Long awaited Cedars of Lebanon Sprint Triathlon Recap

It's only taken me nearly 3 weeks but here it is...finally...the recap of the sprint triathlon I wasn't even sure I was going to do.

I decided that I couldn't just skip something I had signed up for. For me, that would signify that I'm a quitter. A quitter in many senses of the word. It would have not only been me skipping the race, but me throwing up my hands and saying, "I give up, this period of weight re-gain wins."

So I had to fight.

Surprisingly, I wasn't too nervous on race morning. I just approached it as leisurely as I could. I was just participating and hoping to finish, not "racing" anyone or myself. So it took the pressure off.

My typical race morning routine was off. I had spent the 2 weeks leading up to the race house/dog sitting so I had been out of my element for approximately 11 days. The night before the race was the first night I had spent in my own bed in over a week. My race tradition is I have a whole grain bagel from Brueggers with peanut butter and a banana, but I forgot to get a bagel from Brueggers on Friday. So I stopped at a gas station and got a Peanut Crunch Clif Bar on the way out to the park. I ate that on the way and ended up having my banana around 7:30 once I got settled in transition.

One thing that made me nervous race morning was that it had been raining the day before and morning of, which meant wet and possibly slick roads. I overheard some guys at the swim line-up mention that the first stretch out on the bike was downhill that goes into a sharpe right turn. Took mental note of that one.

Another thing that caused a bit of anxiety was the pool swim. Silly I know. Usually people get nervous about open water swims. Chalk it up to the fact I've been swimming and water skiing in murky water since I was 6 months old, but OWS don't phase me. When contemplating how I was going to tackle the swim, I wasn't sure how it would go - darting under ropes and with so many people in the pool at once. I didn't practice going under the ropes, but I should have.

Source: Team Magic Multisport

 

 

If you click to enlarge the above photo of the swim start, you can see me waiting in the blue swimcap (in the yellow circle).

I was in the middle of the pack on starting time, so my number was 625. I waited a good while and was able to see how the "pros" were tackling it. Touch wall, push off wall underwater, go diagonally into the next lane. Simple?

I should have been further up in the swim time. I passed people, and had trouble passing people I could have passed because of congestion. It was much worse on congestion than the OWS last summer at Wet Dog. I think I estimated my swim time around 6 minutes, and I finished in 4:55.

I walked the whole way to T1. I worked hard on the swim and I knew the bike would be rough so I wanted to save energy. I'm sure I looked silly and it certainly didn't help my T1 time (5:05), but once I got to my bike, I was quick. Baby powder in the socks helped this time!

Bike started out ok. My legs are always cold when I start on the bike in a race. I need to warm them up better - which I intended to do this time - but I didn't have time before they closed transition. The bike course was a two-loop 4.3 mile course. Easy enough right? It had been described as FLAT, which I was silly to even believe because, hello this is Tennessee. It was not flat. A lot of it was flat. But those 3-4 rolling hills (mostly at the end of the loop, back-to-back) killed me. If I was trained better I'm sure it wouldn't have been a big deal. But I wasn't trained so alas a lot of people passed me (some twice, I'm sure). But I didn't have to walk my bike and I finished without any incident. It took me 52:26 though.

I started the run out easy and my legs quickly acclimated and I was able to keep a pretty steady 3/1 run/walk pace. The run course is mentally tricky because you have to go left out of the transition area, go about 0.2 miles and then loop back past the transition area. The run course overall is pretty flat except for one hill at the end right before you run into finish.

My run time was 29:20, which I can't be mad about because the weekend before I ran 2 miles on their own and my time was right around 28. So not bad for swimming 200 yards ad biking 9.6 miles before running 2 miles.

I finished. I was glad I was done and also that I did it. I didn't use any nutrition on the course besides water and a little powerade. So I ate my honey stingers right after finishing in the transition area and packed my stuff up to go home.

Overall time: 1:32:55

Thoughts: I'm just glad I did it and I was able to finish. I would have had a lot of guilt and self-hate if I had decided not to do the race. So it was just good for me mentally to get out there and do it. My original plan for this season was to do an Olympic distance in September, but it's clear that isn't going to happen. My travel schedule at work ruined any focus I would be able to have on training for one. And two, personal travel has ruined my focus on saving for a road bike and I really don't think I can ride 25 miles on my current bike. It's too heavy - about 50 lbs! It certainly isn't a goal I've given up on, it just won't happen this season. I do hope to do one more sprint triathlon in August or September before the season is over. I'm continuing to run (joining a local C25K program) and swim. Biking has been neglected, but the summer is still young!

Have you ever done a race you weren't properly trained for? If so, how did it go? Did you surprise yourself?

To Tri or Not to Tri on Saturday

Hello, it's me again. Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, I've gained more weight. Yes, I could spend a lot of time making excuses and telling you how busy I've been.

But I won't.

What I came here for today is some advice. Now, of course I write this from a place after I've already discussed it with a few "in real life" friends, but I trust my blogging community so much I'm bringing it to you.

WAAAAAAAAAY back in December I registered for my first race for the 2013 Triathlon season - the Cedars of Lebanon Sprint Tri (200 y swim, 9.6 mi bike, 2 mi run), which is now THIS Saturday.

And although I started out ok, I haven't followed any sort of training schedule for FOUR weeks.

Sure, I've done a run here, swam a little over there, and a bike ride here and there in the last few weeks. But I would say I've been on a bike less than 4 times in the last 4 weeks and I've been in the pool maybe half that.

To say I'm not trained is an understatement.

I wasn't really worried until I hopped on the bike Sunday and it was SO HARD. The lack of training combined with the 40 or so lbs I've gained in the last 8 months had me walking up THREE hills. And they were piddly little hills. Now, I could blame it on the run I did the day before - 2 miles - since I haven't been running much more than 20 minutes a few times a week and my quads felt a little sore, but that's a cop-out.

So what do I do?

I'm really conflicted because I've never NOT completed a race I registered for. For awhile, I was confident the short distances at the race wouldn't be a problem for me, but MAN I've let myself go. After that bike ride on Sunday (during which I had my first bike crash), I just don't know if I CAN.

Which is better?

Do I go forward with my plan to do the triathlon knowing I'm not trained and I'm sorely out of shape, with the chance of either hurting myself or having to quit during the race?

Or do I bow out gracefully, plan some other moderate activity in place of Saturday and re-evaluate my health and fitness goals?


What would you do?

Ironman March Challenge Wrap Up

As a reminder, I committed to participate in Caitlin's (from Health Tipping Point) Ironman March Challenge where I will complete the Ironman distances in swimming, biking, and run/walking during the month of March.

I didn't give a Week 4 update, but you can see previous weeks' updates here, here, and here.

The last full week of the challenge, I hit a wall. Well, it actually started out great the first three days with a 1,000 meter swim, 14 mile spin ride, and 2.85 mile run respectively. Monday the 25th was my normal yoga class, then Tuesday I skipped the 6 am spin class I've been trying to make my "normal" class and just figured I would go to the 5 pm one. But then I started the juice cleanse Tuesday morning...

I was so weak by time I left work on Tuesday, there was no way I would make it through a 60 minute spin class. "I'll just go tomorrow," I thought.

Well after only 4 hours of sleep because of hunger induced insomnia (seriously, I was so stupid), I didn't feel like doing much Wednesday either. Then Thursday I missed the 6 am spin again and couldn't find an evening class, so I just went to yoga (my favorite instructor is going to be out for 3 weeks and it was her last class).

So I ended Week 4 with just an additional 1,000 meters of swimming, 14 miles biking, and 2.85 miles running to add to my totals. Not the best week for the challenge, but looking back it's not horrible for this point in my training calendar either.

For the last 3 days of the challenge, I started out at the pool Friday with a 1,200 meter swim, thus completing 4,100 meters this month, a few laps over the 2.4 miles required for the challenge.

Friday after coming home from the pool, I was still in my flip flops and had a little clumsy incident that involved a chunk of skin the size of a quarter being ripped off the top of my big toe on my left foot. So there's that now.

Saturday, I only got 5 miles of biking in. But the good news is I picked up my bike from being tuned up and it's riding great! I just timed the ride way too wrong and I hadn't eaten in several hours and didn't have any energy to do a longer ride. (All excuses I realize.)

Admittedly I have had a very lazy week and weekend, and that carried over to today with the holiday and the crummy weather we have, I didn't get out and do anything today.

So my final challenge totals were:

Swimming: 4,100 meters
Bike: 58 miles
Run/Walk: 19.49

So obviously I didn't complete all of the biking or running totals. After the showing I had the first two weeks, I really had no way to hit the bike totals, but if I hadn't hit that wall this week I should have hit the run totals.

All that to say, I do think the challenge was a success because it helped jump start my triathlon training. I went from swimming and biking very low totals to swimming 1,200 meters at a time and biking 20+ miles a week. So I'm proud of myself for that.

I have 6 weeks until the first race on my calendar this season, and being that it is a mini spring triathlon (200 yard swim, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run), I know I am ready for it and I can start focusing on my 2nd race (TBD), which will be a longer sprint triathlon, and maybe even an Intermediate distance race at the end of the summer.

I can't wait until May 18th and I'm out there again!

Ironman March Challenge - Week 3 Update

As a reminder, I committed to participate in Caitlin's (from Health Tipping Point) Ironman March Challenge where I will complete the Ironman distances in swimming, biking, and run/walking during the month of March.

You can check out the original Ironman March Challenge post and download the printable training plan on HTP.

So yesterday concluded Week 3. We have 10 days left (including today).

The goal again this week was to swim 872 meters, bike 25.3 miles, and run/walk 6 miles. Plus, I still needed to catch up on a lot of biking, let's see how I did.

March 15-21:
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 12 mile bike ride on the greenway near my house
Sunday: 1.75 mile run and 650 meter swim
Monday: Nothing - missed yoga due to a GMAT prep class went to
Tuesday: 10 miles in Spin
Wednesday: 2.25 mile walk/run as part of C210K
Thursday: Nothing - missed yoga because of a meeting that ran long at work and I was too lazy to go to the gym

So my weekly totals were 650 meters swimming, 22 miles biking, and 4 miles run/walking. Yikes I'm behind.

My week was a bit hectic. I had plans Mon-Wed nights and having that much on my social calendar just tends to throw me off. I was also REALLY sore from my weekend workouts and without my gentle/stretching yoga on Monday it was hard to motivate myself by Thursday to do yet another day of cardio. I know, excuses, excuses, but it is what it is. This next week should be MUCH better because I have NOTHING on my calendar in the evenings. I plan to focus, focus, focus.

10 days to do 1,962 meters of swimming, 73 miles of biking, and 9.56 miles of running!

Here's my plan for the rest of the month:

March 22-28
Friday:  1,000 meter swim
Saturday: 14-16 mile bike ride
Sunday: W3D3 of C210K (approx. 2.25 miles) and 600 meter swim
Monday: Yoga
Tuesday: 45 minute spin (10-12 miles)
Wednesday: W4D1 of C210K (approx. 2.75 miles) and 5 mile indoor bike
Thursday: 45 minute spin (10-12 miles)

March 29-31
Friday: W4D2 of C2K (approx. 2.25 miles) and 600 meter swim
Sat: W4D3 of C210K (approx. 2.25 miles) 14-16 mile bike
Sun: 45 min spin (10-12 miles) or bike

I realize my biking miles are VERY heavy in order to finish the Ironman distance. All I can do is try on that front. I'm confident I won't have any problems with the swimming or running (funny how biking is my weakest sport and the one I'm most behind on).

At least this challenge has kept me on task for triathlon training and really that's more important than being a few miles short of riding 112 miles in a month.

What do you need to start Tri-ing? Not Much!

I started writing this as a comment in response to this Swim, Bike, Mom post. After typing, and typing, and typing I realized this was much better posted as a blog post rather than a comment.

I don't wholly agree with SBM's "wear one thing" & "don't put anything else on" rule. I completed my first sprint tri last year at 6'0" and 240 lbs, which makes me about an 18/20, and most women's triathlon clothing doesn't fit someone of my frame size. What to wear on race day was one of the biggest "mysteries" to figure out during my training.

I didn't want to spend $150+ on a triathlon suit when I wasn't sure if I would actually enjoy tri-ing. Especially when I would have to order specialty size or go to a men's cut. In fact, I didn't want to invest much money at all in triathlon gear until I realized I did in fact love it. So I ended up wearing my plain black Reebok one-piece swimming suit and a pair of Men's XXL compression shorts for the swim, and then pulling on a pair of mesh basketball shorts for the bike and run.

My advice to beginners (still being a beginner myself) is to NOT go out and buy a bunch of unnecessary gear. You DO NOT NEED a triathlon suit/kit to complete a sprint triathlon, unless you have an extra $100-$150 laying around and would just feel more comfortable doing this. I just don't want anyone using the expense of the sport as an excuse to not train and complete their first race when they really want to.

Here's what my "gear" consisted of during my triathlon training and race:

-One piece no-frills swim suit (with supportive straps and full-coverage)
-Pair of compression shorts
-Pair of old school Speedo goggles I previously had (I paid $5 on clearance for them years prior)
-Swim cap (purchased half way through my training)
-Pair of  mesh basketball shorts (pulled over compression shorts after the swim)
-Hand me down bike from the 90s - with proper safety tune up
-Water rack and water bottle on bike
-Helmet
-Properly fitted running shoes
-Sweat and moisture wicking socks
-Garmin 405 GPS enabled watch (this is not mandatory, I just happened to have been gifted one the Christmas before my first triathlon season)
-Hard work, determination, a training plan, and a commitment

Now your mileage may vary. I didn't find the need for padded bike shorts on my training rides and/or padded triathlon shorts for my race because I was only riding twice a week and not that far most days. I may buy a pair this year because I'm planning on spending A LOT of time on the bike and I can already tell it may affect...ahem...me.

Also, I am small chested, so I didn't feel uncomfortable riding and biking in just my bathing suit with shorts pulled over. If you are a better endowed woman than I am, you could easily wear a sports bra under your swim suit.

My point is, you can get by with less if you need to. You do not need clip-in pedals, a fancy bike, or lots of fancy gear for a sprint tri.

I would love hear other people's comments about their experience on completing their first tri and sharing their best tips and practices!

Ironman March Challenge - Week 2 Update

As a reminder, I committed to participate in Caitlin's (from Health Tipping Point) Ironman March Challenge where I will complete the Ironman distances in swimming, biking, and run/walking during the month of March.

You can check out the original Ironman March Challenge post and download the printable training plan on HTP.

So yesterday concluded Week 2. We have 17 days left (including today).

The goal again this week was to swim 872 meters, bike 25.3 miles, and run/walk 6 miles. Plus, I wanted to "catch up" on my biking since I didn't get much in the first week. Well, my body had other plans this is what my week looked like:

March 8-14:
Friday: 2 mile walk/run as part of C210K
Saturday: 1,000 meter swim in 30 minutes. (I was damn impressed I was able to go this far. I'm chalking it up to my new fancy goggles.)
Sunday: 4 mile walk/hike
Monday: Active rest/Gentle Yoga
Tuesday: Spin class - counting as 12 miles (see below)
Wednesday: 1.72 mile walk/run as part of C210K
Thursday: Active rest/Yoga

I was on a roll until I hit the spin class on Tuesday. I knew the class would be hard. Spin is hard. But I love it just the same. I always say that it's the only group exercise class I'll get up at 5:30 AM for. Seriously, you don't see me going to Body Pump at 6 AM do you? :)

So, it was hard. 45 minutes is a lot longer than I've ridden or done cardio for since December. I knew it would wear me out. But I wasn't expecting what happened after I got off the bike to happen - I almost fainted.

I've had the symptoms before - twice to be exact. Once from having an reaction to Penicillin and then a milder version after the Country Music Half Marathon on April 2012.

While we were stretching after our ride, I started to feel dizzy. I tried to shake it off by stopping my stretch to no avail. The room started to get fuzzier, and I started to feel more like crap. I exited the room to find help (I didn't want to make an embarrassing scene in front of the class). And found the staff member overseeing the fitness area. I told him what was happening and he was about as unhelpful as a pile of wet rags. I repeatedly asked for medical assistance/first aid and he repeatedly told me they weren't trained for such incidents. His exact words were "well if you have a cut or need a band-aid or something". REALLY Middle Tennessee YMCA?!! You don't have ONE person in the building at ALL TIMES trained for first response medical care in case one of your members has a heart attack or stroke on the floor? What about if one of those kids that come in after school to play basketball drop from an undiagnosed heart condition? After he left me alone (yes really) to "go try and find someone" I started feeling normal again, so I just went back to the classroom to gather my things and left.

Although I felt tired the rest of the day, I didn't have any other symptoms. The next day while running, I felt a little off so I didn't push myself very hard and did walking intervals for the last half. My intent was to wear the heart rate accessory with my Garmin, but I forgot the watch on the charger Wednesday morning.

Honestly, I was scared to go back to spin. I don't know if it was just the extra histamines in my body from seasonal allergies attacking me post-exercise, if it was low blood sugar, or if there is a more serious issue I need to be concerned about. Bradycardia (when your heart rate drops to below normal levels - usually in the 40s or under) runs in my mom's family - both she and my aunt have been diagnosed with it, but it only presents symptoms for them when their body is under stress. Exercise = stress on the body. It's something I need to get checked out, but I am dragging my feet.

My original plan was to spin Thursday, rest today. Since I didn't want to risk spin again, I did yoga yesterday and gave myself extra rest. Then, I planned to get in the pool this morning (at 6 AM mind you) and I got there and the pool was closed? So frustrating! I realize they probably posted signs for weeks, but since I wasn't planning on swimming during the week this week, I probably didn't pay attention to them. Why don't they send email reminders to the members when parts of the facilities are closed???

So it's been a rocky week that has pushed me further behind on the bike portion of the challenge.

My weekly totals are 1,000 meters swim, 12 mile bike (1 spin class), and 7.72 mile run. My totals overall are 1,250 meters swim, 17 mile bike, and 12.64 miles run.

I don't know if I'll "catch up" on my bike totals. I will try my darnedest if I feel alright at my next spin class (maybe Sunday), but I'm not going to risk my health.

Here's to 17 days and 2,612 meters of swimming, 95 miles of biking, and 13.56 miles of running left!

Ironman March Update - Week 1

I committed to participate in Caitlin's (from Health Tipping Point) Ironman March Challenge where I will complete the Ironman distances in swimming, biking, and run/walking during the month of March.

You can check out the original Ironman March Challenge post and download the printable training plan on HTP.

On to my update for the first week (March 1-7).

The goal was to swim 872 meters, bike 25.3 miles, and run/walk 6 miles. Since I am just getting back to the gym from winter laziness/ankle sprain 2013 this is what my week looked like:

March 1-7:
Friday: nada
Saturday: 250 meter swim (first time in the pool since September and my goggles broke)
Sunday: 3 mile hike/walk
Monday: Active rest/Yoga
Tuesday: 5 mile indoor bike
Wednesday: 1.92 run/walk on treadmill
Thursday: Rest

So obviously my totals are 250 meters swim, 5 mile bike, 4.92 run/walk. And I'm starting out behind.

I'm not too concerned since I'm just now gearing up back at the gym. I'll hit the pavement tonight for another approximate 2 miles, then swim tomorrow (and hopefully get out for a hike in the afternoon), and probably do a spin class Sunday.

I'm going to try and add a little more to the outlined weekly totals so I don't have to play "catch up" all during one week. Overall I'd say the challenge has kept me motivated to keep moving forward with training for my mini spring Tri on May 18th. Anything to motivate me at this point is a good thing!

If you are interested in participating in the Ironman March Challenge you still have time! Check out the original post and commit today.

Ironman March with @caitlinhtp

I signed up for my first Triathlon of the season waaaaaaaaay back in early December. I find the earlier that I sign up for a big race, the more I tend to slack in beginning my "official" training. Mix in the fact I was sick for the first 6-7 weeks of 2013 and had a sprained ankle I was recovering from, it's been hard getting back on the horse.

I even wrote out a training calendar for the month of February. It's now the last day of the month and I didn't even attempt to follow it.

I'm getting better about getting into a real schedule again. I've made it to yoga this week and out running twice. I have another yoga session and another run planned already for the week.

But, if I want to be confident at my May 18th mini tri AND be ready in late summer for an intermediate distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run), then I need to GET ON IT.

Enter fate.

Yesterday Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point posted her challenge to herself to complete an Ironman OVER THE COURSE of the month of March. Yep, 31 days to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles.

It's just the right level of a challenge to get me back in the saddle. I'll be going back to the Y for access to the pool and spin classes (oh how I miss thee).

If you want to join in, visit Caitlin's blog and print the handy PDF tracking sheet. She's even already done the math for you to break the mileage out week by week.

If you're going to do this, let me know here or on Twitter @emtucky.

First Triathlon Recap: Wet Dog Triathlon

Remember that triathlon I was getting ready for?  Wonder what happened? Oh yeah, I killed it. (Of course "killing it" is in relative terms to my own self.)

The epic less-than-24-hour whirlwind time-span leading up to, actual, and post event was, well, epic. It started Friday night with my bike racked for it's first trip out of Nashville (and first time using the bike rack for a long car ride) and a pre-getting on the road stop at Mirko for some carb loading.

Amazing pre-race support from office mate.

Whole wheat penne with meat sauce and meat balls...so yummy.

We arrived in Decatur around 8:30 pm and we checked into the Best Western of Decatur. High class accomodations in Decatur going on! After messing with what we thought was a broken AC, I finally settled into bed and fell asleep around 10:30 or 11.

Alarm was set for 4:45 am for a 5:15 depart time. I got up and did my normal pre-race routine - coffee made, getting dressed, teeth brushed, peanut butter and bagel prepared, and gear gathered. It felt weird leaving for a race not with my running shoes on, but with flip flops. Loved that feeling actually.

Got to the race site right around 5:35 or 5:40 and I went directly to pick up my race packet. There were no lines and it was in and out. They handed me 2 bibs and my timing chip. It felt so official. I had no idea what the 2nd bib was for. So I asked. I thought the volunteer said "one goes on your front, and one goes on your back" but clearly the 2nd race number went on my BIKE, which thankfully I figured out in the transition area before embarrassing myself. :)

Pit Crew Member KG and I got my transition area set up. At this race the transition area was first come, first served so I choose the 2nd rack on the side closest to the bike exit. After racking my bike and laying everything out we found our way over the the body marking area.

Arriving to the race site.

Before shot with the bike.

Body marking fun

Transition all set up (that's my green and pink flamingo towel, naturally).

The thing I found about this race was even though it was tagged as a "beginner" race there was limited signage/direction so figuring things out was generally just taking your best guess or following the groups of people. Luckily, I had been researching triathlons for months leading up to my race and had volunteered at a race back in May so I was familiar with the general layout of a triathlon and tasks to take care of before the race start.

Around 6:15 I headed down to the beach area to check out the water. They hadn't gotten the buoys out yet so they weren't quite ready to let people in the water to warm up yet, but I hung around the water and chatted with some other racers. The water seemed calm to me and eventually they got the buoys out to let us in to warm up.

I wasn't really nervous before the start of the race until I visually saw how far out the buoys went. The swim course was an out and back 400 meter swim. I quickly squashed the fears down and tried to focus on just getting out there to warm up. I swam half way out and waded around a little, but that's pretty much it.

The finally called for racers to line up according to their race number (lower numbers were the first starters and fastest swimmers). At this point they were running late, but I'm not sure how late it was since I didn't have a watch on. I lined up in my general number range and started chatting with a fellow first-time racer, Sheila (hey there!). She was doing this race in preparation for a triathlon she's doing with her cousin next month in Erie, PA. Go Sheila!

Proud of my body markings.

Meet Conehead Emily

In the swim line waiting to start.

After a short wait, which I have no idea how long it was, into the water I went. The. swim. was. awesome. I felt really strong and since I overestimated my swim time by 7 minutes or so, I passed a lot of people that seemed to just be out there doggy paddling it (not hating - way to get it done!) I had to do my normal self talk of not rushing out of the gate too fast, but by time I got to the turn-around I was actually surprised in how short it felt.

Coming out of the water you had to run from the beach through the park entrance to the transition area. This probably added about a minute to my swim time, which was 11:19.

Off to the swim

That's me in the swim (middle, closest yellow cap in picture)

Coming out of the swim.

In transition number 1, I attempted to dry off a little, rinsed the sand off my feet and dry them to put on my socks and shoes, pulled on some athletic shorts and threw my helmet on. I assure you although it is quick to read about all the steps I took, I was sloooooooooooow in T1. It took me 4:03.

The first mile and a half on the bike was a little rough. In hindsight, I should have warmed up my legs up. It was a hard start, and I felt like I was really working to not go at a very fast pace. Early on I decided to save my legs for the run and just do the bike at a leisurely pace. So all those people I passed on the swim? They got right back on me during the bike. Another issue I had during the bike was the fact I didn't think through my hydration system. I had frozen some water and Gatorade bottles, but I didn't think how I would unscrew them while on the bike. Also, since I don't have a double bottle rack I borrowed KG's bottle holder that straps onto the handle bars. But it took two hands basically to get the bottle in and out. After the turn around I dropped my still half full bottle of water. Ooops #1.

The bike did go quicker than I though, but it was a very flat course. KG later informed me on my way back into transition, I didn't dismount at the right point, essentially entering transition ON my bike. Oops #2. Because this wasn't a USAT sanctioned race, they didn't do anything about it, but it's definitely something to keep in mind for future races. My bike time was 42:52. Actually a little faster than I estimated for myself.

T1

Bike start

Bike finish

Transition number 2 was kind of weird. Since I bike and run in my running shoes I didn't have any clothing changes so I just racked my bike, took off my helmet and downed some water and stood there for a second. I definitely could have done it faster, but it ended up taking me 1:24.

Despite drinking in transition and the water stop outside of transition at the beginning of the run, I felt THIRSTY starting the run. I had set my Garmin to 3/1 minute run/walk intervals and I knew I was going out fast, but I was able to keep to my 3/1s. The run was along the river and on a gravel trail with well marked roots. It was also primarily flat. The nice part was that there were about 4 water stations during the 3.1 mile course. This was really nice for me, who felt really underhydrated. I plowed along, but it really didn't feel that bad. Mostly, it was mentally difficult because the course twisted and turned so just when you thought it was time to turn around, you were really just going around a corner. There was a lot of fellow racer support during the run, which I appreciated. Since I had no idea what time I started, I had no idea how long the race had taken me at that point.

Starting the run.

Although I certainly wasn't last, I was in the back of the pack, but there were still a few people cheering runners in at the finish. Including Pit Crew Member KG. I was all smiles as I crossed that finishline. I was a triathlete.

Still smiling as I round the finish.

Crossing the finish line.

So excited to be a triathlete!

During races where I am particularly pushing myself to earn a new accolade (a PR, first time finish, etc.) I always think int he middle of the race I may cry at the finish line because I am so grateful to be at this point in my life that I can do exercise for 1, 2, or even 3 hours at a time and ENJOY it. However, the finishes always seem anticlimactic for some reason. Either way, I was glad to be done and to still have a smile on my face!

Of course, every race finish deserves an epic post race meal. And this one deserved a happy shopping trip to H&M in Huntsville.

Po Boy Factory - Crawfish Po Boy, Jambalaya, Fries (two kinds), and Fried Pickles.

So, I'm officially a triathlete. Yes! Where to from here? Of course in the days immediately following completing the race I begin to have thoughts of...well maybe I could do that race in September? What about doing an International (Olympic) distance next year? Could I do a half-Ironman in 2014? Will I ever be crazy enough to do an Ironman?

Slow. Your. Roll. Emily.

Honestly, in the first 7 months of this year I've completed 3 half-marathons and a triathlon. I could do that sprint tri in September, but I think I honestly need a break from endurance racing. I'm not signed up for any long distance events until December, and I think I am content in keeping it that way. My bank account and body need a break from the cardio fest it's been having. I want to learn how to focus on strength training. Also, I think if I back off of a strenuous training schedule maybe I can focus on losing these last 45 pounds I want to get rid of from my body. These two things can only make me stronger when I DO return to racing this winter and triathlons next season.

But honestly, I couldn't have done it without the support and encouragement of friends and family. This wasn't a solo journey in the least. Friend Jenne went on my first swim with me and taught me how to breathe in the pool (yes, really I had to learn to breathe), plus accompanied me on a-many-more swims. Of course KG took time out of her weekend last week to go to Decatur with me, help carry equipment and took all the pictures in the post (she took a total of 92 pictures!) not to mention spotting me on my first OWS before race day. And my long-distance coach, Heather, who I got to ask crazy triathlon related questions to and she always happily answered and gave me advice. I can't even begin to list everyone that gave me encouragement, good luck wishes, congratulations wishes, etc. You all SERIOUSLY rock.

In the end, it was an amazing experience and I am hooked. If you have ever thought about doing a triathlon I highly recommend you to find a beginner race you are comfortable with and start training today. (I'm no doctor though, so make sure everything is A-OK before beginning any exercise program.)

Triathlon, I'll see you next year!

After shot with the bike.

Another brick...with an epic open water swim!

Although I have done one mini open water swim on my vacation over 4th of July, I wanted to get a serious open water swim (OWS) in before the triathlon this weekend (5 days...OMGZZZ). So, I enlisted good friend, KG in spotting me out at Percy Priest lake on Sunday.

Source

So we headed to a nearby recreational swimming area at the lake at 8:30 Sunday morning after drinking a pitcher of margaritas the night before. Haha, we know how to train, y'all.

There were already a few people out in the water when we got there (and a couple cars in the parking lot with "swim, bike, run" stickers...I felt like I was crashing a cool kid's party). One intense woman was running out of the water when we approached the beach area and when she came running back she said a friendly, "hello!" I had no idea what 400 yards looks like (the distance of the race), so KG asked professional triathlete lady about it. She gave great guidance I was confident with.

After figuring out what approximately 400 yards would be (or so I thought) I set out into the water.

It's a bit blurry, but it's also an AWESOME photo of me, haha!

I have this issue in the water where I go out way too fast. Well, actually I do that in every sport. So, I swam from the beach to buoy #1 to buoy #2 back to #1 and back to the beach for what I thought at the time was approximately 400 yards. I was huffing and puffing when I got out of the water because I rushed it and my breathing rhythm was off. The swim felt labored and KG reported it took around 6 or 7 minutes or so. Hmmm...that seems awfully fast for me on a 400 yard swim. My average time in the pool for that distance is about 9 1/2 minutes. What happened?

Well, my morning brain THOUGHT I had estimated 400 yards, but really it was 200. Ooops....back to the water.

This time, I started down at the end of the beach to swim out to buoy #4 then back. Easy peasey. I made myself slow down and just swim rhythmically. I typically alternate what side I breathe on every 3 strokes. I'm still learning how to sight in open water, but I practiced that too. It was a lot better than the first run. So much better that I passed buoy #4, got a little past buoy #5 and realized I was way farther than I intended to swim out. Ooops #2

But no worries, I got back to land safely.

Swimming in

Back on 2 feet!

Out of the water

I feel confident in the open water, but I am still expecting the worst on Saturday because swimming in a calm lake is nothing like swimming in river with potential current AND with 600 other people flailing around in the water.

After the swim, KG joined me for a 2 mile run. Can I tell you how much I hate putting socks on damp feet? Ugh. I struggled with the run and walked a lot more of than I hoped for. It was hot by that time (9:45) and I was under hydrated. 2 miles got done though and back to the car we went.


All in all it was actually a lot of fun (well, except for the run part) and I'm really looking forward to Saturday (in an excited/scared sh*tless kind of way). And I think I found a great new place to get some swimming in without having to be a member of the Y!

A very wet BRICK workout...without a swim!

Well today was fun. Just a week out from my first triathlon next Saturday, I wanted to get a bike ride and short run in this morning. The weather had other plans for me.

Before I even racked my bike up, it was raining. By time I got to the Greenway it was pouring. Not much I could do but get on the bike and bite the bullet to get soaked to do it anyway. Because really there's a chance these could be the real weather conditions on race day. At least it wasn't 107 degrees!

The rain when I arrived at the Greenway

I road approximately 9 miles in 55 minutes. It's a hilly route, so I'm hoping the primarily flat race course means I can knock a few minutes off that time next weekend. After the ride, I racked it up, put on my Garmin and took off running.

I actually felt pretty good on the run portion. I did 5 min run/1 min walk intervals for 2 miles. My left calf started to cramp towards the end, but I was still able to keep pace. The 2 miles took me a little under 27 minutes to do.

When I got done with the run, it started to pour again. I took off my shoes and stretched in the rain.

The rain when I got home.

Dripping wet

The back of my shirt - dirt from the bike wheels spraying me!

All in all it was a great workout. Despite serious lack of training, I feel ready for the race next Saturday. I'm approaching it as just another long workout.

I will do one more brick tomorrow - an open water swim and then a run afterward. Then this week I plan to do short workouts in all 3 sports leaving Thursday and Friday to rest.

Ready or not let's swim, bike, run!

Open Water Swim

No weigh in this week - I'm still away from home, but I just got back from spending 4 glorious days at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. My family owns a house there that my grandfather built 25 years ago. I have been swimming in this water for 25 years.

It is my happy place.

So of course I wanted to take the opportunity of having a scary, murky lake 50 steps from where I was sleeping to do an open water swim. And of course I put it off until the last day.

So yesterday before packing up, while we were swimming off the dock, I decided to throw on the goggles and do a real swim.

It was short, it was hard, but it gave me a great idea what I'm up against in 12 days.

I swam diagonally from the dock to a "No Wake" buoy. Then, straight from that buoy to the next one and then diagonally again from that point back to the dock. I have no idea how far it was. I'm estimating a few yards less than 200?

It wasn't timed, but my unofficial spotter (my mom) said it probably took less than 10 minutes. I stopped to catch my breath during it. I didn't freestyle the whole time. I may have doggy paddled. I definitely breast stroked. But I did it.

And now I know what I'm up against....and I need to get some really good quality workouts in the next 12 days or this race may be a disaster.

First BRICK & Triathlon Training Update

Saturday I did my first "brick". A brick is triathlon speak for when you do a workout that combines two disciplines of triathlon. Most commonly people do bike/run bricks because from what I've read that is the hardest transition - going from jello bike legs to strong run legs. I'd also like to try a swim/bike brick.

I originally wanted to try out an open water swim on Saturday, but I'm still sorting out logistically how to tackle that. Admittedly, I haven't stuck to the training schedule much in the month of June because of three back-to-back trips. So the thought of exercising in the extreme heat we are having was even more UNMOTIVATING so I took the workout indoors with a 45 minute spin class and treadmill run. Not ideal 3 weeks before race day, but better than doing nothing.

I started out 15 minutes early to spin class so I just started riding after I got my bike set up. The instructor took us through several "climbs" (where you increase the gear slightly at an interval) and some "sprints" pedaling as fast as you can at an interval. I am really starting to love spin class (a far cry from my first class) and I could see myself doing it a few times a week even after triathlon season is over. The instructor commented that her computer showed over 12 miles for her ride, but I was on the bike a good 15-20 minutes than her so I'd say my ride was about 13-14 by a conservative estimate.

After the class, I refilled my water bottle and hit the treadmill. I started out at a 4.5 pace for 5 minutes, then walked 1 minute at 3.6 pace. I repeated this twice and did 1.25 miles in 17:25. I felt like I could have done the whole 5K, but since it was my first brick and I hadn't been training very well lately, I didn't want to overdo it.

Today, I got back in the pool (2nd swim for the week). My swim on Wednesday was rough due to the weird back pain I've been having, a crowded pool, and just generally not swimming for over a week.

Today's swim though was great.

After a 100 meter warm-up, I did a timed 400 meter (the length of my race swim) in 9 minutes and 30 seconds. After a 90 second rest, I did another timed 400 meters in 9 minutes and 45 seconds. These times surprised me since I put my race swim estimate at 18:00. But, expect to swim slower in open water, so maybe it will take me that long? Who knows. I feel strong in the water. I've always been a "water baby" and I swam on the neighborhood team for a few seasons during my childhood. So, I'm pretty confident in the water. Today it occurred to me that maybe I'm too confident about the water. Maybe I'm too confident about this whole race?

19 days...holy crap!

Plugging along...

I've been awful at blogging lately. Just add it to the list of things I haven't been keeping up with, number one being any attempt at weight loss.

Part of the reason for lack of blogging (in addition to lack of motivation), is that I've been out of two twice in the last 2 weeks and I leave for Seattle on Tuesday.

First, I went to the beach for 5 days. It was a wonderful break from work and it was just what I needed to recharge myself at work. Then, I headed off to Vegas for a 48-hour work trip to attend a conference. I regret I didn't get to stay longer, but the short amount of time in Sin City was certainly better for my waist line.

Click for larger view

Food wise, I didn't do terrible at the beach. There was one night of fried seafood out at a restaurant, but for the most part we cooked at home and portions were controlled. I decided to give myself a break from exercise at the beach, but unfortunately, the week between the beach and leaving for Vegas I didn't get back on the regular exercise wagon.

After I got back from Vegas this week, I've gotten in a spin class, a 1000 meter swim, and a 5.5 mile run. Tomorrow I'll try to do another 10 mile bike ride. The tri is in 5 weeks....yowza!

I also have another half-marathon scheduled next weekend while I'm in Seattle - what I was thinking signing up for this, I don't know. The most mileage I've done since Country Music 7 weeks ago is 8 miles. I've done a few 4, 5, and 6 milers but I have only been running 1-2 times a week. My basic plan at this point is not to freak out. I'm just going to go and enjoy the race - use it as a way to see the city - and walk as much as I need to.

In triathlon training news, I am feeling stronger on the bike but I still feel that I am slower than I should be. Hopefully the next 4 weeks of regular spin and biking will help out with that. In swimming news, I swam 400 meters without stopping yesterday. The swim portion of the race is 400 yards. From my understanding 1 meter = approximately 1.09 yard, so essentially I've done the distance of the swim portion - in the pool. I will start open water swims the weekend of June 30. Looking forward to try those and some bricks prior to the race.

So basically, I'm checking in to say I'm plugging along and surviving. I'm planning on weighing in tomorrow so we'll see what the damage is since I weighed in last, which I can't even remember when the last one was.

I'm considering a 24-hour juice cleanse between Seattle and my July 4th vacation. Or I may do it after vacation since I'm sure I won't be eating very well that week. We'll see.

Thanks for sticking with me...

My First Triathlon Experience - As a Volunteer

On Saturday I got up at 4:30 am. Not for a race I was running in, but to head out to Team Magic's Cedars of Lebanon Triathlon to volunteer.

I wanted to volunteer for a Tri before actually completing my first one to take some of the mystery out of my own race day. It was my first time being on the volunteer side of a race and it was actually really fun even though I didn't I went out by myself. I could see myself volunteering for other races in the future - it was that fun!

Since they were short a few volunteers, I did a variety of jobs - from unloading post-race food from cars, to body marking participants, to directing racers on the run, and helping break down the finish line and transition area after the race.

Body marking was actually a fun job - I mean actually getting to write on people's skin with a permanent marker? Awesome!

Tip #1 (especially for the ladies): shave the night before or morning of the race. I know this seems like common hygiene sense, but I am not really one to shave my legs every day (men, of course, you aren't required to shave - lucky!) and I feel it would be a little less awkward to let someone mark me up if I have smooth legs!

Back of the transition area just before the start of the race.

Another mental note I took was to not unrack my bike from my car until I've picked up my packet and have my credentials to enter the transition area. At most races only participants are allowed in the transition area. At this race if you hadn't picked up your packet yet, you had to go down to the pool deck to get your race packet, thus passing transition and then back tracking. Something small, but a detail that can make race morning go smoother.

Just before the race started, I moved to my place where I would be for the race. I was stationed at the run exit/finish entrance to direct racers where to go as they exited and then again when they came in for the finish line. So in my opinion, I got to see one of the best parts of the race - after they get off the bike and are starting the run. Most racers Saturday looked really strong, so I have high hopes with my upcoming bricks planned I will perform similarly in my own race.

So, for each runner that came out of T2, I would say something like "stay left, in between the cones". I even had an official looking vest AND a flag (too bad no picture evidence). Surprisingly there were about half a dozen racers that tried to turn right even though A) I verbally said left to everyone and B) I was blocking the right exit AND there was a sign with an arrow pointing left. Goes to show you how discombobulated you can get during a race!

Another funny story was the lead racer coming back from the turnaround on the run. He goes, "I thought this course was flat!" It was funny to see even the fastest guy out on the course making jokes and having a good time. I think that's one of the things I enjoyed most about volunteering - seeing all of these participants, whether they were the lead of the pack, middle of the pack or the last racer on the course, having fun, smiling, and accomplishing a goal they set out to do.

The final racer was a man who had a double leg amputation. His wife and son had been waiting for him near the finish line and the race staff had given them permission for his son (around 3 or 4) to run the finish line with him. I still get tears thinking about this moment in the race - it was so special to witness him taking his son by the hand as they crossed the finish line.

Another Tip  - As one of the race participants was leaving I asked why a lot of people brought their stuff in those large plastic painter's buckets. He was so kind to indulge me by describing how 1) it's helpful to sit on when putting your shoes on and 2) you can throw your gear in it as you finish each leg so you can keep everything organized. So say after your swim leg, you put your shoes on (while sitting on the bucket) then you flip it over and throw your goggles and swim cap in it. It was a helpful hint I think I'll use.

He also told me to only compete with myself at my race - don't compete with others on the course. A good reminder to run my own race.

All in all it made me super excited for my own race - although I'm only 2 weeks into training, I feel ready. I know by time July 21st rolls around I will be ready to accomplish the distance. Oh, and next time you participate in a race - thank a volunteer. It felt good when people thanked me as they walked to their cars!

Random Hump Day Thoughts

One of the bloggers I follow - In this wonderful life... - does a "Midweek Randoms" post every Wednesday. I always have a lot of random thoughts that I think "oh I should post that to the blog" but I never get around to it, or they aren't really important enough thoughts for a whole post. We'll try this and see where it goes.

I just got this email for WDW Marathon Weekend 2013 registration. I want to go back. Badly. Every time I see one of those Disney Vacation commercials, I get a little giddy and a lot nostalgic. Marathon weekend doesn't work with my schedule this year, but I'm hoping the Princess half might?


I'm still 90% sure I'll be doing the Seattle Rock n Roll half on June 23rd. I'll already be there through Friday for a conference, so why not? Who says I'm addicted to racing?

Speaking of races, we are exactly 11 days out from the Country Music half. This is the point in the taper where I start to be a worry wart about hurting myself. I don't try any new activities and I've always convince myself that I am going to fall down and break something making me unable to race. I keep feeling like I have a twinge of a pain in my right ankle. Am I imagining this because of my worry wartness? I'm trying to take it easy and have slowed down my pace on my last few runs. Hopefully it's nothing.

Oh and here's the weather forecast for the day before the race. All I can hope is that Saturday is cloudy. 83 degrees? I might die. Again.

On a happier note, my scale said 235 this morning. Wooo-freaking-hooo!

I still haven't started officially training for the Tri yet. I don't know what my problem is, but I need to establish a new schedule to incorporate swim and biking. Oh, and I still haven't found a swimsuit. I think my new business venture is going to be designing swimwear for long torso-ed plus size girls that don't want to show off their back fat in a criss-cross backed swimsuit. thanksfornothing SPEEDO! Sigh.

Still trying to trudge through my '5 Things' list each day. Monday was a pretty good success. But I'd give yesterday an F. Perhaps today I can get myself back to average with a C.

That's enough randomness for today - off to get some of those items checked off my '5 Things' list!

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.

To Tri or Not To Tri?

I've had a lot of anxiety ridden thoughts about my goal to do a sprint tri this year. Since starting this blog, I haven't really failed at any of my fitness goals and in the back of my mind there is high potential to fail at this one.

A sport so unfamiliar. An event that combines THREE sports into one. A sport that will force me to swim against others....something I haven't done in about 20 years.

I've thought about dropping the goal to do it this summer and instead join a bootcamp of some sorts and get all toned up instead. But I can't deny that I want to do this.

But I have no idea where to start. I need a place to swim, so I guess the first step is to join the local Y. I also don't even have a swimming suit that fits. So I have to get one of those.

Another thing is, what the hell do you wear during a triathlon? I know a lot of people wear Tri Suits. Do you swim/bike/run all in this one piece of clothing? Is it comfortable? Will it compress my fat rolls so I don't jiggle (no, really). Should I get one? Thinking about a Tri Suit makes me see dollar signs. I don't want to invest a lot of money into new gear for a sport I don't know if I will like participating in. But, if I don't get a tri suit, what do I wear? I don't even like changing in front of people at the gym, no way I want to do it at a race.

Then there's the bike. Is my bike sufficient enough? I have a 1992 Schwinn cruiser style bike that came out of my aunt's garage last year. I know I can ride 9-10 miles at a leisurely pace on it because I've done that already. But can I race on it? And what if one of my tires goes flat during training or the race? I have no idea how to change a tube or where to learn.

Basically, the only thing I know I can do is run/walk the 3 or so miles that would be part of a sprint triathlon. Easy peasey right? But what about running 3 miles after spending 1.5 hours exercising? No way I can run after that, right?

I've considered joining a Tri group, but every one I've looked at is intimidating. I don't want to be the 240-lb beginner that shows up and can't keep up with the group on a group ride or swim (or even run).

The anxiety on top of being in the middle of half-marathon training is really getting in my way of getting started swim and bike training and picking a definite race to sign up for. Anyone know of any good beginner races in the Nashville area or within a 3-4 hour driving distance of Nashville? (Birmingham/Louisville/Lexington/Memphis, etc)

I need help! If you've done a triathlon, please comment with your best advice, I have no idea what I'm doing here!

What's Next For Me?

It's not a secret I've been struggling with losing weight lately. And by lately, I mean since October which is when I got down to around 241 and then proceeded to gain and lose the same 2 pounds over and over and over.

But through the roller coaster, I've continued to exercise 3-4 times a week. Even the week after the half marathon last month, I made it to the gym twice. At this point, my exercise routine is just that, very routine. And I love that. As I was running my 8 miles yesterday, I realized I may weigh the same as I did 4 months ago, but I AM FIT. I can run 8 miles. I can do a 60 minute yoga class. I can ride my bike 10 miles at a time. And pretty soon, I will find out if I can swim.

I like goals to keep me on task. Even though my exercise routine is second nature at this point, if I don't have something to work towards I start to skip workouts.

So I signed up for my 4th half marathon.

Yep, I am crazy. There is a big Rock n Roll race in Nashville every April. This is the event I did my first half marathon at and hated it. Hate. Hate. Hate. So, I have a lot of anxiety and negative feelings towards this race. The hills are unforgiving on this course and the weather in Nashville can be brutal (it was 85 and sunny when I did it 3 years ago and 2 years ago there were severe storms and they had to cut off the marathon). But I am going to conquer it this year.

But there's more...

For awhile now, I've wanted to change up the half marathon running. It just gets to be monotonous to keep training and running 13.1 miles in my book. SO - after a Twitter conversation with Skinny Emmie, I picked up Slow, Fat Triathlete and was sold on doing a sprint triathlon this summer.

A sprint triathlon is usually about a 1/2 mile swim (750 yards), 12.5 mile (20K) bike ride, and 3.1 mile (5K) run. And I plan to do this in 2012.

I am targeting the Innsbrook, MO Octomax Triathlon on June 23, 2012.

Which, would mean serious triathlon training would begin at the end of March so for four weeks between the end of March and the end of April I will be training for both a half marathon AND sprint triathlon AT THE SAME TIME.

I feel a little crazy, but invigorated. It's a new challenge, it's something I've never done before, and it's exciting. It is also majorly scary because these thoughts are going through my mind:

- I haven't even gotten in a pool to swim laps in 20 years.
- I've never ridden more than 10 miles on my bike at once.
- I don't own a road bike.
- I have no idea what to wear.

But I will figure it out, because I want to be a triathlete!