triathlon...check

I finished.

1:35:57

swim, bike, run

I can check that off my list.

Will I do it again?

Yes, with a road bike

one fourth

image from poca-traca's flickr photostream

Sunday marked the end of the fourth week of training (of 12) for the Olathe Women's Triathlon. I have done fairly well on the training thus far. For some reason, I am not getting too stressed out when I miss a day of training like when I did for the 1/2 marathon. Maybe it is because I am in much better shape than I was when I was 4 weeks into the marathon training. Maybe it is because this training encompasses 3 different sports, so doing all of them several times a week makes me feel like I am doing more. Who knows.

image from Gregoire Saunier's flickr photostream

This training schedule calls for only 1 day of rest per week. As you can see, I take more than that. Mostly because most weeks I can't possibly get out for an entire hour every night. Some weeks (like this one) I am travelling a lot, and other weekends I spend my days "working out" on the garden or painting, putting down new floors or taking off wallpaper in the Molly's room. By the evenings, I am WIPED out!

image from irontigg's flickr photostream

Sunday I did my first brick. A brick is a training day where you do 2 of the 3 sports. So, I set off on my bike at 6:50pm for 45 minutes of riding (and darn it if I didn't pick a really hilly route) and then after the 45 minutes, I parked my bike, and ran for 10 minutes. Sounds easy, huh? Well...10 minutes was ok, because I couldn't really feel my legs until about minute 9. After that I THOUGHT I MIGHT DIE! Actually 45 minutes of riding or 10 minutes of running by itself is easy...it is the one after the other that is hard. Admittedly, you DO use different leg muscles for each, but still. I was glad when it was over! At lease I was out of town when my friends did their brick on Saturday morning...IN THE POURING RAIN! Phew!

Tonight...it's back to swimming. Thank God!

signs and landmarks

When I am running or biking (and sometimes swimming) I am a very goal oriented person. Most often, my goals are signs and landmarks. For example:

*run hard to that next telephone pole

*take a drink after the next big hill

*down-shift after crossing the next driveway

*stride big past the cemetary

Are you a goal setter? Like all things in life, having small goals helps me to feel accomplished, and makes something that is hard just a bit easier.

>>image from here

ps, I just realized another reason (the main one?) that I hate the treadmill...no landmarks, nothing to get a goal for...