Oh Look, a Whale!

I put off the swimming part of my training for as long as possible because, well, reasons.  Reasons like although I used to frequent beaches and pools in my younger days, these days I feel too fat to get into a bathing suit.  My policy for the past two decades has been to only put on a swimsuit and go out in public when I am not in the Continental U.S. Another reason is that I’m also nervous about not doing it right.  My logic is this: if I start to practice, and I’m doing it horribly wrong, I’ve wasted time and learned bad habits.  

Unfortunately, you can’t really participate in a triathlon unless you swim. They integrate that into tri training as well, and my Day of Reckoning was a Saturday in February, at 6:00 am. But that’s getting ahead of myself.  Back in December, when I first signed up for this ridiculous triathlon, I knew I would need a suit for training swims.  I jumped onto Amazon.com with a Christmas gift card and bought goggles, a Speedo (not this kind) 

and a swim snorkel.  I thought this last thing might help me focus on strokes instead of struggling to breathe. Then I find out that I will look like an idiot if I use it, so I’m probably going to just ignore the thing for a while. I tried on the suit, and it did fit, although it is not the least bit flattering.

Did I mention that a leading brand of triathlon gear is called “Orca?” Why would anyone encourage comparisons to a whale?

So on a cold pitch-black Saturday morning I head down to the Y.  I’d cased the joint the day before to get the layout down and decrease my nervousness a bit.  That did help, and as we got started, I slid confidently into the pool.  And... that was the last time I’d feel confident that day. Guess whose swim style is horribly wrong?

I have spent most of my adult life trying to keep my butt low and off the radar.  Turns out in swimming that’s a bad thing.  Low butts create drag. Also, I crane my neck up when I want to breath (because it’s the only way I don’t end up with a mouthful of water instead of lungs full of air) which causes my butt to drop even lower. There were a few moments of “kinda graceful,” like my kickoffs, but mostly I was gasping and s l o w.  The coach tried to be encouraging, but he’s young and handsome and has this whole swimming thing figured out.  We used kick-boards for a while, and while my teammates churned down the lanes I did not move at all. Seriously. I’d compare myself to a turtle, but the kind that swim are actually pretty fast.

Anyway, I toughed it out and before I left I grabbed a flyer for private lessons.  I think that’s my best option at this point.  To be honest, I did have fun, even while I was failing.  I love the water, and I want swimming to be something I  don’t suck at. Speaking of, this is my motivational poster of the week:

Crisis!

I attended an orientation session at the YMCA for their Triathlon Club.  Cost aside (over $300!), it is a huge time commitment.  There is a training session every Saturday for 17 weeks, along with twice per week workouts on cycling/core strength and swimming. This is on top of the workouts I’m supposed to do on my own. Halfway through this orientation I’m almost hyperventilating, trying to calculate in my mind how I’m going to explain all of this to my husband (who just got me back after 12 weeks of Half Marathon training). A co-worker was there with me, nodding encouragement the whole time.  He’s done this training before, is familiar with the coaches, and insists I’ll love this group.  They look like nice enough people...

After the session is over, I grab an application and bolt out to my car. A bunch of people were going to go on a short run after the session, but instead of running with them, I ran a bunch of excuses through my head at an aerobic pace: “OMG the cost! The TIME! This is crazy. Is it even worth it? I can probably do a tri all by myself, right? Shit, I  have no idea how to swim efficiently. I could probably do it without training, worst case I drown, best case I’m not doing it right. Isn’t this process about facing challenges? But OMG the COST! The Time! [Repeat ad infinitum]

After a good night’s sleep I talked it through with my husband, and it wasn’t such a crisis after all. As usual, he was very supportive, even if it means I’ll be away every Saturday morning for the next 17 weeks.  I’m now a member of the Y, and I officially start training this weekend.

If life begins outside your comfort zone, I’m definitely living it up right now!

Half-Crazy Update

Well, I didn't beat my PB - my time was 2:49:00.  Not sure what caused the 8 minute drop; I actually felt stronger, and according to Strava I spent a lot of the 13 miles at an 11-minute mile pace.  Oh well, at least I got a medal.

Me after the race

Around Mile 10 I had a realization: I don't like running long distances, not this long anyway. 10K is my favorite distance, I think. Also, all the focus for the past month on training for the Half has made me miss being on my bike. I took most of this week off to recover (it looks like I'll lose a toenail), with just one day of cross training/walking. Today I'm back on my bike, and with the weather getting warmer it's time to start swimming.

P.S. The night before the Half Marathon, I had a nightmare that I got to the Triathlon and forgot my bike!  How funny is that?

13.1 Miles - Because I’m Only Half Crazy!

Tomorrow is the 30th annual Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. In 2006 I ran my first 5k there, and by 2010 I decided to give the Half Marathon a try.  This will be my 4th year running 13.1 miles on Superbowl Sunday. Never in my life did I think I’d find that fun (and honestly, somewhere around mile 9 I’ll be thinking “why god WHY?”).  

I’m writing about the half marathon this week because it is where my training is focused right now.  After February 3, 2012 I can start to integrate swimming into the mix.  Right now, though, it’s all about putting one foot in front of the other, and avoiding blisters, sprains or strains. My co-workers have been coughing for the past week, and for the most part I've avoided picking up their germs. But yesterday I ended up staying home and hammering Theraflu and orange juice in an attempt to stop a cold before it started.
 
A wise person once said “if you can do half the distance before the event, you’ll be fine.” I’ve found that to be pretty much true. There is a magical thing that happens at the starting line: adrenaline will kick in. The energy of the crowd helps provide momentum and as long as you’ve prepped at least part way you’ll be fine.  At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I’m focusing on beating my personal best time of 2:41:47; which is a 12:23 min/mile pace.  I may not be fast, but I’m constant. I'll let you know how I do tomorrow.