Stop! It's Tri Time: An Update

I know, the blog title is super cheesy...just stick with me here.

A couple weeks ago I threw all my triathlon fears into a random blog post. Lucky for me, there are A LOT of you out there that had some great feedback. Whether it was just general words of encouragement or actual tips to make this Tri thing really happen, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!

Tri Clubs.

Many of you suggested I take the plunge and join the local triathlon club. I know this is probably the most efficient way to get on board with a multi-sport event; however, I am just not a group exerciser. I don't even like group exercise classes at the gym or meeting my friends for runs. The most I enjoy is meeting to go for walks in the park with friends. Exercise is therapeutic for me. It's where I think. It's where I contemplate life. Problems. Happiness. I don't get the same affect from group exercise sessions. So for now, I am tabling the tri club; however, I may revisit it if I feel like I just can't do this without that support.

Gear.

I realized my biggest concern was what to wear for such an event. Being a larger person, I know I am not comfortable with doing any sort of public changing or running in a any sort of 2 piece. I also know financially I couldn't afford to go out and buy a trisuit at this point. Thankfully, Diana kindly emailed me a ton of tips and one of them was to just wear a one piece swimsuit with bike shorts (or other fitted shorts) over it. Then, I could essentially just swim, bike, and run in this one outfit. I will test it out (since there's a chance of chafing) and hopefully it works out.

The bike.

My bike was another hot topic of conversation. My bike was a hand-me-down last summer from my aunt. Yes, it is old. BUT, I did spend quite a chunk of change last summer getting it fixed up at the local bike shop. They said it was in great shape and gave it a full tune up, plus replaced the wires, tubes, and tires. I only rode it twice last year so it was ready to go this year (except for a quick air refill on the tubes). No, it is not a road bike. BUT it has several gears and I have rode 13+ miles on it in one trip over rolling hills so I know I can make it work for a sprint tri.

Thank you to Melanie, who suggested the REI bike clinic. I checked my local store and they had one coming up April 12th, so I am signed up and ready to learn!

However, I am still learning to ride the bike with the most efficiency. I am not a pro at when to shift gears and I am probably not using natural momentum to the best of my ability because I tend to get shy on downhills and brake. I plan to read up on this and practice, practice, practice.

The Pool.

My plan is to get in the pool hopefully sometime this week. Now that I am tapering for the Country Music Half, I feel less pressure on my training for that race and for the next two weeks I will be focusing on swimming and biking until I fully transition into Tri training on May 1st. I finally ordered two new swimsuits so as soon as they come, I'll be heading out to join the Y. It's the most expensive option, but also the fool proof option (as in, I know I'll actually get my training done).

The Race.

Right now, I am targeting the Wet Dog sprint triathlon in Decatur, AL. The only downside is that it's in July...in the south...so I may wake up and realize how crazy this plan is and switch to a race in September. The goal is to just do at least one tri in 2012. It will happen.