Swim, Bike, Run: Part1

It seemed like a really good idea at the time, I swear it did. But that was almost a year ago. You see, then I was still high off of my triumphant training and glorious finish at my second half marathon. OK, let me state up front that I didn't place or anything, but I trained well and finished strong!

Anyway, after my cousin and friend completed a sprint triathlon I got to thinking that I should do one. After all, my running partner and I had already decided to do our first (and only) marathon in December 2014.  So, I figured why not make 2 huge goals and go for it. Forget that I hadn't ridden a bike since I was a kid, nor did I own one. Forget that I had never done more than play in the open water. It all seemed so far away. The end of the year came and I started doing Zumba and lifting a little weights - getting my strength up for the tasks ahead.  Still, the magnitude of what I planned to do hadn't hit me.

Then, things got real. I mean really real. I took a tri swim class and realized I had a lot of work to do. But I wasn't deterred, I was determined. I carried on with my swimming through the winter, wearing sweats and flip flops with socks to the gym at ungodly hours. Winter and that stupid polar vortex finally gave way to spring and I kept up with my weights, Zumba and light running schedule. It happened suddenly, but I woke up and it was June - time to start following my triathlon plan. I bought a bike.  I had to cut Zumba, take a break from my run coordinator duties with my local Black Girls Run group, and focus on the schedule. Easier said than done because the schedule consisted of 6-7 workouts a week. Juggling that training with the rest of my life and work was really difficult. 

I'm convinced that God himself caused my early September triathlon to be cancelled. It gave me a perfect reprieve and a pretty good excuse to slack in my training from the end of July through the end of August. I had three vacations during that time and though I exercised, it was nowhere close to the intensity called for in my schedule. 

Then I woke up and it was September. Marathon training has begun and my triathlon is one month away (surely you didn't think I quit just because one event was cancelled). Training is back in full swing and I must admit (right here on this blog that no one reads) that I am scared out of my mind. I went out for an open water swim in a local river this week. The problem was I was terrified to go all the way OUT into the river - in water I could stand in! Don't get me wrong, after much whining I finally went out and swam. But I didn't go far and I didn't swim very long. Since then I have been asking myself why in God's name I signed up for this crap. I mean really! I may lie to everyone and say I'm 31, but I just turned 44 and I have nothing to prove. This athlete adventure was supposed to be about building my strength, relieving a little stress, and having fun. News flash: being scared is not fun! 

In spite of the voices in my head telling me I'm wacko, off my rocker and completely cray-cray (as the kids say), I'm continuing this journey. I headed to the pool tonight to see if I could manage the 
distance. I did 750 meters nonstop (no touching the wall or putting feet down). It's the same distance 
of my triathlon swim - almost 1/2 mile. And though I feel like I was tied to a horse (OK maybe a dog) and dragged for a 1/2 mile, I finished. 

Tomorrow I have to run 10 miles at the crack of dawn with a partner who has a bad foot - the same partner I ran through a storm with last week. Not just a storm but thunder and lightning that crept up on us during our last 2.5 miles - running out in the middle of nowhere! Somehow, somewhere, there's a little glimmer of hope and encouragement in the back of my mind. It's there and I can just barely reach it. It's telling that part of me that's shaking in my boots (and my swimsuit) that I'm one bad chick. You know - a she beast, an iron girl, a bad mother runner. I went from wobbling on a bike to riding 37 miles. I may be a slow runner but I'm faster than last year. I can swim 30 lengths of the pool without stopping. 

If I can catch that little glimmer and hold on to it, I think I just may get in that water in one month 
and swim, doggie paddle, and cry my way to my bike then pedal, huff and puff to my run then jog, shuffle and run my way to the finish.  Stay tuned...