mile really be? Yes I know it's outside with hundreds of people who are thrashing around in the water, but there won't be many people trying to hold me under the water at the very back where I will be:). Here's the thing - when you do a 5K (or any run for that matter), people always ask "what was your time?" My logic is this - when you do a triathlon - the response is more like "you're a rock star," so all I have to do really is finish...:)

So, I did my first step towards training for a triathlon (just a baby-sized one) and made a plan. First I needed to find out where I am at with each of the components in a 'controlled' setting. I know the running part will take about half an hour so as an experiment I did the stationary bike for 40 mins at the gym. I only managed to cover 7.7 miles so the bike bit will take about 1 and a half hours - CRAP! Then I prepared myself for the dreaded swim. I was very nervous about this since I haven't swam laps in 20 years and felt sure that it would be a stark reminder on how much I've aged :(. Also (similarly to the whole bike deal) my idea of an outfit to swim in is more like this...

Than this...

(Incidently: every single image that I pulled online to find this photo looks exactly the same - like they are all either literally dying to catch a breath or screaming for help which is also very discouraging).

Anyway, I bought an appropriate bathing suit (on sale of course - I may only need it once) and hit the pool. I was really delighted to find out that I can swim 24 laps (or three quarters of a mile nearly) in 40 minutes without having to stop at all! It felt exactly like it did all those years ago and afterwards I had a really nice all-over ache and slept really well. It was also nice to get away from the ipod, TV or gym noise and just be really quiet for a change.

So if I can master the transitions and start adding the pieces together it should take under 2 and a half hours to do a sprint triathlon. Next step is to try the bike outside - wish me luck...:)

Should I try a tri?

The running has been progressing fairly slowly and steadily lately but I have have found myself thinking about setting a new goal...maybe a mini "sprint-triathlon"? I'm not sure if it's the heat or what since I swim like a stone and fell into a bush the last time I rode a bicycle. Anyway, it's an interesting idea. Not sure if there's a "standard" sprint-tri but the one that I saw in Fort-de-Soto in August is 0.25 mile swim, 15 mile bike ride and a 5K to finish. Of course I won't be ready by then ("not with that attitude Clare") but I think I'll start out by attempting a bike ride to see how I like it. Now I think I have a bike gathering dust in the garage but I think I'll look more like this...

...than this...

OK - that's Pamela Anderson but you get the point. I'm not even sure if riding a bike requires a helmet by law or not in Florida? So I've found a bike shop nearby and my first objective is to stop in before the end of the week to do some research. Then I'll dig out my bike from behind the Christmas decs and have Mike show me the ropes. Wish me luck!!