Brookings to Boston

It's July, and I am running out of training time for this upcoming tri.  

Got back in the pool this morning, and did 900.  Timing my strokes, I found that the breath stroke is by far my fastest stroke.  I would also feel comfortable sighting with this stroke-as trying to close my eyes while under water and sighting while breathing with the freestyle, I quickly found the lane barriers.  Yet, I am not sure how tired that would leave my legs for the bike and run portions of the race.  

The tri is on July 28th.  Am I out of time to quicken my freestyle stroke?  Any suggestions for sighting?

After the short swim this morning, I threw on a pair of short and my shoes (without socks this morning) and ran to the golf course.  I was hoping to see my husband on the putting greens, but I must have just missed him. Oh well.  

After the drive to SD, my husband and I got out of the car and got on the bikes.  My husband rode the mountain bike my parents have been working to fix, and I brought my road bike.  My poor husband, trying to keep up on the mountain bike. He got a good workout, while I enjoyed the easier pace and conversation today.   

Another solid day of training today.  It began with a 16 mile bike ride on the highway.  The wind direction was very confusing this morning.  On my way out, I felt that I was against the wind, and was looking forward to the wind at my back for my return trip.  However, upon turning around, the wind was at my face again! (or at least I thought so!)

Despite the wind, and my computer not working so that I could not see my average mph, it felt like a good ride.  After completing my ride, I handed my bike off to my husband so that he could follow me on my run.  

The brick workout was excellent practice, and I really appreciated my husband's positive comments to get me through what seemed like a slow 3.7 miles.  I am hopeful that the race will not feel as hot with an earlier start (90 degree temps are not so much fun.)

Another brick workout today.  I biked along the highway again, but ended up shortening the bike ride when I had another front flat tube.  I am not surprised that I got a puncture with the condition of the highway shoulder, but it still never a part of the training plan! After fixing the flat, I headed back home to make sure that I still got my six mile run in before my brother's birthday party. 

On the run, I stopped by the golf course where my husband, dad, and brother were playing their morning round.  It was nice to take a few minutes, grab some water from them, and then continue on in the heat (96).   

Cross Training today to stay out of the 100+ degree temps and high humidity outside today. Spent my workout time inside on the elliptical. 

Today I went out the the triathlon course to get a feel for the bike route.  I will need to do some checking into the course.  If we are biking on the road, it will be just fine.  However, if we are expected to stay on the bike path, it could be interesting. I was very disappointed by the lack of upkeep on the trail.  Loose gravel and huge sidewalk cracks slowed my times down some.  

The morning run was with my husband.  We both have lots of work to do, but it was enjoyable to run with him again!!  

Back to the gym today to sub for a kickboxing class and a core class.  A good hour cardio workout and a half hour of core work.

 The rest of my workout today was packing and moving boxes in our house.  Only a few days left until the move.  Crunch time! 

An early and easy ride to the farmer's market this morning.

After bringing the produce back to the house from the farmer's market, my husband and I rode on the highway.  He rode 20 miles, and I rode 30.  I thought I was going at a pretty good clip, but he still waited for me for 20 minutes at the end of the highway.  I am very proud of him for pushing it and doing a longer ride than he is used to!! 

Rest day today.  An elderly couple we met at church this morning took us around town, and showed us the public lakes where we can do some swimming.  They also showed us some bike trails.  We are excited to try them tomorrow!

Today my husband and I went to the lake that the elderly couple showed us yesterday.  We did some open water swimming, or at least attempted.  It did not go well.  The winds made for some big waves, and caused me to really doubt my abilities in the swim portion of the upcoming event.  I am hoping that with a few more open water swims I can build up enough confidence and reduce my anxiety about this first leg of the tri!

After swimming, we did one loop around the lake-2.5 miles.  

Later in the afternoon, my husband and I went to the local Y, and did about six miles on the trainers there.  

The tri is less than two weeks away, and I wish I felt more confidence at this point. Let's hope for a good night of rest and some good days of training.   

Practice for the tri next weekend! Went to lake north and got a good feel for all the transitions this morning!

3 sets of 400 for today's swim

My husband and I went to the early morning spinning workout today.  It was a good workout, and just what I needed in my taper for this week. 

One last day in the pool before the race.  My husband and I did a challenging speed workout-racing each other in various distances. (I won)

My birthday!! A rest day before race day tomorrow.  :)

My first triathlon!! I actually did it!!

I was a nervous mess this morning, but now I am hooked and cannot wait to do another one! The morning began with my husband's pre-race morning waffles (yum..thank you honey!), and a 5:15 departure to the race site to set up my transition area.  We arrived just minutes after the transition area was opened, and were able to pick a prime spot for transition.  

After setting up the transition area, I headed over to the check in for swim-cap pickup and body marking.  Then, the waiting game began, as the race did not start til 7:30am.  Waiting was not good for my nerves, but eventually it was race time.

 All participants lined up in our designated waves, and  then headed down to the beach area. With the 100+ temps for the past few weeks, I was pleased to find the water not freezing cold! 

The swim distance was shorter than the race had stated before (it was supposed to be .75K), but I cannot complain, as the swim is my least favorite part.  I was pleasantly surprised with how well the swim went for me.  I came out of the water with a huge smile on my face, knowing that the swim leg was completed!!

I took 46 seconds to transition onto the bike, and then made up a lot of ground on the bike portion.  (certainly my favorite part of the race!) The course was three loops around, so it was nice to see my husband, mom, and dad cheering me on each time.

After biking, it was 31 seconds to transition to the run portion, and off to the 5K race.  Beginning the run portion, I was first in my age group, but lost ground to an amazing runner who was over a minute faster per mile than me! oh well.

Finishing my first tri was an amazing experience! The pre-race nerves were all worthwhile, and I plan to do another one!  I enjoyed a great day of celebration and relaxation with friends and family.  Tomorrow we will travel home, and then Monday it is back to training.