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.

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.

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 $%*@!!!!!