The Night Before the Night Before

I went to Ann's to swim this afternoon and I practiced Total Immerson's Overswitch drills. I focused on slicing my moving hand in the water at the front. At that very moment, the front hand begins its move to the rear. I did a few strokes and then rolled on my back to breathe. It felt really good to feel my torso rotate as I moved my arms this way. I cannot believe the forward movement I got from swimming this way. Wow!

Gary and I will be leaving the house at 3:00 AM Saturday to get to registration which begins at 5:00 AM. We totally don't get why they have to start these things so early (7:00 AM). I mean, it's not like it's an Ironman which would take all day.

I'm more nervous about making sure I will have brought everything and that I get set-up in time than I am nervous about the three events.

Tomorrow I'll practice changing clothes and gear from the swim to the bike [Transition 1 (T1)] to the bike to the run [Transition 2 (T2)]. I was thinking of going to the Y, but today was a good day, it wore me out and I absoluely have to rest tomorrow.

First Open Water Swim

Gary went with me to the lake this evening so I could do my first open water swim (OWS). There were probably 30 other people at the beach, but I needed someone to keep an eye on me.

The other triathletes (those on http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/) say to at least get in an OWS once before your first tri, because it is a completely different experience from swimming in a pool.

Before I went, I was feeling apprehensive about the swim part of the race, in particular whether it would be required to wear a wetsuit (got no return phone calls from the race event people :( ) or whether I needed one based on my experience. I'm not saying that I have no apprehensions at all now, but I feel so much better about the swim portion.

(Wetsuits are typically required if it's under 74 degrees because they help keep you warm. The forecast for Saturday is 82 but that's the high. At 7:00 AM, it could be on that 74 degree edge.)

What's really unique about this race is that you can stand up at any point, you just can't walk it, of course. That makes me feel better about it.

My only mistake for this swim? Forgetting my nose plugs. Yes, I use noseplugs. I mean, I can suck in a lot of water during my swim or I can suck in a little. I choose a little!

I will go to the Y tomorrow for some more practice and I may run tomorrow evening. After that, I must do nothing more before the race on Saturday.

The Big Brick

This morning, I biked 13 miles again. The last time I did 13 miles, I did it in about an hour and 17 minutes. Today, I did it in about an hour and 9 minutes, shaving off a nice 8 minutes from my time. Though, I actually tried to go faster this time whereas this last time I was just trying to make it through. I had been getting off my bike 3-5 times because of hills. Today, I got off once.

I got done with my biking, came back in the house, drank a bottle of water, switched to my running shoes and shorts and traded my bike helmet in for a ballcap. I then headed out the door for my 2 mile run. To my surprise, running after biking 13 miles was not that much different than running after biking 2.5 miles. My 2 miles took me about 20 minutes. When I started the uphill climb on my second mile, I thought for sure completing this run would take me so much longer, but it didn't.

Wednesday, I'll do another brick, though I'll just do a 6 mile bike and a 1 mile run, so I can taper off.

Ready or Not, Here Comes the Last Training

Tomorrow I will get up early (7:00 AM) and do a bike/run brick. Hopefully, I'll be done by 9:30 and then I will start my work day.

First Tri in 6 Days

My first triathlon is in 6 days. It's a quarter mile swim, a 12 mile bike and a 2 mile run. Just 2 days ago, I biked 13 miles for what was easily the longest ride in my entire life.

Just 6 days before that, I biked 7 miles for what was - at that time - easily the longest ride in my entire life.

It's smart to increase just a little bit more with every few sessions, but I just don't have that kind of time.

I've done a really bad job of training with regard to biking and swimming. Not getting my bike functioning sooner and not getting a Y membership have hampered my ability to train in those sports.

On the positive side, my running has gone really well. I'm at about a 10 minute mile and I owe it all to ChiRunning. Bad knees were keeping from running, but I run knee-pain free now; plus I exert less energy which helps.

I'll be doing at least one brick this week (biking and then immediately following up with a run). I'll do an open water swim out at the lake, too, to acquaint myself with this aspect of the race.

Swimming? Worse comes to worse, I can always backstroke the thing.

How am I feeling? I typically don't get butterflies until right before the event. The reality of what I'll be doing, though, has sunk in and I'm excited and a little anxious. I've been wanting to do a tri for 9 months and now the time is here. I just can't believe I'll be doing this.