I did it!

Im writing after just arriving home from a surreal experience of actually doing the triathlon that ive been training for. Everything I learnt...basically went out the window......due to the swim!!
That was HORRIBLE! As soon as i jumped in i know Iwas in trouble...it all happened so fast......I swallowed loads of disgusting water ...and then I guess i panicked. My breathing was too fast, I couldnt get my rhythm, there was no way my head was going under otherwise I´d just ingest more water. The shock of that meant that all I was thinking about was how far that buoy looked and whether I could actually do it. At one point I did think that I couldnt. I mean why should I suffer this awful experience. I did only breast stroke (nice and slow) ...and a couple of times went on my back to try and get my breathing under control. I saw fellow swimmers being hauled into the boats that were circling to see if we were ok. It was obvious I was going to be slow and last in this but I decided to continue to at least finish. I mean someone has to be last right?? By the time the person before me left the lake, I was still possible 50 metres or more from the finish. I ended up chatting to the guys in the boat, actually laughing and joking about what the hell I was doing whilst I was swimming.  They were great....very supportive, flirty and fun. Just what I needed to keep me going!

By the time I got on the bike I felt relaxed...as I´d finished the worst part for me. That is an achievement im proud about. The bike and run I had done a few times but obviousely after the swim it meant everything was much slower. Theres a massive hill coming out of the transition area which I didnt train on......so difficult. But I decided I´ll go slow and just keep moving.  The run was fine..although passing people going in the opposite direction jsut forces you to realise how much you still have to go. arghhhh.
My knees did hurt a bit...but the run had only a slight incline and i think I managed to pick up speed on that.
My body is not in as much pain as I thought..just generally tired. I need to wash all the crap off me....and hopefully anything I swallowed isn´t growing inside me! 

Finishing was great. Agreat sense of achievement.
Im not sure how I feel about this experience just yet. I think im still in a bit of shock from the swim (I sound so dramatic i know) and although people say I will now want to do more.....I will have to see about that.
I do plan to continue training....and maybe I will.....the whole experience is surreal, emotional and a little bit scary.

Freaking out - 1 day to go

Its like the quiet before the storm. Im sitting here on my sofa listening to the birds knowing that in less the 24 hours i will have finished (hopefully) the event. Im mean its only a triathlon, I should put things into perspective and all!
Today Im going to go to Casa de Campo and pick up the race stuff and also support fellow colleguers from the gymn who are taking part in the Olympic race, and of course see the wohle mayhem that goes into this whole Triathlon. Im not good with crowds (unless im on stage - im little) so im guessing it will make me more anxious but it should inspire me and start the adrenalin flowing.
hopefully i get a good nights sleep. I havent slept good in a few days.....arghhh
Today im not doing any training.....will just chill.....not sure if its psycholgical but my knees are hurting today! 
oh and weight wise...i hit my 53kg goal..so all this training has been amazing.
deep breaths...deep breaths...

6 days to go - transitions

so there is this whole lingo when it comes to triathlons....T1 and T2.
T1 is the change between the swim and bike.....T2...bike and run.
theres a whole industry out there with things to make the transition times shorter...it is a race ya know!
Ive sucumbed to only 2.......elastic laces...they are fab...I feel like a kid again(!).......and a race belt so I don´t have to fiddle with pins. I may save all of 3 seconds..but hey that a big difference between last and second last :-D (i have no illusions of doing this thing in record time.....I just want to finish it!)

Today I tried the transition betwen bike and run. It was mainly to see how my legs felt after cycling for a distance. The distance im doing in the triathlon is quite short so I know I wont get that jelly leg feeling that everyone seems to talk about. I did a 45 min ride ...a gentle one...few hills....but just kept moving really......then dumped the bike at my home and then ran for a bit (15mins). the legs felt heavy but it was manageable. Its going to be impossible to swim in open water before the triathlon but I will try the first transtion as some point this week.
Tomorrow we are meeting in the park to try the full route out, I keep getting lost when I try it alone, so it gives me time to go out again in the week a few times to get used to it!

nearly there.
oh and the nightmares have started.

1 week to go

oh S&%t ...thats all im thinking right now.

I´ve just come back from a 30 min jog, sneezing like crazy from hayfever. I did a 30 min swim earlier today too....then a 2 hour siesta! Ok im a little jetlagged as I arrived from Miami yesterday and my body is a little confused!
While I was away these 2 weeks I only did 2 runs, and a scary cross fit session (my arms are still hurting) but I ate healthy, hardly drank and dont think ive put on any weight.
Today the swim seemed easy...im sticking with the breast stroke as the front crawl is just not working for me.... and the run (jog really) , no problem.
Im still concerned about the bike as my gears are still crap and it will cost too much to get new ones, as its such a short distance I will cope....!!!! (famous last words). On sunday we are doing a run of the bike route, so that should calm me down a bit.
All of this we are actually raising money for a charity......its a personal charity asd it helped my sister and her family take care of my niece before she passed away. You can sponsor and donate here...its a great cause: http://www.justgiving.com/madridtriathlon2012

This coming week i will continue to train.....a little each day..but take it easier even though I am panicking inside!

Weight Loss

When I first started training for the triathlon, I wasnt thinking about losing weight specifically, to me it was the challenge of actually doing the event..but now of course the weight is dropping off. Of course this started after begining personal training with David (davidhughes.es). Ive lost 4.5kg so far. Todays weigh-in was 54.2.

I feel energised, I feel lighter and sprightly. I did a dance rehearsal yesterday and the lifts and the jumps are so much easier, and its only a few kgs we´re talking about here. Im sure my male dancers appreciate this!
I wont get obsessed but its quite motivating and a little addictive. Whats important is that I feel my strength grow and that its me thats feels good not the numbers on the scales.
Currently im getting over a cough so missed a swim session but keeping as active as I can. Might have to go cycling in the rain his weekend...ewww.

routine

so this is what im generally sticking to
mon - rest or a run (depending on bike ride the previous day)
tues - gym - with trainer - 1 hour
wed - 30 min swim (then i have my dance class in the evening - 1 hour)
thur - gym - with trainer 1 hour
fri - run - 30 mins(depends on how bad trainer has killed me the previous day)
sat - rest
sun - bike (about an hour or so)

added to this extra dance classes and courses and even line dancing the other day..im keeping as active physically as i can (in between all those episodes of greys anatomy)

im trying to eat as healthy as possible...my vice now is rice cakes with chocolate on them. im not drinking (not really a big drinker anyway so wasnt that difficult) ..making lots of juices and smoothies and feeling quite good.

my knees hurt especially after the bike rides but not for me to worry too much. At least my bum isnt hurting so much, ive have got used to the saddle ;-)

weight wise...last weigh in 54.8kg. (although the weight isnt that important to me, i have a mental goal of around 53kg..i think id rock my new dance costume well with that weight !!)

2 weeks in

Well its true what they say....your bum does hurt less from the bike saddle. :-D
ive been doing something nearly everyday for 2 weeks now, its definetely to get myself motivated and Im actually having fun. This evening run by the river was lovely. Athletico Madrid fans would love the view!

My jogs are now my choreography inspiration times, so if you see someone running past you in fuchia pink headphones doing a sudden hand movement....thats me!

I tried the bike route in Casa de Campo yesterday, oh my god that hill. People jogging went past me faster then i could pedal. I didnt stop, but I wanted to cry and sorry Garret (my cycle buddy now it seems! Great singer by the way..check out his band "Track Dogs" ) for being a moaning minnie. He was great, distracting me by chatting so I couldnt "feel" the pain. I will have to try it a few more time to feel confident that I can actually do it.

I guess Im getting into a routine now.
Weight wise..ill update on thurs.

Bike

I decided to buy a bike. Found one secondhand yesterday, flat tyres...but appeared in perfect condition (actually.....what do I know?).....well its blue and pretty and I can touch the floor. I half wheeled it/half carried it home so as not to ruin the tyres anymore.
After inflating them today(bought a pump, water bottel and helmet in the rastro this morning...yay more shopping) I went down to the river again to try it out.

As they say you never forget how to ride a bike, well its true. I have never owned a bike, and it must be possible 15 years since I rode one properly. But as soon as I got on, I was off.
The gears I dont understand at all, but through trial and era I will work them out. My friend Garret joined me and tried to explain them, but it made no sense :-D

I have to get used to the body postion, as my shoulders started to ache, and I wont even go into how sore my butt is now! Next shopping trip...new soft comfy seat!

So with 3 months to go before the triathlon, I have now tested the waters of all 3 parts of the race. I will use this first month to get comfortable in each discipline slowly and then begin to contemplate bringing them together, although there is no way I can practice the swim part as race condition.

I need a siesta now.

Perspective

David told me hes doing the Iron Man Triathlon........thats 3.86km swim, 180km bike and then a full martathon 42km. OMG! I actually think people are crazy!
My challenge seems kinda pathetic now. hehehe. Im going to have to challenge him to a Bollywood dance class...see how he copes with that!

On a side note im going see how much in shape I get training for this. As well as the 2 days in the gym with the trainer, im doing doing 2 or 3 extra workouts swimming, running and cycling (max half an hour each time im guessing) PLUS my regular dance classes and courses. I think im taking july and aug off to recover from all this! Im trying to eat as healthy as I can (chocolate is my vice) , and i`ve never really been a big drinker so less alcohol is no problem.

Of course this is all so i can look good in a bikini in the summer not just the triathlon :-P

My weight right now is 55.4kg, i wont post my measurements....ill just keep a note of them!

Swimming

My trainer (davidhughes.es) has given us an 8 week plan for the triathlon in May so, I have time, but im using this first few weeks to remind myself there are 3 sports to consider: Im not sporty, ok dancing is nearly a sport but its a totally different mindeset. I can do a 1.5-2 hour performance, ending on a high but tired, but its totally different. Im sharing something with an audience, they are giving me energy, im changing costumes, I waiting for my entrances...the adrenalin is there but its a differente momentum.
So this month im retraining my brain as well as my body.

I ran a little on Monday....now its time for swimming.

This is the part that freaks me out the most. I kid you not....the last time I "swam" was in a 5 star hotel pool doing a light back stroke taking in the sun.
So today I went to the pool with my new swimming goggles (kids age 6-14...I have a small head! - at least I got a shopping trip out of this experience!) and decided to remind myself how to swim.

Its the breathing technique that I dont have and if Im to do a race, I have to get this sorted. The pool seemed to be full of pensioners, a couple who actually reminded me of the way to do it when they saw me practicing! The googles felt tight but there was no way my head was going under without them.
Luckily the monitor on duty gave me a couple of exercises to do and after half an hour in the pool I felt comfortable again and didnt splutter with a mouth/nose full of chlorine water by the end of the session.
300m really is very little and in a relaxed situation I would be quite calm...BUT....I will have probably 100 people splashing and kicking by my side (well probably way in front of me actually!) and the water will be black, cold and full of god knows what. How the hell do I prepare for that??

Oh $%*@!!!!!

Inspired!

Just got off the phone to my dad. I remember him doing a marathon years ago, but I didnt really pay attention to him them, so I asked him about it.
He must have been in his late 50´s, it was actually a half marathon (21km) and he came last! They were packing up as he came across the finish line! Hes just amazing! He told me he got so tired, that he ended up walking the last bit, hense him being last. But he finished it. He wanted to do the full marathon one day but hes proud of this achievement. Me too :-D

Day 1 - realisation

Last week I decided to do a Triathlon. I was inspired by a lovely email from my trainer and thought hell, why not. I had no idea what I was actually getting myself into.
Over the last few days Ive decided to read up and see what Im going to be putting my body though for the event in 3 months.
Yes im a dancer, but the endurance needed for what I´m about to do is so far out of my regular existence, its not funny.
Im doing the super sprint beginner triathlon, which I know for many of you is a doddle....but I dont swim with my head underwater and I havent cycled for years.
Its "only" 300m swim, 7.7km bike and 2km run.
See thats all fine seperately but the 3 together?? why?? :-D
After a full weekend of dance I usually keep Mondays free chilling in my pyjamas and trying to clean the flat whilst watching tv shows on my PC. Today I decided to go for a run. Well it was a jog. I dont have a fancy iphone telling my what distance Im doing so I tried to guess what 2km would be.
I ran down to the river near Piramides and low and behold they have the distances marked on the side of the pedestrian/cycle/running track. Its actually quite lovely there. The new Retiro :-)
I think I did 3 km no problem, although my thighs did feel a little tight after it. It felt good to see other people running and cycling, it really is another world. Is it ok to say "hi" as they pass? :-D or is that obvious I´m a newbie?!?
I have done some running before, in Retiro maybe 2 or 3 times (ive been in Madrid nearly 7 years...ahem)
On the way back home I decided to pass the swimming pool to get the times and prices. Now Ive never been a strong swimmer. Im happy with the breast stroke head above water taking in the views. Ill be going into the pool probably tomorrow to see if I can get my breathing technique right. Im a wimp really in the pool, but then of course today I actually realised we swim in the LAKE in Casa de Campo for the triathlon. The bloody lake!!! So there will be loads of other people diving in racing like their life depends on it, and Im going to concentrating on breathing and not drowning! Oh my god!
This will probably be where I need to train the most. Lucky the local pool is 3 mins from my house but I have to forget about nice shiny straight bollywood hair, if im training 3 times a week, this hair will take only so much blowdrying and straightening. Curly afro is it then for 3 months!
Tomorrow Im back in the gym with my trainer and he is organising a training plan for all of us. I will get my head around the cycling soon. Im trying not to panic just yet. Ive never owned a bike, but of course once Im back on a bike it will come naturally, just the endurance of doing the distance is the issue.


Ive never given up on anything ever.......