Triathlon: Junior High Memories

By kate on July 13th, 1999

Current totals:		Other:
Running	10.6 miles	Hiking	7 miles
Biking	45.1 miles	Canoeing	40 minutes
Swimming	3950 feet	Soccer	3 games

All the encouragement and beautiful sunny weather convinced me to wake up early on Sunday to go jogging. Steve and I chose a nice, forested park with winding trails that caters to horses but allows joggers as well.

As I began to run, I realized that I had not been jogging since high school, unless there was a bus to catch or a class I was late for. I had never voluntarily gone running. So all my running memories are wrapped up in a junior-high haze of hellish gym classes. My asthma hit when I reached puberty in seventh grade, but it was not diagnosed until college. This made for torture whenever a gym teacher decided to make us run The Mile. (Why was it always a mile? Never more than one, never less.) I still have very visceral memories of trying to get my breath back after struggling through four laps, of fighting dizziness and the urge to lay down. Of course I couldn’t just walk The Mile – everyone would have thought I was a wuss! So I ended up pushing myself farther than I should have.

Not only that, but one time in seventh grade, someone told me I looked funny when I ran. And with the amazing power that only a popular person’s opinion in junior high can have, I modified my running style to look more casual, less all-out. To this day, I still jog like that (when I’m sprinting, I run more naturally).

So, I was hit with all these unpleasant memories as we started jogging. I found myself falling into the pattern I had always followed: step, step, breathe in, step, step, breathe out. Try that when jogging – you’ll notice it’s pretty fast breathing.

But then, a strange thing happened: it went away. My body warmed up fairly quickly, and I found myself breathing more slowly. As I ran, I marveled at the fact that I was running and actually felt okay. It was a big moment for me. I still had to use my inhaler a few times, and got a little tired, but most of the time I found a good pace and stride that was fairly comfortable.

Our stride was interrupted by a scary dog incident, though, and Steve had to go easy on his (injured) legs, so we only ran about 2 miles. It was a good start, though – I’d definitely go again. Having company really made a difference, too. I was much less bored with someone to talk to, even if we only spoke a little.

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Triathlon: Second Week Review

By kate on July 9th, 1999

Current totals:		Other:
Running	8.6 miles	Rock climbing	1 visit
Biking	45.1 miles	Canoeing	40 minutes
Swimming	3950 feet	Soccer	3 games

Today I went for my second swim, and swam the whole 2000+ feet. I still had to rest between laps, but it was doable. Rests included, it took only 35 minutes, which means I can probably get it down to 20 once I stop resting and pick up my speed.

However, I found that swimming is even more boring than running! All you can see is the stripe on the bottom of the pool, interspersed by a brief glance at the ceiling or the far wall. I’m glad it will only take 20-30 minutes. Any more and I’d fall asleep.

Speaking of running, people keep telling me that running on park trails is actually very enjoyable. Hm. Somehow I don’t quite believe that I would enjoy it, but I’m going to give it a try soon. There’s a nice park with winding trails near where I live that was recommended.

I’m really starting to notice the effects of two weeks of training. My aerobic endurance has improved a lot – now when running, I don’t get out of breath much. My muscles are improving, too. I haven’t gotten sore at all lately; and I’ve been working out almost every day.

There’s still a long way to go, though. Even though I feel a bit better about the swimming segment, I have a lot of practice to do in order to stop getting so exhausted. I’m still battling the mental block I have, too. It feels like boredom, but I’m not sure that’s quite it. Whatever it is, it tells me to stop when I’m not really tired yet. This problem may turn out to be my biggest obstacle.

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Triathlon: Epiphany

By kate on July 6th, 1999

Something occurred to me last night as I slogged through a treadmill workout. It has to get better. That is, if I do this often enough, it will get easier. All I have to do is keep doing the same thing. I never really thought about it that way, that soon (I hope), running 3 miles will not be tiring and bothersome, but a matter of course.

Just that thought is enough to motivate me back to the treadmill.

I’m running into interesting obstacles as far as running goes. My aerobic endurance, inhaler-enhanced, is now okay. I can get through the workout without panting and wheezing. The next two challenges are my muscle endurance and my mental endurance. I can see the muscle endurance beginning to improve, although there’s still a long way to go. The obstacle I didn’t expect was the mental one – which lasts even when I’m breathing okay and my muscles aren’t sore. I still feel like stopping, and I’m not sure why. It could be because I’m bored, perhaps. Anyway, I need to keep an eye on that problem and try to force myself beyond it.

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Triathlon: First Week Review

By kate on July 2nd, 1999

Current totals:		Other:
Running	3 miles	Rock climbing	1 visit
Biking	41.4 miles	Canoeing	40 minutes
Swimming	1400 feet	Soccer	2 games

My motivation has been very high this week, since I just made the decision to do this triathlon and am excited. I’m looking forward to the improvement I should see in my body. Because of this motivation, I was able to get myself to workout all but one day, even when I wasn’t entirely in the mood.

In a single workout, I have biked 12 miles; and have run 3.1 miles at once, too. But so far, I have only swum 1000 feet at a time. I really need to work on my swimming more often. Going on a bike ride is by far the easiest workout, especially when I’m feeling low-energy. I have to try to go running and swimming more often, because I really don’t need much bicycle training.

My single running workout so far was on a treadmill, because jogging bores me. When I’m on a treadmill, I can at least watch TV to occupy my mind. I know I need to get out there and pound the pavement eventually, but I think I’ll wait until I’ve built up my stamina first.

So far, I have not noticed much improvement in my endurance, or loss of weight. The one noticeable effect I’ve seen is that my legs, especially my thighs, have become more toned.

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Triathlon: Bad Math

By kate on June 30th, 1999

The first swim

I am the most nervous about the swimming portion of the triathlon. On a bike, you can coast if you get tired; and you can walk instead of run if you have to. But in the middle of a pool, you have to at least keep yourself afloat, not to mention getting to the other side.

Like most kids, summer always brought swimming lessons for me, so I know how to swim. I was even certified as a lifeguard once (when I was a camp counselor). All the same, I don’t swim very much, because it’s so tiring. My asthma plays a part in this, I think, because swimming requires very regulated breathing that is different than how I usually breathe when exercising. I also find myself very tempted to hold my breath when swimming because I simply don’t float well. Having air in my lungs keeps me afloat, but is (obviously) not a good way to exercise.

With all these concerns in my mind, I arrived at the pool armed with my new goggles and ear plugs. Since I have a very specific goal (.75K), I asked the lifeguard how long the pool was, so I could figure out how many laps I’d need. “75 feet,” the lifeguard replied. I then tried to perform the following calculation, relatively quickly, without scrunching up my face:

.75K = .47 miles = 2461 feet.
2461 feet / 75 feet = 32.8 lengths of the pool.

Rather tricky numbers to juggle without even a pen. I ended up making a mistake somewhere, and concluding that I only needed to swim 14 lengths. (I didn’t realize my error until I got home.)

The swimming was not too bad, although I rested between most laps. I stuck to the crawl stroke because it’s my fastest. When I finished swimming 14 lengths, in about 15-20 minutes, I thought that it wasn’t so bad. I could practice, and be able to complete it without resting by August. Later, after I realized my calculation error, my confidence level sank. This part of the triathlon will take a lot of work, and I’m less sure I can do it.

Equipment-wise, I was pleased to find that I had, for the first time in my life, gotten good goggles. I marveled at the visibility they afforded, and the seal that successfully kept water from my eyes. When shopping for the goggles, I chose the most expensive pair ($15.00) because they had the US Aquatic Team seal. Good choice. However, I realized that I need more things: a swim cap and nose plug. Not having them is affecting how I raise my head to breathe, and making me slower, I think. I have to raise my head on the side, then turn it so I’m facing front, before I put it back in the water. Otherwise, I get water in my nose, and my hair sticks to my face.

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Triathlon: The Plan

By kate on June 29th, 1999

The triathlon web site had a training plan for triathlon preparation. There were some good tips, but they only suggested working out three days a week at first! That didn’t seem like enough to me, so I decided to scrap their plan.

The thing is, though, that I don’t really have a specific training plan. If I had to articulate my approach, it would sound like this:

“Run, bike, and swim as much as possible. Try to workout every day, but don’t ever skip two days. Try not to do the same sport two days in a row.”

Since I have very specific goals, I will probably swim, bike, and run exactly those distances in my workouts. Eventually, when they get easier, I’ll try stringing two of them in a row, then three, if I can.