I realized today it has been a long time since my last post, and with today's activity -- actually, the activity of this last week or so -- it seemed like a good time to correct that.
For the last few weeks, I have been in the pool at least twice a week. When I started this little adventure, I was lucky to stay afloat, much less swim a decent distance. When I took the swim class with a couple of our Team In Training coaches, I was lucky to make it the length of the pool without stopping to catch my breath. And never mind managing the breathing. A bit of progression in that regard... I have managed to go from swimming a length or two to doing 3000 yards with a pool buoy to managing 1200-1500 yards mostly nonstop and all without the pool buoy. I have also succeeded in teaching myself, or forcing myself maybe, to be able to breathe on both sides. So the water work has been fairly good.
The biking? I think I am okay in this regard. I admit my cycling time dropped off after my string of 5 century rides last year, but I am getting in at least one good ride on the weekends, and hills or training videos at least once in the week. One of our scheduled pay rides got cancelled because of thunderstorms, but I did get in the Rosedale Ride the week after. That ride supports the Rosedale School for challenged individuals. Lots of wind that day. A number of weekends I have been riding with the Bypass team. Additionally, I have been trying to do a 15-20 mile sprint on the tri bike at least once a week combined with a run afterward. Trying to balance the training for 3 triathlons with training for the Triple Bypass ride gets complicated sometimes, but I think a lot of that has been because I was so unsure about the running and swimming. Things are coming together though. Yesterday I rode a training ride on the north side of town with some TNT alumni, and ended up riding a metric century distance loaded with LOTS of climbs and bunches of wind... the return half was brutal!
And the running... oh, boy, the running. I considered myself fortunate if I could manage a mile, and then feeling totally exhausted. Today, after a very late last-minute decision last night, I ran the Capitol 10K, 6.2 miles, without stopping and without walking. Granted it took me 1:15:00 to do it, but a slow plodding elephant is better than nothing. I don't think I have run more than 6 miles at one time in 30-40 years. But you runners, and for that matter you cyclists, too, know what it is like to be crossing that finish line for the first time in any kind of event. Not fast, not pretty, but finished. I didn't run in the timed portion of the run, but I did check my finish with the timed folks - I would have finished 260th out of 296th in my age group, so that would have accomplished my goals this year - finish, and don't finish last. I am happy with that.
By the way, I am so very proud of my teammates and my inspiration -- they ran an awesome run, and posted great times!
I realized 10 days ago that in the next 100 days I would have to finish 3 metric century rides, 3 full centuries, and 3 triathlons including the Triple Bypass -- before there was any thought of throwing a 10K run into the mix.
Next week, the first century ride, in San Antonio. I am thinking I will do this one on the tri bike since my first triathlon is the week after. I think it is going to be a busy few weeks!
Thanks to my coach for everything she does for me... I know I wouldn't be doing this well without her.
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