Archive for the ‘Swim’ Category
September 14…. I’m sitting outside in what must be close to 85 degree weather a day after running 8 miles in three top layers still shivering as I went. This is why I love fall and Colorado, you just never know what you will get.
Change, summer to fall. Focus on triathalon to focus on marathon. Heck, I even interviewed for a “real job” last week. Our daughter must have grown a full size over the course of the last month. So many changes come this time of year.
So what’s the point if this post? Transition and change can be looked at one of two ways. As a necessary evil to get from one point to the next, from summer to fall, from tri sport to focus on running or from pants thy are too short for your tot to pants that fit just right. However if you do this you miss a lot of the in between, the transitory periods that allow you time to reflect on what just happened and what might lay( grammar?)ahead. Change and transition can be wonderful moments in and of themselves allowing you to evaluate And catch your breath before marching on. This might not lead to faster times in your tri races but it will lead to a greater experience and that is how I prefer to approach things.
Alas, I am an official triathlete. After training on and off for the sport for three years and staging and participating in numerous variations of the sport for Steve’s training I have officially completed an organized triathlon race. I LOVED IT!
After having run too many running races to count, the idea of getting up to go and run in a pack for various distances is still attractive at times but not as attractive as the lure of a long run in a gorgeous location outdoors with just my husband or a good friend. That being said, the lure to participate in another organized triathlon is HUGE!
Yes, the prep is cumbersome. Hauling all of your gear, tugging on the wetsuit, ripping off the wetsuit post swim(they do this for you at Rattlesnake), setting up all the transition stuff, etc. It makes one question why do it all, until you’re lined up on the beach surrounded by hundreds of other folks all wearing matching swim caps wondering what the rest of the morning has in store for them. The energy is pretty much unmatched.
It is also great to see the number of well rounded (as far as athleticism or endurance sports go) individuals surrounding you. You can’t really participate at a reasonable level unless you have done some cross training. Swimming, biking and running. That being said YOGA and weight training also help.
The other thing I realized while racing yesterday is the little competitive part of me that seems to appear when running in a race presented itself on the bike as well. I do like to pass people! I’m no speedster by any means but with the various divisions and age groups participating it’s always possible to find someone to pass. Shame on me:)
Total time was 1:30:58. I was properly classified as a newbie on the site but somehow they also have me classified as an Athena athlete- this is not correct.
OK, more specifics on the different legs to come.
I just finished a 600m open water practice swim at the Aurora Res. Aurora is great because they actually keep open water swim buoys set up just outside the swim area for racers to come train all summer.
This morning my friend Ali and I headed for the water only to be joined by close to 8 other women. We asked what they were training for and the answer was their own private tri.
I had total appreciation for this for a number of reasons. Often times the entry fee to races precludes people from participating. Often times their schedules or other committments (I.e. Raising children or cleaning houses) might. This group of women said screw all that. They have weekly group trainings with one another at times that work for them. And then a few times a year they stage their races.
It isn’t for sponsorship, or times, or goodie bags. It isn’t even necessarily for the sake of competition. To me it seems it is more for the building of community through common experience. And in this case, it is for the love of the sport, triathlon.
Go Girls!!!!!
This morning as I swam back and forth and back and forth staring straight down at the black lane line below me I found myself wishing I was instead swimming in open water.
For me, this was a major break through as the swim portion of a triathlon has always been the dreaded start, necessary to suffer through so I can get on to the fun part. The idea of swimming indoors was never exciting, but it beat the alternative. The thought of having to submerge myself in murky water I can’t see in, then get hit or kicked by those around me all while trying to swim was more than I could handle. Add to that the claustorphobic of a wetsuit and I was a mess.
This summer has brought many more open water swim opportunities than I ever knew existed. We also vacationed for a week in Hawaii next to a lagoon so I could swim in the open water every day for a week. These open water swims coupled with the indoor total immersion swim training we did this winter have gotten me past the point of just suffering through.
Heck, last week when doing a short open water swim(600 m) in very murky water with no goggles (I forgot them) I was not only doing it, I was enjoying it. I even caught myself thinking….. I could this for 2.4 miles some day:)
Full disclosure, my first tri has yet to officially occur. We have staged a number on our own in training, I have completed years of runs, rides and indoor swims. I recently did my first organized open water swim race/run and am registered to complete my first Sprint this August, The Rattlesnake Triathlon at Aurora Reservoir in Colorado. Yet as of today, I have not crossed the finish line of an organized official triathlon. So how did I get to this point?
After my husband got in to the NYC marathon he started a consistent running regimen. I started to see him change, get to know Central Park(we lived in NYC at the time) and consume any and every food he desired. His health was better and he seemed happier. This all made me want to run too. I would drag myself to the park to run and I say things like, “Ok, I’ll run, but never a marathon”. Time passed quickly, I would crave my runs while at the office during the day. I ultimately trained for and completed the Disney Marathon in January 2006 with my husband and other family members. All the while listening as my husband’s interest in triathlon began to brew.
So then as we would happily run, I would say things like, “Ok, I’ll run a marathon but I will never do a triathlon.” Yet somehow in the late Spring of 2006 my husband and I signed up for Team in Training and began to train for our first Olympic Distance Triathlon. Hmmmmmm, a pattern seemed to be developing.
Bike rides on the loops of Central Park dodging strollers and tourists, carriages and oad apples and loving it most of the time. We purchased our first training swim wear (I love Splish) and swim caps and would take the subway North to the far reaches of Manhattan to swim with TNT once a week. All the while running along our trusted routes in Central Park as well as sometimes up North in Westchester county of New York.
A couple of months in to this process after getting seriously lapped on a training ride then nearly passing out in the pool we found out we were expecting and I was benched. The race we were going to complete together was now a one man show for my husband, and I have to admit, I wasn’t terribly disappointed:)
All this being said I am doing my first official race in August, The rattlesnake Triathlon in Aurora, CO. and….. I am looking forward to it.
I have always struggled with my swim and just came accross the greatest swim training package for triathletes. The drills are engaging and most important, helpful in shaving minutes off the swim. Check out the website and watch the video.
Got up this morning at 5:30 to make it to masters swim. It was one of those morning that I had to convince myself that I HAD TO get to swim. Turned out to be a great morning workout. For starters Read the rest of this entry »
This mornings swim was a good one. We start at 6:00am, so getting to the pool in time is a bit of a challenge for me. Now that our little girl is sleeping through the night, it is a little easier to deal with the morning workouts.
I really focused on form with my swimming this morning. I deliberately pick the “slower” lane so I can work on drills and body alignment without worrying about holding up people behind me. Not to say it is an easy workout, but I certainly did not tire myself out completely. After all, speedwork and hills with the runners edge of the rockies starts tonight!
Not too much to report on today, other than the filter and heater “accidentally” were turned off last night in the pool. So this mornings swim was more awakening than my normal cup o’ joe.
After a couple laps it was fine and we all got in a good workout. Focused mainly on freestyle and endurance, which I like. The swim was a good workout. I wouldn’t call this group overly challenging, but it is a nice morning workout and keeps me in good form.
Other than that, it was a regular day at work. A couple articles due for publication and some websites to get up and ranking. Tomorrow is either time on the Bike or on my feet, it is very weather dependent at this point. So we will see…