Counting down

According to my countdown, my first triathlon is in 18 days.  This is the Tri-It Tri, which is a super sprint.  Thankfully, it’s designed for beginners, so if I fall off my bike, no one will laugh.

It involves a 1/4 mile swim with a beach start, a 10 mile bike that is considered “fast and flat” and a 2 mile out and back run.  All these distances are doable.  Right now, my longest bike rides have been just around 10 miles, but I’ve got 22 days to increase that.  And they were hilly 10 mile rides.  I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

The best part about the tri, aside from the friends who will be there with me, is that on Saturday, after the first-timers clinic and for an optional fee, I can do a swim warmup and safety clinic. That means I can get into the water and try it out before the race.  This is an awesome option and definitely something I plan to take advantage of.

At this point, I’m not planning to wear a wetsuit.  It will likely be a wetsuit legal temperature, but for a quarter mile swim, I’m not sure it’s worth it.  Any time gain will be immediately lost in the struggle to get the wetsuit back off.  The water temp is usually around 75 degrees.  I’ve been looking at wetsuits though and thinking about getting one if I find a good deal.  Of course, that means I really have to stick with this sport.

So far, I really like the variety in the training.  Running can get old after a while and I like that I’m working different muscles.  I can definitely feel the difference.  I’m getting more confident on my bike, though high speeds still scare me a bit.  And by high speeds, I mean anything over 15 mph.  Which is probably slow.  I just need to keep up the training to be sure that I’m as ready as I can be on race day.  Besides, this is just a stepping stone to the much bigger tri I’m doing in August.  And that one, though “only” a sprint, scares me much more.

6 thoughts on “Counting down

  1. The multipurpose trail that I use for many runs has painted on the concrete “15 MPH LIMIT” I chuckle when I ride over it because I’m such a weenie on my bike that I rarely get over 12ish… LOL.

    You’re training’s been going great and I love the idea of the clinic the day before – sounds like you’re well prepared. Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
    Jenny recently posted…Thoughtful ThursdayMy Profile

  2. Good luck!

    On just the slightest tangent, I’ve been wanting to point you to the recently-created blog of a friend of mine–it’s a running blog that she and another woman are doing together and it’s always a fun read (so far–one good week, anyway!).

    It just so happened that my friend did her first triathlon, the Try-a-Triathlon. I thought you might appreciate her race report (http://secretsolesisters.blogspot.com/2013/05/race-report-vs-try-triathlon.html) as well as their blog more generally.

    And, for what it’s worth, though my blog isn’t usually a running blog, I just wrote about my experience with a 5k over the weekend.
    JohnSherck recently posted…5ks and CompetitionMy Profile

  3. Thanks, Karen!

    John, I have just added her blog (and yours too) to my blog reader. Thanks for the rec!

  4. If the water really is 75 degrees, then no, you don’t need a wetsuit. However, these practice races can be really useful training. I would use this race to practice under whatever conditions your “A” race will be. If the water is going to be wetsuit-legal (up to 78) during your race, many people will wear them as they’re significantly faster and they really do assist weaker swimmers (they help keep your legs up and reduce drag, etc.) When I first started triathlons, I felt much safer in my wetsuit due to the buoyancy. I still jokingly call it my, “blankey.” I love my wetsuit. Of course, I also can get cold in a 90 degree room, so I also appreciate the extra insulation.

    Swimming in a wetsuit is really different, and some people find it really constrictive at first. If you do decide to purchase a wetsuit, make sure you practice transitions to learn where you get hung up, but also get really used to the way it feels around your neck, chest, and shoulders. It can really throw people off. Add the “washing machine” effect of a mass swim start and it can really elevate your heart rate.

  5. Good points, Lisa. My A race won’t be wetsuit legal, which is why I am less worried about it for this race.

    However, if the weather stays as cold as it has been, I may be changing my tune very quickly. Little worried about that.

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