Getting into shape

So March came, and even though I wasn't sure if I was ready to compete in a triathlon (nor was I sure I would ever be ready) I made the leap of faith to plunk down $60 and signed up for two triathlons: the Salem Springs Sprint Triathlon in June and the Burley Lions Spudman Olympic-size Triathlon in July.

My training consisted of going to the gym every other day and doing two workouts totalling no more than 1 1/2 hours (because that's as long as I'm allowed to leave my kids at the Gold's Gym daycare without paying more. Plus, my kids could only handle being there for about that long.) So the 1 1/2 hours also included transition time. So I would bike for 40 minutes, then run for 35-40 minutes; then the next workout would consist of 30 minute swim and 35-40 minute run. I'd interchange those three times a week, than on Saturday, I'd try to double all my efforts by biking or swimming for an hour and running for an hour early in the morning when my husband didn't have to get up early to go to work.

Since my brother is a workout nut and loves traithlons, I also sought his input. He, of course, thought I should be working out more. But I'm a mother of two, for crying out loud. Wasn't gonna happen. I had to be content with my workouts as they were.

My biking speed was fairly slow, and it was on a bike machine, which does not a real road ride make, as those in the know, know. I went about 13-15 miles per hour. My running started at 6.0 mph and increased to between 7 and 8 mph. My swimming speed stayed fairly steady, taking me about 40 minutes to swim a mile. I found that my favorite was the swimming. What a rush! The feel of the water, the way my muscles felt strong after 20 laps, the joy of floating and realizing that for humans, swimming is what I imagine it would feel like if we were able to fly. Glorious.