Ramblings of a Triathlete

Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon
Maple Grove, MN - 3/30/08

In the past few weeks I have battled not only a nasty cold but severe allergies and flu-like symptoms; all hindering not only my motivation but my drive as well. Both left me feeling constantly tired and weak. I was juggling not only this triathlon training but trying to build long runs for my half marathon training. I averaged maybe 1 swim session and possibly 2 bike sessions each week in March. I wasn't sure if I was ready, both mentally and physically. There is nothing worse than not feeling ready prior to participating in something you have never done before. Luckily, I wasn't doing this race alone. I was fortunate enough to not only participate in my first triathlon with someone I know, but I was able to do some training with her as well. I think we both enjoyed being able to do our first triathlon together.

We headed to the Twin Cities area on Friday immediately after school. Upon arriving in Chanhassen, where my sister and brother-in-law live, we were greeted with not only them and a couple friends, but with a wonderful home-cooked meal! We enjoyed grilled chicken, salad, twice baked potatoes and possibly a few glasses of wine ... as well as sharing stories and playing a crazy game or two of Catch Phrase.

Sis, Bro-in-law, muah

I was still struggling with my allergies, which I felt was possibly turning into more of a head cold. I went to bed at a reasonable time, only to be awoken by my sister hovering over my bed, asking if I would like to join her for a 60 minute spin class. God, that was one of the hardest decisions of my life... rest so I feel good for my tri, or get up and enjoy a good spin session at Lifetime. Unfortunately I chose the rest and slept another 2 hours. The afternoon was filled with some mild shopping, relaxing with a movie, and then a nice dinner at the Macaroni Grill... and drawing on the table. I loved my meal, but enjoyed sharing dessert with my sister more... Tiramisu.
Saturday evening was spent unpacking and repacking for the tri. I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed. It was after 10 when I crawled into bed, only to lay there for almost an hour before falling asleep. 6:30am came very fast, but I was thankful that I was participating in Wave 8, starting at 9am, rather than Wave 1 that started at 6:40am. We grabbed a light breakfast of yogurt. That was all I was able to stomach at the time. I guess you could say the nerves were really starting to kick in. We were dressed and packed, ready to go at 7:15. We took off, heading to Maple Grove, which was about a half hour drive from my sis' place. We only needed to be there 30-45 minutes ahead of time so we were more than early. But, I was okay with that.

Upon arriving, my nerves began to disappear. However, we had plenty of time to kill and little to do. So I spent about 40 minutes hanging out in the locker room listening to music. Before we knew it, it was 10 to 9 and we were heading to the pool.

The Swim: 10 minutes
There were 10 people per Wave. My friend and I were in the same Wave, and luckily we were able to choose a lane to share. We were given swim caps, I was wearing blue, and she was wearing lime green. This was to help the person at the end of our lane keep track of our lengths. We were given a couple minutes to swim a bit and warm up. That was nice. The lady in charge told us she was going to blow her whistle at the 5 minute marker 3 times letting us know we were half way done. Then she would blow it when 1 minute was left; informing us to kick it up a notch. I was just afraid I wasn't going to hear any of the whistles.

Just like running, I had to remind myself to not take off too fast too soon. Thankfully, both people on either side of me were going at a reasonable pace and I did my best to keep up with them. By the time I heard the 5 minute marker whistle blow, I lost count of my lengths and just focused on swimming the 10 minutes. Then, all of a sudden the 1 minute marker went off and I booked it, getting in another length and a half!

Transition 1: 10 minutes
We had 10 minutes to get out of the pool, grab our towels, hear from the lane lady how many lengths we did, and book it to the locker room to change. Nothing like trying to hurry out of a wet suit and back in to dry clothes.

The bike: 30 minutes
Getting situated on the spin bike was the worst. They are a little different from our bikes at the Y and I felt like I just couldn't get things situated right. My seat felt as if it was too far forward, thus, it felt like I was sitting funny on the seat. The tension on the bike was fixed, and I felt as if it was a bit more tighter than I expected. My legs felt a little weak about halfway through and I was afraid to push it too hard. I didn't want the transition to the bike to be too difficult. But, 30 minutes went by pretty fast.

Transition 2: 5 minutes
This was the shortest of the transitions, but felt the longest. There's nothing like rushing to the treadmills, to just stand there and wait a few minutes. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

The Run: 20 minutes
I have been running, consistently, for almost 2 years now. This was supposed to be my easiest leg of the triathlon. I was ready for this. Wasn't I? As much as I wanted to start out at a reasonable pace, I new that I only had 20 minutes and that is not much time... for a slow runner. Not too long into the run and I had to take a walk break. I was extremely hot and felt nauseous. I couldn't get myself to cool down. I didn't have that problem on the bike because we had fans blowing on us. Not the case on the treadmill. I was just so damn hot. I had to take a lot more walk breaks than I ever anticipated. But, I finished, and I didn't pass out.

We left the treadmills and headed straight for our complimentary smoothies and bananas. Delish. They were also offering chair massages but I was too hungry to sit around and wait in line for one. I was impressed with how well things were set up and how smoothly things went. The volunteers working the triathlon were great and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable. Anyone who is looking to do their first triathlon, I highly recommend trying one at one of the Lifetime Fitness locations. I am so ready to do another one!

I knew my individual results when I left the gym that day. I didn't know my ranking in comparison to the other participants, but I don't think that I needed to know that. I had goals set in mind, and even though I didn't meet them to a T, I am pleased with my accomplishments. I had worked hard for this. I look forward to doing better and finishing stronger next time. There will be a next time! Fo Sho! I want to say thanks to all you wonderful supporters (both family and friends) out there who read and comment on my blog! You have been quite the inspiration! Love it!

The Results

Swim: 17.5 lengths
Bike: 11.4 miles
Run: 1.55 miles

...my drawing at the Macaroni Grill...