Wednesday, May 9, 2012

TRI this on for Size

I am officially signed up for 2 sprint triathlons this summer, I am excited to try something new but I'm also nervous about being a newbie again. Coming from someone who 4 years ago thought that running a mile was an impossible task it's amazing to look back on my journey and what I can dream of accomplishing now.

I went to a tri101 class last week Monday and when they asked how many people signed up, I was the only one who didn't have my hand raised. So I figured if I've made the commitment in my mind, I should tell my nerves to shutup and finally sign up so I took care of that last week. These are the 2 races that I'm currently signed up for:

Saturday - June 30th Mighty Wolf Triathlon
400yd swim - 15m bike - 3.1m run
I liked they capped it at 225 people per race and I'm actually doing the long course, even though this is a sprint distance. They also have a half sprint and a youth race.

Saturday - July 21st Fremont Triathlon
1/8m swim - 11.2m bike - 2m run
I liked the distance on this one since it's not quite the full sprint distance but close enough to get myself used to the sport and it looks to be small race field.

I definitely learned alot of good tips from the class and will put them to good use. I really am not afraid of the water and I think both of these races will be in man made lakes but I just don't know what is going to happen when you have 200-500 people trying to swim in the same place at once. I think I am going to start in the back, even though it will make for choppy waters just because I don't really want to get elbowed, kicked or swum over top of. I will let the crazy people ahead of me deal with each other.

I'm also curious to see how interesting the transitions end up being. I will be borrowing a bike for it since I only have a mountain bike so I should have no problems finding it after the swim...right??? I have heard how disorienting it will be when you come out of the water and I'm thinking I might try the balloon trick so I can find it instead of running around like a maniac trying to find my beach towel. Although I may just try that to throw some of the other runners off!!

I am pretty sure the transition area is just one spot for these races so I don't have to worry about 2 different locations and hauling my stuff with me. Hopefully I have some support out there for me to push me through it and also enjoy the experience. My man works on Saturdays so I'm disappointed he won't be able to see me compete in either of these. If all goes well I'm thinking of trying the 70.3 distance next year, but we'll see if running a marathon trumps that or maybe both..we'll see how crazy the fitness bug bites me.

On the racing front....I have a 5K coming up this Saturday that I'm hoping to demolish my old PR. If all goes well I will be able to shave off a few minutes from my time. That's right I will be able to shave off MINUTES from my 5K time! I've gotten that fast!!

5 comments:

  1. Good luck on Saturday. I wish I could be there :(

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  2. Lish, that's awesome!!! I have always wanted to do a sprint tri! I'm going to have to seriously consider Fremont!

    Sarah @ Thinfluenced

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    1. You should try it. A girl at the tri101 class is also doing this and she mentioned she thinks the swim is actually in about 4 or 5 feet of water so you could actually walk it if needed. Would love to have other newbies out there with me :)

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  3. The balloon trick sounds like a fantastic idea for the transitions. I would be one of the people wandering in circles without a visual cue. Good for you for signing up!

    Best wishes on the 5k race!

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  4. Yay, so excited for your first Tri! I'll try to be there either participating or spectating!

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