Last week my friend who is a triathlete did a something for me. It was either really wonderful or some kind of torture. He gave me an entry into my very first triathlon. I'm going to be completely honest...I asked for it.
Since this is the first post for this blog, let me give you a little back story. In 2007 I began my fat loss journey and lost 65 pounds in a year. I spent the next year in Taiwan (teaching English) and kept the weight off. When I came back to the U.S. the stress started to increase but I continued to do my best to live in a healthy way. I also decided that I needed to pass it forward and became a personal trainer. Funny thing, I started training others more and training myself less. I love my new career but I have put some weight back on and I need something other than my body fat percentage to spur me forward before I put it all back on and look like a horrible trainer. (I'm not by the way, you should see some of my clients.
That leads me to this week. My friend Ben has been doing tri's for years and received a bunch of entries for a timing issue he had last year. Instead of him using the entries for himself, he decided to grow the sport and give them to others who were interested in finishing a triathlon. I said "Yes, please!"
I will be doing the Women's Triathlon at the Giant Eagle Multi-Sport Festival on July 27. Ben actually suggested it and his wife will also be competing. She's younger than me and more experienced so I'm sure she'll already be at the finish line when I get there. Knowing that Ben gave me this entry with the intention of me actually doing it and that he and his wife (and my boyfriend) of course will be cheering me on is just enough positive pressure to make sure I actually do this thing.
I'm excited. I've never been an athlete (unless high school marching band counts). I want to see where this will take me. I workout for good health and stress relief. I'll be totally honest...I don't like to run. I get bored and start thinking about all the other things I can be doing with my time. I haven't really swam in roughly 30 years (last time I had a formal lesson) and my bike was stolen two years ago and I haven't rode since. By the end of this journey, I WILL be an athlete and I'll have something to train for.
This week operation Triathlon began for me. I bought a book for your first triathlon. I found a bunch of web sites as resources. The training plan is picked and the training start date is marked on my calendar. I found a race suite to train and probably compete in (a slightly traumatic experience), as well as my old swim cap and a set of goggles (on loan from the boyfriend). I'm already prepped for the running (not hard as I wear running shoes to work). I'm searching for a bike but since I have access to indoor bikes, I'm gonna hold off on that purchase. My budget needs a little more time before I get the wheels.
So here's the plan, formal training will start in May since I've picked a 12 week plan. Right now, I'm going to focus on just building my stamina. The most challenging part for me is the swim. I will be taking swim lessons to learn proper form and build my stroke arsenal. I'll keep running outside or on a treadmill depending on the weather and work on getting my mileage up. I'll also work on increasing mileage on the bike. Interval training is going to be a big part of my training starting now and of course I'll be continuing with the strength training. I can't live without my strength training.
This tri is very short...250 yard swim, 7 mile bike, 2 mile run. Therefore, I'm not going to say I just hope that I finish. I know I can finish this. However, I'm not going to set a goal time, yet. That will come in May when I start my race training. I need to get my skills up first and that's what these first few months are going to be all about. SKILL DEVELOPMENT
So here it goes...girl meets tri...
