Are we real bikers?

B is for BASE LAYER

I headed out to Tribe Multisport early yesterday morning to meet Laura S. and Kim R. for a bike-ride. It was a chilly 61 degrees outside, so I had to scramble to find a base layer to put on under my biking jersey. All of the "cool kid" bikers have sleeves with half gloves they can slip on/off for temperature changes, but I had to go old-school and just wear layers. I was happy to see that Laura did the same. :)

Kim didn't make it out because of a flat tire, but Laura and I rode for 10+ miles. My front brake was rubbing consistently all morning, so it was like biking to a metronome. This helped to keep a steady cadence, and were back at Tribe within an hour.

I did a 700 meter swim on Friday. All the lanes at the gym were full, so I had to limit my swim to 20 minutes only. I hit 400 meters in about 12 minutes, and I am hoping to repeat that on race day (less than 15 days away!).

Today I'm going to run bleachers. I will actually finish this race. This newly discovered self-confidence... well, it's a good thing. I like this feeling. You should try it!

Mountain Woman Events

It's actually called Mountain Man Events, but I thought I'd change the title to include myself and all the other women that will be competing on Nov.8th. Check out their website for images of the race course.

Swim Practice

My cheerleader and my coach.

Post-swim photo of the three amigos in training!

After reading an article about head placement and rotation, I was finally able to swim freestyle for 800 meters last Saturday. I'm really starting to believe that I will be able to finish the swim successfully and then go on to complete the rest of the race. I've been living in fear that it will all grind to a halt for me during the swim.

Swimming lessons...

... I haven't taken one since I was a child, but I'm beginning to think I may need one. Today I went to the gym to use the lap pool to practice for the "open water" swim portion of the race. I was able to complete 700 meters in just under 30 minutes. I did the first 200 meters in 10 minutes, but slowed down and increased my breaks as I increased in distance. Right now I'm doubtful about my ability to finish this race.

I started with freestyle, and was able to complete one full length of the pool before I freaked out about putting my face in the water. Since I don't like to put my face in the water at all, I found that I was close to hyperventilation by the end of the lap, gasping for air with each stroke. Most likely I will swim breast-stroke for the race as I'm able to keep the most steady pace and it's not quite as scary as swimming freestyle.

The only problem with the breast-stroke is that is seems to be slower, and by the end of multiple laps I had lower back pain. I'm probably not doing the stroke right and will indeed need a swimming lesson.

Bricking it!

Today I had my first experience with Brick training. Sounds like I have to carry a brick around while I train, but it's nothing like that. It's the bike to run (ick!) transition, hence the name, brick. It is supposedly the most difficult transition of the tri. Since I'm doing the sprint tri, my ride is only 9 miles and the run is 3, I don't suspect I'll suffer as much from the wobbly legs of someone doing the full tri.

I met Teena and Richelle at Tribe Multisport at 7 a.m. this morning. As I was the first one there, I was a bit worried that they wouldn't show up and I'd be lost in a sea of real bikers, the real athletes, you know the ones who ride at least 25 miles a day? I hurriedly sent Teena a text to let her know I was freaking out, she replied with "You're okay. I'm on my way" which made me smile.

The three of us waited about 15 minutes to see if anyone else was going to make it out for Brick training, and then we left. We rode for 10 miles at a slow and steady pace, and I really enjoyed it. I usually ride alone every week, and it's just not as productive for me. With no one to talk to, I get trapped in my head and think about my aches and pains and why I should just give it up. Giving up never crossed my mind today.

Once we got back to Tribe, Teena and I got out of our helmets and switched to baseball caps and ran for one mile while Richelle rode along beside us. I really suck at running. Half way in I was starting to feel tightness from my asthma, and towards the end I was actually wheezing. I take walk breaks to try and get some air into my lungs, but it really doesn't help. It's so frustrating. I think I'm getting better though. I set little goals all along the route; running to the next stop sign, walking for 10 deep breaths only, etc. I have two more months to improve.

A Cloudy Sunrise

Today I was up at 5 a.m. to get my "first run" of sprint-tri training in while it was still under 100 degrees. 15 minutes before I left, I ate a GU packet. Not too tasty, but I've been told I need to "get used to it". Then I did a run/walk interval of nearly 2 miles in 25 minutes. I think that is pretty good for my first run.

I stopped short of going all the way to my mile mark before turning around because I realized how much traffic was on 32nd street this morning. I imagine the passing drivers calling out "Keep running fatty!" and it stops me dead in my tracks. I have boot camp tomorrow, but will run again on Friday morning and perhaps adjust my route to a less busy street so I can mentally finish my run.

The reward for my efforts this morning was a cloudy sunrise. Beautiful.