Training Update

Ah, the fog is lifting! Finally, this "summer funk" seems to be on its way out the door. Thank goodness. There's too much to enjoy right now!

So, a little update on my sprint triathlon training. I'm racing in a town called Sapulpa in September. 750 meter lake swim, 10 mile bike ride and 3 mile run. Oy.

Swimming: I can easily swim 750 meters (I'm currently training around 800 or 900 meters.) But I have *never* done that swim in a lake. Darn- I guess that means I'll need to spend a weekend at the lake house training before September 8th! :)

Biking: I put new pedals on my bike yesterday- toe clips, or cages- and went for a little test ride. I definitely think they will improve my pace! I'm working my way up to clipless pedals- where you clip your foot into the pedal. Those scare me to death. But- my goal is to start racing with them in 2013. For now, the cages will be great. Bikers, any tips on how to overcome my fear of falling off of the bike?!

Running: Surprisingly my weakest sport at the moment, since running is where it all started. I start to have trouble catching my breath after about a mile- so I'm really working on some breathing techniques. Of course, the oppressive heat does not help. Breathing tips and techniques, anyone?

Once a week, I go swim at the YMCA. My beautiful, clean pool at Oral Roberts University is closed in the mornings during the summer- so I've been going to the Y. And last week, after my swim, I hit the treadmill to run 3 miles. What a difference! No wind, heat, gravel. So I'm going to really work on my breathing and pace on the treadmill and see if it makes a difference when I'm outside.

I've probably lost about half of you by now! But this training has become a really important- and special?- part of my life. I love it. I love having a race to work towards- but really, I just enjoy pushing myself in these three different areas. Each sport brings out a different attitude, mindset and strength in me. It's like a big personality test! How do you handle swimming with chaos around you? (Swim lessons to the left, grandma-aerobics to the right.) How do you cope with the heat? What will happen if when you fall off of your bike?

I'll probably start writing a little training update on here once a week until the race. That way one day I can look back and see how far I've come! (Or... how far I've fallen... ha!)

Have a good one!