Tomorrow I’ll be doing my very first triathlon. It’s a sprint triathlon and I’m more prepared than necessary since the half Ironman is just 4-5 weeks away. Â Endurance wise, this is just another workout. I’ve never done all three disciplines at once though so that will be interesting.
Swim:
I’ve never done an open water swim. Anyone I’ve ever talked to who isn’t a swimmer by nature has freaked out on their first open water swim. Glenn did it just like all the others. Brian tells me I’ll freak out once I’m 50 meters out. I asked him how to prevent it and he says just calm down.
I plan on starting toward the back. I think there is at timing mat and they kind of just go in short waves and you can get out there where you feel like you fit in, speed wise. I’m thinking I’ll go in once 60-70% of people have gone in. I’ve got the breast stroke in my mind for if I have a freak out. I’m prepared for it and I’m prepared to stay calm.
Right now, I know I need to work on form when I swim- I did a speed workout yesterday and it probably would have made more sense to slow the speed work down and focus on form a little more. The heart rate was sky high!
I talked to a couple of girls last night who were swimmers growing up and they gave me some helpful tips for both the race and when I practice. We’ll see how it goes.
Bike:
10 miles on the bike is no big deal, but I’ve never rode 10 miles all out. I’ve never raced on a bike. I want to work hard, but I’m not super familiar with how to work hard on the bike. I’m thinking that’s how new runners feel. On the swim- I don’t care about pushing hard, I just want to finish feeling strong and not stopping really. On the bike, I know I should be able to hammer it and really test myself. I just have to make it happen.
Run:
It’s a 5K- I’m not sure what kind of goal to give myself, I think I should be able to run 6:55ish miles if it’s not too hilly (or hot!) BUT, I have never after both swimming & biking, so we’ll see.
Transitions:
No clue about transitions, but I’ll have all my stuff set out and will roll with it. I read Michele’s post after she completed her first triathlon last weekend (Congrats Michele!) Her post had lot’s of good stuff in it and didn’t stress me out too much, but made me start thinking about knowing what to have out there more. (and I have thought about the hair thing- gonna wear my haird in long pony tail under swim cap, since that’s how I have to wear it with bike helmet!)
I’m not good when working out gets complicated. Which is probably why I’ve never done a triathlon before. The whole packing up a bike thing or having to put a swim suit on and get wet thing is just more work. That’s why I like being a runner. You just need shoes and clothes and you go run. No body of water, no potential flat tire. Adam, commented on Michele’s post with some really great tips, but had me feeling a little overwhelmed about being prepared. Not that I necessarily need to be crazy prepared for this sprint, but for the half IM, I need to have my shit together.  (side note, I met Adam at the Shamrock marathon, we ran a lot of it together in the same pack- even have a finisher pic with him – it’s the second pic in the sequence) Thanks for the tips though for real. It has helped prepare me 🙂
Tomorrow morning at 8am is gun time, the race shouldn’t take too long. I’m not nervous about completing it, I’m mostly nervous about getting the swim done and transitions. I also hope it doesn’t make me all nervous for the half IM… which is a heck of a lot more intense than a sprint right?
The nice thing is, no matter what time I run, it WILL BE a PR. I won’t lie, I want to do well, but it’s not near as stressful as trying to beat a hard earned PR. This is why I wanted to do some triathlons this summer. I was getting burnt out after training for Shamrock. I put in a lot of big and hard miles for that PR and I didn’t want to think about trying to beat it again soon. Not sure when I’ll go again on racing my next marathon, but I will definitely be after 3:10 for my primary goal and 3:05 for a big goal. Glenn and I like laying the numbers out there- holds you accountable. If I don’t speak it, how will I believe it?
Happy Friday! Race recap to follow!