Splash and Dash

The first and last legs of a triathlon.  Swim and run.  I've been swimming since I was six years old.  I am not sure why I started but I became a proficient swimmer.  I swam for my school growing up but abandoned it until my friend asked me to be the swimmer in the Iron relay she wanted to do.  I asked my triathlete sister to which she replied "you can do that shit in your sleep".  See - she swam with me growing up and I think she stayed with it longer than I did because getting back into the pool after almost a decade of not going in one...well, I panicked.  The body is not used to being submerged and will panic if it thinks it cannot breath.  Well, you can't breath underwater so the panic was natural.  But I stuck it out, I think I actually worried a life guard but I managed to put in about 20 minutes before I got out and got dry.  But I stuck with it.  Even after my first open water swim where I cried on my husband's shoulder and said "I can't, I can't do this, I was stupid to think I could".  Knowing we had already registered for the race, paid the fees and having two other people counting on me, my honest husband (see post #1) replied "well baby, you have to".  And again, he was right.  I am many things.  Grossly insecure is one of them but I am also very true to my word and he knew if I said I was going to do something, come hell or high water I was going to see it through.  And I did - 29:47 was my time for 1.2 miles of swimming.  Now I am preparing for this years' half Iron relay.  I think I have an ear infection (not confirmed but I know what it feels like) and I went today anyway.  I hammered out 0.85 miles in the pool and came home to take a nap (I love having summers off).  Swimming is not easy, especially 1.2 miles of it.  Water is over 800 times denser than air.  Which is why it is the shortest leg of the triathlon.  And the most badass - if you ask me  :)

I've become partial to Blue Seventy brand of swim apparel.  My super triathlete Brother-in-Law (BIL) gave me a TTF swimcap that was produced by Blue Seventy and I think that is where my love affair started.  That swimcap has been through the ringer and has not torn or lost its shape.  So I bought a Blue Seventy tri-suit and wetsuit.  I bought the wetsuit used so that is yet to be seen (will review after my first open water swim in it). 

The dash - the run.  The last leg of a triathlon.  Last year during our relay, our runner got bitten by the triathlete bug and set goals to do the whole half Iron solo the next year.  She ran a spectacular half marathon during our relay...considering she broke her pelvis on mile 3 of the race. Yup, a lesser woman would have dropped out but not her, she sucked it up and ran 10 miles on a broken pelvis.  Now PTL it wasn't serious but she earned mad respect from many people on that course that day.  But as a result (not of her broken pelvis but of her goal setting) we were out a runner for this year's relay.  So yup, it was a great idea for me to volunteer to do the swim and the run.  Yup.  Fantastic. Awesome.  *shakes head* what did I really do?  I really just signed up for the swim and the run right?  So now I am training for two sports instead of one.  Which means lots of brick workouts.

I did a brick today.  I did 2.5 miles of running speed work and then my 0.85 miles of swim.  With an ear infection no less.  I have this mentality that no matter how I am feeling I go out and just get it done because this little voice in me says "what if you have _______ on race day, you need to just deal with it".  So this morning I thought "what if I have an ear infection on race day?  I need to just deal with it".  So I dealt with it.  That mentality has helped me get through many a tough workout.  Focus on race day.  Most of training is mental and a good way to get over it is to put yourself in tough situations and sort it out.  Like - you have the flu on race day?  Well you had the flu back in '09 when you ran that half marathon so you can do this now.  That has helped me, but it has also made me crazy.

Although I am not sure the broken pelvis thing could have been sorted out.  If you are injured (and not hurt, there is a difference) then you need to stop.  But she, like me, didn't want to let anyone down so she sucked it up and ran 10 miles.

This is me looking stoic at the pool in my TTF Blue Seventy cap and Blue Seventy tri-suit and Speedo Goggles.  Actually, I took this picture to send to my friend who was supposed to join me but bailed on me - I tried to guilt her, it didn't work and I just end up looking a bit like a swamp monster here.