Race Finish at 4 miler-

Are you ready for some non-playground related stuff?

thought I’d share what’s going on with me…

So, I’ve been training for a sprint triathlon, specifically the Danskin triathlon (all women, 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k run).  This is where my free time is going these days, swimming, biking and running.  I’m a complete newbie, love it but I’m terrified at the same time.  I apologize for not updating the site in a while, I have some great parks on the back burner. I’ve been a bit worried about this, so instead of getting stressed out I thought to offer up some gratitude to my support system.

Thanks to:

  • My husband who takes 3 kids to Eric’s swim lesson on Saturday morning while I train.  He also is great about me doing ]workouts during the week and even got the whole family bikes so we can go practice together.   Thanks hon for dealing with my waves of doubt and irrational fears.
  • my mom and dad who come over when they can to help me out with the kids so I can get on the bike, and try not to hit a hill again.
  • My dear training buddies,
    • Danielle- who always lifts me up in spirit, and I can always count on laughing with her while I ride.  She helped me on my first ride in Nomahegan which was an adventure
    • Susan, my inspiration, and my steady buddy with everything  and makes running enjoyable
    • Beth who is expecting her 3rd in Sept and signed up not knowing, and still joins me when she can for a swim, so I’ll miss her but she’ll be there in spirit.
    • All the other people I’m meeting on the way that join us in our workouts!
  • The fabulous Triwomen group FSPW (Fanwood, Scotch Plains, and Westfield) the MOST inspiring group of women you’ll meet who are helping us newbies get the courage and guts to keep going.  When I signed up I only knew how to doggy paddle, for maybe a few yards.  I hardly ever biked and didn’t even know how to get off the seat to brake correctly.  The only thing I knew I could do was run slow, and now I’m doing laps in the pool and biking in safe places (no busy roads yet).  Thanks girls!
  • Cranford peeps, Nomahegan Park and that bike trail- thanks park for offering a place to run, and ride my bike, I didn’t know about that bike trail until Danielle told me about it, and then there was the cranford 4 miler where the residents were so cool to us cheering and spraying us with water if we wanted it that hot hot day.

So where am I right now?  1/2 mile swim takes me 45 minutes, 12 mile bike is more than an hour and the 5k run I estimate is about 38 minutes now .  According to past results, I will be one of the last people to finish, but my goal is to finish, so that’s ok.  2 things worry me right now, the swimming in the bay, and the biking with all those people. I’ll be doing my first open water swim on Saturday in Sandy Hook.  I think i’ll feel a little better after tomorrow’s swim mentoring workshop.