My Obsession

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm fairly obsessed with triathlon. This is partly due to the fact that I signed up for an Olympic distance with only two months to train and had never had a swimming lesson in my life. It's also partly due to the newness of the sport. I'm curious about all of the unknowns and there is more to learn than I could ever absorb in such a short amount of time. But most of all, I feel as though I've discovered something I could really love. I always enjoyed running and biking, but learning to swim has been a discovery. It is at once terrifying, intriguing, invigorating and frustrating. It has become a challenge that I wake up every morning determined to overcome.

I've had some serious ups and downs in my quest to learn how to swim. There are days when I think I'm finally getting it, and days when I wonder why I put in all the time and effort. Last week, I came home from a disappointing pool session and posted a plea for help with breathing in a discussion forum on BeginnerTriathlete.com. I recently joined this site in an effort to learn more about triathlon and meet people in the sport. Within minutes, help was on the way. I received a few responses and one guy in particular offered to help. He is also fairly new to swimming, but light years ahead of where I am. Because he's still learning, he was able to give me really great advice that was easy to understand. I kept all of the advice in mind today and finally had a good swim. My start was rough as usual, but after things smoothed out, I was swimming 150-200 yards at a time, the most I've been able to do yet. It was surprising to reach the end of the pool and not have the desire to stop. I can't thank him enough for taking the time to help out a stranger, especially a stranger with a million questions. But that's another great thing about this sport. Triathletes are eager to welcome, encourage and help beginners.

I was kind of glad it rained today so I had an iron-clad excuse not to do a ride. My legs were really sore this morning, which caught me by surprise. I guess adding the lunges to my routine right before flying wasn't such a good idea. I saved my legs for my JackRabbit group run tonight instead. It was pretty hot and humid, but the rain held off. We did a loop of Central Park, 6.02 miles. I ran with Pam again for the first half or so and we chatted the entire time so I knew I was a little lower than my usual pace, but my legs were tired and it was so nice to have someone to talk to for a change. I increased my speed a bit for the second half - the hilly half - and did pretty well overall.

I'm doing a longer swim tomorrow in preparation for Saturday's race. After the swim, I'm going to rest and get everything ready for the super early morning start. There are thunderstorms and 90 degree heat in the forecast, but it should be early enough in the morning to avoid the heat. The storms are another issue. I'll probably check weather.com 400 times between now and then hoping for a change. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Sport - Swimming
Distance - 1350 yards (.75 miles)
Time - 45:00

Sport - Running
Distance - 6.02 miles
Time - 53:32