Is anyone still here?

I have no idea if anyone still checks this blog, but I thought I'd post an update about my triathlon training. The race is now less than three weeks away, so whatever level I'm at now is about as good as it's going to get!

Going on vacation at the end of June/beginning of July may not have been such a great idea. Between preparations, the vacation itself, and jet lag (which hit me really hard when we got back--I didn't start to feel normal until Thursday of that week) I took three weeks off of training entirely. When I was 20, three weeks of no exercise was no big deal. At 40, it's like starting all over again from square one. I can never believe just how much fitness I've lost after taking time off! So my first few days of training again were just awful, but I got back into the swing of things pretty well after about a week.

I've been working out six days a week, alternating between running, swimming and biking, with one brick each week--usually bike/run on Saturdays, but last week was swim/run as part of a "dress rehearsal" for the Iron Girl. Each workout is either the distance of the race or slightly longer. I'm aiming for three runs each week and two sessions each of biking and swimming. I figure running is where I can use the most work--I'm comfortable and happy with biking and swimming is just a lost cause for improvement at this point!

I've been doing my bricks on the actual courses for the race. The bike course is just plain fun--there are four climbs, but only one is particularly steep and it's mercifully short. The roads and scenery are just beautiful. My average speed is low--about 14 m.p.h. (compared to people I know who are "real" triathletes and maintain an average speed of 20 m.p.h. and really competitive racers who average 23+ m.p.h.), but that's faster than I was last year by a good 3 m.p.h. and faster than my average on my commute (which involves the long, grinding hill along Frederick Road where I may as well be walking). I bet I could improve my speed significantly with a lighter bike! A red one. Or maybe orange. It's hard to go fast on a baby blue bike with fenders and a rear rack and a bell.

The run course is awful. I don't do well running hills at all, and this course has three bad ones. I've only made it running the whole thing once--every other time I've had to stop and walk portions of it. But the worst section, I think, is a long flat section (over a dam that forms the lake we'll be swimming in) towards the end that should be fast but I think is brutal. I like the tree covered portions with short rolling hills best. There's a lot of that on the course, too, so I shouldn't complain.

Swimming. Ugh. I've gotten to the point where I can swim the whole distance of the race without pausing, but it takes about 26 - 27 minutes. Then when I went for the "dress rehearsal" and had to actually swim in the lake (not the actual course, though--they started us from the finish and just had us do an out-and-back loop that, it turns out, was actually longer than the race distance), it was as if I had never learned how to swim in the first place. Between the flailing people, the murky water, and the lack of walls and nice black lines to show me where I'm going, I was a mess. I wore out way too fast, kept having to pause to figure out the best way around other people, ran into problems with my swim cap (which kept slipping back on my head), and had *serious* problems sighting along the course. Twice I went so far off course that I was well into oncoming traffic! Eventually I gave up with my freestyle entirely and went with breaststroke the rest of the way. So my *new* goal for swimming during the race (my old goal was to try to finish in 26 minutes) is to just finish at all and not worry about the time in the least! Back at the pool today I swam 1.5 times the race distance, practiced breathing in a way that lets me look forward to see where I'm going during freestyle, and swam 11 laps (half the race distance) without touching the walls or bottom of the pool at all. That was awkward--at the end of each length I had to stop, tread water while turning around, then wiggle myself into position to start swimming again without kicking the wall. That was some serious slow going, but probably closer to race pace, where I also had to stop and tread water from time to time to figure out my next move. I don't know what to do about the swim cap. I don't have slippage problems with it in the pool. I think the lake water was just slimy and it got under my cap. Maybe glue dots would keep it on? ;-)

So, two more weeks of hard training and one week of tapering and then race day. You all are welcome to come see me gasp my way across the finish line (barring major mishaps, that is). The race is at Centennial Park in Columbia on August 23. I have no idea what the parking situation will be. Probably dismal. There are 2100 competitors plus lots of volunteers, so anyone arriving after about 6 a.m. is going to have a hard time of it with finding parking. My swim wave starts at 7:30, and with any luck I should cross the finish line shortly after 10:00. It's humbling to realize that the elite competitors will be crossing the finish line as I'm finishing up the swim portion of the race.