Should I Try a Tri?

Every now and then I think about how cool it would be to do a triathlon. I don't claim to be a hard core athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to claim a "sport" I would say it's running. (Only because step aerobics probably doesn't count.)

Summer 2004 I took up running. I mentioned this already in my post about the 10K, but I went from not being able to run to being able to run 3+ miles. In my opinion this is an example of a modern miracle. At the end of that summer, I ran the Keep Austin Weird 5K: this took place in downtown Austin on a hot Saturday afternoon at the end of August (it was 100 degrees). All 3 of my roommates ran it too! So fun. The professional photographers scattered around the course got this photo of me, which I've never shared in public. But hey, why not. This is me running, and sums up how I felt. Well, actually, I felt better than I look like I felt. But only slightly.

Summer 2006 I took up swimming. I did a coached swim class at the gym to learn how to swim correctly. (As I told my coach, I'm a self-taught swimmer, which means I do everything wrong. So while I won't drown in a pool, my technique needs some help.) This class was essentially one-on-one with a swim coach who helps with technique, endurance, etc. This was great. I learned a lot that summer and got a lot better. Jack, my coach, was a laugh a minute -- okay, not really. To be honest, I'm not sure he took me seriously in the beginning. He almost made me cry the first day, but by the end he was actually giving me compliments. (Like, "You know Elizabeth, you don't really get things right off, but when you've got it, you've got it." or "Elizabeth, you're like a professional pusher-off-the-waller.") I never did get the butterfly stoke down (but in my defense, we only had one day on it). But I did learn how to do flip turns (which is almost as awesome). My swimsuit was in so horrible a state by the end of the summer that Jack demanded I get a new one or he wouldn't let me in the pool until I did. (Jack: "I'm just so worried you're going to push off the wall and your swimsuit is going to float the other way.") So I did. And I knew just what to do with the old one.

Spring 2008 I started cycling -- kind of. I started doing the cycling class at the gym sporadically, so maybe it doesn't really count? Well, anyway.

I've decided I need a summer project relating to health and fitness. After the 10K went so well, I've decided that maybe I'm ready to take it to the next level... I decided a triathlon is a good goal. I've wanted to do one, so heck, why not?

One of the problems with triathlons is that most of them are on Sunday (when I don't want to race). My memory tells me that there is a triathlon in Austin on Labor Day, which would be as perfect as possible. I looked up online and found it. It's called (cleverly enough) "The Austin Triathlon." I poked around the website for awhile, until I found some information that discouraged me slightly:

The course is a 1500 meter swim, 40 Km bike, and a 10 Km run.

This is what they call an "Olympic" triathlon. I was hoping for a "Sprint" -- 750 m swim, 20 km bike, and 5 km run. But the Austin triathlon is only the Olympic distance, no option for the Sprint. Hmm. I wasn't sure if this would happen.

I was chatting online with my old roommate Rebecca and I told her this, and how I wasn't sure if I could do those distances in my first triathlon. Her response was: "If anyone can do it, you can."

Then I realized, she's right! Why can't I do it? I just ran a 10K, and it went great. I'd have 4 months to train. Why not? And besides, I don't have to confirm registration until August 1. I can train the next 3 months for it and if I don't feel ready at that point, I don't have to do it.

So. That's the story. I'm going to do it. I'm going to train for a triathlon! It's going to be crazy and it's going to be fun. I found a training schedule online, modified it slightly, and started Monday (May 5). And I have it hanging on my wall, and for each day that I complete the planned activities, I get a star: red for running (because it's the King of Cardio and hearts are red), blue for swimming (because water is blue), green for biking (because that was the other color I had), gold for strength training, and silver for rest days (that one is easy). I like giving myself stars. :)