Oh, well, now we know

A few months ago, I ran a triathlon. During the month prior to the race, I included in my training a swim in Town Lake, where the actual race was to be held. I did this twice. When I told people that, I got one of two reactions: "Ew, you actually SWAM in that water? Gross." or "Is that legal?" I got the latter question more frequently, and my response was, "I don't know. I didn't seen any signs that said it wasn't."

Well, I was biking around the Town Lake trail and rode over on the eastside (that is, the side east of I-35, known for being a bit...rough). I saw this sign:

So I guess I do know now.

Oh, and I just want to say one reason I love living in Austin. Biking around Town Lake on December 20 in 70 degree weather. It was a beautiful day!

More Triathlon Pictures

These are some of the professional pictures taken over the course during the race. Apparently I was really happy as I was running towards the finish line. Honestly, it's because my friends were all right there cheering me own as I sprinted to the end. And I kind of want to buy the one of me crossing the finish line.

TRIATHLON

Sorry I've been so slow about posting about the triathlon! But I have finally landed long enough to do so!

Bright and early last Monday morning, I woke up at 5:30am. I wanted to allow myself plenty of time to drive to Joseph's (he lives down south, not far from the triathlon) and then have him drop me off. I was running about 15 minutes behind schedule, but I ended up making it in enough time. He just dropped me off then went to park (and go pick up a few things).

I made my way to the transition area and had about 15-20 minutes to get all my stuff set up before they closed it and kicked us all out (at 7:15). The Olympic distance started its waves at 7am. (The two transition areas were separate.) The first wave was the "open" division, the division participants were encouraged to sign up for if they thought they were competitive to win. The first people were done with their 1500m swim in 17 minutes! Unbelievable!

So the transition area closed at 7:15, but the first wave for the sprint distance (which I was in) didn't start until 8:00. This meant I got to wander around in my bathing suit and bare feet (like everyone else!) for about 45 minutes. I didn't have my cell phone and was hoping that Joseph and everyone else coming to cheer me on would be able to find me so I could see them before the race. While I was waiting I got my body marked....they wrote my number in permanent black marker on both upper arms, the front of both my hands, one leg, and wrote my age on the back of my left calf.

The funny thing about everyone having their age on the back of their calf is when I was out biking or running and getting passed, I could think things like, "So I just got passed by a 61-year-old man!" Haha!

I mostly paced as I waited, trying to keep my eyes open for everyone and trying not to be nervous. Finally with about 5 minutes before start, I had to head down to line up with the other people in my division (women 29 and under). Just after I put my swim cap on, my friends found me! I was so happy they did! This is also when the pictures started. Michelle brought her camera and got some good pictures for me. Thanks Michelle!!

This is me right after they found me, I'd just put on my cap. (I was hoping I could have gotten a shot without it, but hey, that's okay! :) )

Here I am getting in the water right before the start of the swim! All those green swim caps... I also wore my red swim suit to be easily seen.

The swim went better than I expected. I gave myself a somewhat generous goal of 25 minutes to complete it, and actually did it in 17. 700m just seemed a lot shorter out there then it did any time I swam it in a pool. That's kind of weird, but okay. I sometimes had trouble swimming in a straight line, but I made it!

Here's a kind of funny shot of me right after the swim. I'm trying to hurry to the transition area. Everyone was there cheering me as I got out! Yay! And while I was swimming, Joseph had painted his chest in support of me, as you'll see proof of later. (That might explain the big smile on my face!)

Next up, the bike ride! I was most nervous for this portion of the race, just because I was worried I might fall off or something. (No, really. I was!) Though it actually ended up being the best part, I thought. I didn't have fancy swim-in-bike-shorts like a bunch of other people, so I had to dry myself off a tiny bit before getting on my bike. And I couldn't ride without socks. This doesn't sound like a lot, and I don't think it is, but for some reason, my transition time was horribly slow! But that's okay.

Here I am, starting out on the bike ride.

The total bike distance was 27K. It was two loops around the course. Everyone had made there way up to the bike course to cheer me on each time I passed. (Which was four....twice going out and twice coming back.)


Toward the end of the bike ride I started getting a pain in my knee, similar to one I'd had a few days before when I took Michelle's bike out (for a second time, not the first time that I blogged about). I was really worried it would linger into the run and slow me down, but it didn't! Whew!

My transition time from bike to run was MUCH shorter. Even though I did take the time to take off my bike shorts and put on real shorts. :) Here I am starting the run.

The run was by far the most difficult part. I think it's just because I was tiring at this point. As I got running, I got a bad cramp in my side. (I call them a "stitch," Joseph calls them a "catch.") I had to slow down a bit and even walk for a minute or two to make it go away. (It hurt! It seemed worse than a regular stitch/catch.)

And there everyone was again, rooting me on as I ran past them on the run course! (Although I had to get their attention that time. :) ) My friends are the best!

As I was nearing the end, I saw my friend Vince, and he was cheering me on, giving me enough gusto to sprint the last bit of it to the finish line.

I made it!! (You've got to throw your arms up in triumphant victory as you cross the finish line!)

Volunteers standing at the finish line set up the "tape" for everyone to run through as they crossed. I thought that was awesome.

I have the best friends in the world! So many of them came to cheer me on, despite the fact that it was so early. I was the only one running the triathlon, so they really did come out just for me! It made me feel very loved and supported!! Joseph, Michelle, Tamara, Shaleen, Vince, Mariah, and Sarah, you guys are the BEST!!! THANK YOU!!

Here's Joseph and I. He really did paint his chest (and arms, and face...) for me! :) He's a keeper, that's for sure. He got a bit sunburned and the best part was that when the paint washed off, the "E!" was still on him! We got a big kick out of that!

My goal time for finishing was 2 hours. My official time (posted on the triathlon website) was 2:00:28. I call that close enough. :) If my first transition time had been shorter, I likely would have come in under 2 hours, but I'm still pleased with it!

They weren't opening the transition area for people to get their bikes for about another hour, so we all had a bit of time to kill. The triathlon being over meant that the sugar-free month was over. As we were waiting, we all went to the nearby Jack in the Box (there wasn't much around) and got milkshakes. Yay!

I wasn't sure if Joseph or I was more excited for the end of the triathlon. He got a milkshake too. (Since he's been giving up sugar too with me.)

I have to post this picture too because I like it. This is Shaleen trying out my bike after it was all over.

Last shot of the day. I got my bike out of transition, and posed one last time with it. The triathlon was officially over. Yay!!

It was a lot of fun running it. I want to do another someday (hopefully the Olympic distance!) and now I feel a bit more educated as to how best to train and race for when I do.

Thanks again to everyone for your support, good luck messages, and asking me about it when it was over. You're all are great!!

Pre-triathlon Preparations

The triathlon is TOMORROW. I can hardly believe it! I'm feeling a little bit anxious/scared, but keep telling myself it will be okay. Especially since I'm doing the sprint distance, it'll likely be shorter than I did last week.

In preparation, I had to go pick up my packet and check in my bike this afternoon. Michelle went with me. I think I needed the moral support. :) Fortunately, we don't have church until 2:30, but it did take a bit longer than expected; Michelle and I got home at 2:00 and probably set a world record in showering and getting ready. We were only 5 minutes late to church.

Anyway, first off we went to pick up my packet. We went to the Hyatt Regency in downtown where they were having the Austin Triathlon Expo. There were a ton of booths and I hoped free stuff, but no such luck on that one. (But plenty of things to buy.) I got my packet, my number (1627), the timing chip, the T-shirt (that is made out of that really nice athletic material, not just plain cotton!), and lots of other goodies. Including a swim cap. They stagger the swim starting, so you have to wear the color for the appropriate wave. My cap is neon green. This is me with my cap, in front of the board with a listing of all the participants. And a note that the water today in Town Lake is 78 degrees.

Next we went to the Bicycle Sport Shop, where I am renting a road bike. The guy that was helping me found my paper and upon seeing the bike I had reserved said, "Whoa! He was able to get you on a nice bike!" I know nothing about bikes, so I took his word for it. When I was signing the rental agreement, I saw that it said that I'd have to pay $3000 to replace it. I said, "You mean my bike is worth $3000??" He said, "No, actually this bike costs $4000." Whoa! I'm riding a $4000 bike in the race! Here I am with the bike.

We went over then to Auditorium Shores (not to be confused with Arboretum Shores... turns out I've been calling it the wrong thing for weeks!). The bike check in was there. I decided that I needed to ride the bike around a little bit. The next time I would see it would be when I'm picking it up to begin the bike portion of the race. I wanted a bit of practice! It's a lot lighter than the mountain bike. I just hope that I don't fall down...

We found the bike check in area and I got it all set up.

Only race participants are allowed in there, so Michelle had to wait for me. But she did get a picture of me finding a spot for my bike on the rack.

Well, now that I'm all checked in, the only thing left to do is get some sleep, eat a good breakfast in the morning, and do it!

I'm nervous, but keep telling myself that it'll be okay. :)

Bricked

(First let me explain the title of this post. A "brick" is a workout in a triathlon training schedule when you do two or more sports. For example, when you swim and bike, or bike and run, or do all three, these workouts are called "bricks.")

Last weekend was my last chance to have a full Saturday of triathlon training. So I wanted to take full advantage of it. I planned to go to Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake) again, and swim, bike, and run. It was going to be a dress rehearsal of sorts. I was going to do each for time; and I figured I'd try to do each sport at 3/4 or more the Olympic distance so I could get a feel for if I was ready for that challenge.

First the swim. I bought a new swim cap for today. I read online that when swimming in open water you should have a brightly-colored cap so you can be seen easily. I wanted one that was hunter orange (I've seen them before), but when I went to Academy, they only had black (which I already have) and white. So I bought a white one. I took a picture of me in the cap on with the intentions of posting it, but then I decided I looked too goofy. (Swim caps are functional and fulfill absolutely no fashion purposes.) Anyway, I swam for 45 minutes. It was better than the week before, but still tough. (I don't know how far I swam; I swim slow and was definitely not swimming strictly freestyle.)

I tried practicing transitions too. When I'd finished swimming, I got out of the water and hurried to the bike. I wrote about the bike part in the below post (and falling in love with bike riding, despite having just swum 45 minutes). Though I didn't mention that I also bought bike shorts for the occasion. I know, I'm hard core. Though I didn't even take a picture of me wearing those since I knew posting it wouldn't have even been in consideration. :P I biked on the Town Lake Trail (without getting lost!) for an hour and 15 minutes.

Finally, the run. That was by far the hardest. I was starting to feel tired at this point, and the running was very, very tough. I did a combination of running with a bit of walking because I was so tired. I tried to keep hydrated (I brought water with me this week), but I was still thirsty. At this point it was about 2:30 pm, and though the trail is well-shaded, it was still hot. (Though not as hot as it has been, so I was lucky.) And in an effort to have a short transition time, I didn't take off my bike shorts. That was a mistake. About 15 minutes in, I had to stop running and take them off because they were bugging me so much. (And it wasn't so much the padding as it was the elastic around the bottom of the leg that felt like it was cutting off what circulation I did have. ) Anyway, I ran/walked for 50 minutes.

I was really happy to be done! Don't I look happy?

(And I've decided that the bandanna is the best idea ever. At least for me, because my hair is wet from the swim . (Contrary to popular belief, a swim cap's main function is not to keep your hair dry, but rather to keep it out of your face.) As I sweat in the bike and run, my head sweats and my already wet hair gets even more wet. The bandanna is great. And I think I look pretty stylish. (Unlike what the white swim cap did for me...))

The biggest decision of the day was which distance to run at the triathlon: Olympic or Sprint. Part way into the swim, I'd decided that I wanted to do the Sprint. And part way through the run I knew I definitely wanted to do the Sprint. Though I felt okay later and reconsidered the Olympic for awhile, I ultimately decided to go with the Sprint distance. That's a 700m swim, 27K bike ride, and 5K run. At first I felt disappointed in myself, a little bit like I was copping out, not pushing myself hard enough. But then I decided that it's my first triathlon, and I just want to do as well as I can. I've realized part of being a good athlete (though I am strongly hesitant to call myself that) is knowing your limitations, and the Olympic distance is not for me this summer. I could probably do it and not die, but I want to feel good about myself afterwords and not kill myself in the process. I suppose I can still call myself a triathlete. Once I finish the race on Monday that is. :) And I have a feeling this won't be my last triathlon. It'll be a good experience, and I'll look forward to running the Olympic distance at some point in my future. (Especially then when I'll know a bit more of what to expect.)

My race is Monday, and my wave starts off with swimming at 8:00 am, CDT. My friends are being amazingly supportive, and several are coming down to cheer me on. (My roommate Michelle is doing a great job at organizing it! She even created a Facebook event!) I'll make sure someone has my camera and tell them to get lots of pictures so I can share them here. (Though I don't think I'll be wearing my white swim cap and will probably have normal shorts over my bike shorts, so don't get your hopes up.)

Biker Girl

I don't own a bicycle. To train for the biking portion of the triathlon, I've been going to cycling (aka, spinning) classes at the gym. Although on a stationary bike, this is a good workout.

However, for the actual race, I'll be riding a real bike. Confession time: I haven't been on a bike in at least 15 years. Maybe more. I really don't know. The only time I remember owning a bike was in early elementary school, and even then it was likely one of my sister's. Fortunately, my roommate, Michelle, owns a bike; and fortunately, she's nice enough to extend me an open invitation to it, telling me I can use it whenever I want.

Saturday was my big, final brick workout, in preparation for the race. (Which is THIS Monday -- September 1, Labor Day.) I'll write more about this workout in a separate post. Michelle helped me get her bike rack fitted onto my car, as you can see. There was something about having a bike and a bike rack on my car that made me feel like the outdoorsy type. :)

Anyway, I told Michelle I was a bit nervous about riding a real bike since it's been so long, and she said, "Don't worry, the only tough part is changing gears." Uh oh, changing gears? That sounded hard. The last bike I rode back in elementary school didn't have gears -- I don't think. She showed me how to do it, and I rode around the parking lot for just a few minutes to see if I could get the hang of it again. It was...okay.

So down I went to Town Lake for my long workout. After swimming and transitioning to the bike portion, I hopped on the bike and took off on the Town Lake Trail. It's true what they say, that you don't forget how to ride a bike. Thank goodness this is true, otherwise I'd be in real trouble. Although it did take me a few minutes to remember a few things, like how to turn corners. In the beginning I'd get nervous when I had to pass someone -- especially if it was another biker. And I had to continually remind myself that if I needed to slow down, stop, or change directions, I did not need to take my feet off the pedals and onto the ground.

I only almost biffed it once, as I was turning a tight corner onto a narrow-ish bridge, with another biker, dismounted and standing to the side. I believe it was in this instance that I got my only battle wound from the bike ride. I'm pretty sure this bruise is from the pedal.

However, by the end of the ride, I found myself saying, "Where has biking been all my life??" Simply stated, I'm now infatuated with bike riding. There's nothing cooler than riding fast on the trail, the wind in your face, covering a lot of ground in not a lot of time. It's so fun! After the triathlon, I plan to buy myself a bike, and more importantly I plan to use it!

Swimming like (and with) the fish

The triathlon is fast approaching. Too fast, if you ask me. I can hardly believe it. The race is in downtown Austin, and the swimming part is in Lady Bird Lake. (Formerly known as Town Lake, recently named after former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. She played a big role in cleaning the lake (which is really a river, don't be fooled) and the surrounding area, but she didn't want it named after her. But once she died a year or so ago, the name was changed to honor her.)

I've never actually swum seriously in open water before. And since I didn't want my first day to be the day of the race, Saturday I headed down for a swim. Since swimming in a river might be "dangerous," I left a note for my roommate so she'd know where I went...

It was a nice day; though slightly overcast, it wasn't too hot. (Austin is oppressively hot this time of year.) I took some pictures before getting in. I was probably mostly just delaying the inevitable.

Do I look nervous? I was.

There were a few things I wasn't sure about with swimming in Town Lake. First of all, it's not like my pool, with super clean water, clearly marked lanes, and lines on the bottom. Oh no. It's not filthy, but it's not as clean as a swimming pool. (Of course.) The water might be unbearably cold. There are fish. There are plants floating around. I can't see the bottom (and I probably don't want to). I'll admit it, I was feeling kind of chicken.

I was a little worried that I'd actually chicken out of swimming. But I capped and goggled myself up, and gingerly waded into the water. I stood there for a minute or two, taking it all in, hoping I wasn't looking too goofy to the kayakers who had just docked nearby. (There weren't many people where I was actually, quite near the pull off from I-35.) (They were probably thinking, "Ew, why would anyone swim in there?") As I stood there, I could feel little minnows occasionally brush past my legs and it almost did me in, making me run from the water screaming. Okay, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it really tickles and is a bit unnerving.

But I knew I'd just have to suck it up and do it. So I did. Once I got swimming I was able to stop thinking about the minnows and the seaweed that probably wanted to attack me. But I soon found myself thinking about other things...like how hard swimming in open water is. Town Lake is a very slow moving river, but I knew I was swimming upstream in the beginning. I figured that's why it was so hard. (Or it could have been that my arm muscles were tired from having swum a combined 3000+ meters the two days before.) It felt like swimming freestyle for more than a minute or two was exhausting.

After swimming half my time up (and swimming most of it with an easy breaststroke, since freestyle was hard to sustain), I turned back and swam the other way. I figured it would be easier since I'd be swimming downstream now. As I got swimming, it felt like I was still swimming upstream. It's then I decided that no matter what direction you swim in open water, the water is working against you! Not only that, swimming in a straight line was nigh unto impossible. Yikes!

The good news is, the water wasn't cold. Well, it wasn't pleasantly warm, but it wasn't freezing. It seemed to be, on average, about the same temperature as the pool at school. There were pockets of cold and warm, and overall fine. I think in that respect, I'll be okay.

But I survived swimming for about 30 minutes. I even did a quick transition practice and ran on the Town Lake trail (pictured below) for about 3 miles. (And I got lost on the trail twice. I'm probably the only person in Austin who can get lost running on that trail. This isn't the first time it's happened, but the first time was about 2 months after I'd moved here. I don't know what my excuse is now.) Since my swimsuit was still under my clothes, I was really wet by the time I finished up. But it's all good practice.

Next Saturday I plan to swim in Town Lake again. Hopefully it'll go somewhat better, now that I know a bit more of what to expect.

Sugar free August

Every now and then I give up sugar for some period of time (a week, 10 days, or sometimes more). When I say that, I don't mean every single form of sugar. I mean sugary, dessertty foods. (Think: ice cream, cheesecake, cookies, candy, etc, etc.) For example, even though I'm not Catholic, I've given up sugar for Lent the last 2 years. (I've only given up something for Lent those two times. I like the principle of it.) In the couple of times that I have given up sugar for some period of time, it's usually for two main reasons: (1) to make sure that I can still do it (I have an insatiable sweet tooth); and (2) to "detox" (for lack of a better word) my system and feel like my eating habits are back under my control, turning things more towards a healthier way when I feel they've veered off a bit.

With the triathlon coming up in just over 4 weeks, I want my body to be operating at its peak. I'll be stepping up my training in the coming weeks as well, so I need it to be functioning well in the time leading up to the race as well. So for the entire month of August, I will be avoiding those deliciously sugary pitfalls. Avoiding sugar also helps me focus more on eating well, which will also help me be at my best.

However, I've made two exceptions to this already. The first is the weekend of August 9. I'll be in Utah for my high school reunion and who knows what sorts of great treats they'll have that I'll want to partake in. The second exception is August 14, which is Joseph's birthday. I'm setting that one aside just to be safe. :)

In the meantime, here's to the sugar free month of August!

The Triathlon...the new dilema

This afternoon I was looking at the website for the Austin Triathlon that I'm currently training for. At the top of the website, in big red letters was the following:

New Sprint Distance event just added!

So...now I'm faced with a decision. Should I do the sprint distance or the Olympic distance? Remember in my post about the triathlon I originally wanted to do a sprint, but it wasn't offered, and I wasn't sure I could do the Olympic distance, but then decided to go for it anyway. Now the sprint is an option. Question is: what do I do?!

I'll be honest. I feel like my fitness level in each of the three sports is good enough that I could probably do the distance for each, back-to-back, tomorrow. That is, I probably wouldn't have to do much in the way of "training" for it. So doing the Olympic distance would be more of a challenge for myself, necessitating the actual "training" I want to do, and would feel like more of an accomplishment upon completion. (Not that I wouldn't feel a sense of accomplishment with the sprint. I definitely would, if for no other reason than having completed a triathlon!)

However, perhaps since it will be my first tri, I ought to take it a bit easier.

The good news is, I don't have to decide tonight. (Good thing because it's late, and if there's one thing I learned from Rebecca it's to never make major life decisions after 10:00. And this definitely qualifies. :) ) What does everyone think?

New Running Shoes

I mentioned in the post about the 10K that I need new running shoes and have been needing them for quite some time. The ones I currently have are about 4 years old, and do bad things to my toes. But getting new ones is just so hard...first of all, I hate spending money on them. I've realized that good running shoes can't be bought at Payless (darn it), and will likely cost (much) more than $50. (Or more than $100.)

About 2 years ago I tried to get new running shoes. It was a bit spontaneous. I was at DSW looking for shoes for a different occasion and found a pair of New Balance shoes on the clearance rack. They seemed to fit, so I bought them. My first attempt to run in them gave me blisters on the backs of my heels. I kept them around, but they were never promoted to my "official" workout shoes. (Those are the shoes that live in my locker in the gym and are only used when I'm there working out. With the exception of times like races or something.)

But seriously people. I need new shoes. I've decided this is especially crucial right now with the triathlon training I'm embarking on this summer. I finally broke down Tuesday and started looking. My first stop was Kohls, my favorite store. I looked around for a bit, feeling extremely picky about how each pair fit, etc. I'd even run up and down the aisles to try them out. Finally, I did find a pair that seemed to do a good job. Not only that, they were on sale. Those are the magic words. They were marked down from $60 to $30. Wahoo!

They are made by Avia, model 6675. The funny thing is, the shoes are kind of purple. Not overwhelmingly purple, but purple. At a distance they look gray with purple highlights. Anyway, I'm primarily concerned with how they fit my feet, not how they look. (Not that I have anything against purple.)

I had a chance to try them out right away, as I went running that afternoon. Here's a picture of me and my new shoes after our first (of many, I'm sure) run together:

How did it go? Pretty good, actually. I was glad. They could use a tad more arch support, but that's not an insurmountable issue. (I could try athletic inserts or something.) All in all, I'm pleased. A few more workouts are in order for it to be official, but they seem to fit the bill. I'm a bit sad to part with my old shoes (they've been with me for so long!), but it must be done.

I know there are places like Run Tex that will do free shoe fitting sessions for you and tell you just the right shoe to buy (and how they will sell it to you for $125). I keep meaning to do that so I at least know better what to look for. But problem is, I've just never gotten myself in there to do it. Maybe one day. In the meantime, my new shoes and I are going to spend the next few weeks getting to know each other better.

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. :)