Then and Now
I don't know what made me think of this... or why I'm writing about it. Other than the fact you should all be laughing at me right now, that or you can relate....
Not only was I dressed all wrong.
Let me start with a timeline of my endurance 'career'
In November of 2001 I ran my first marathon - Monaco Marathon. This is where Shane & I met.
Within 24 hours of the finish, about 10 of us decided to also run the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon, June 2002.
Then, after this mighty race, I became BROKEN. This is the race that put me into a 3 year world of hurt...
It would cause me to do a 2hr first half of the marathon, and a 2:30 2nd half.
It would cause me to start training for the 2002 NY Marathon, only to realize I was too hurt to finish it.
It would cause me to train for my very first triathlon. (sprint)....
How do you train for your very first triathlon? Well, you can visit our new website, http://www.allthingstriathlon/ for lots of tips, race reports, stories, etc (it's building daily)... OR you can do what I wouldn't recommend - see below:
Buy a bike:
Buy a Hybrid bike because you have no idea what you are doing, and aren't sure if you will even like this sport, and at least with THIS bike, you could just ride it for fun....
Train:- or... try to figure out what you should do to be able to complete this race.
Ride 1-2 times per week, 1hour to maybe 90mins.
Swim 1-2 times per week. About 30mins at a time
Run, up to 30mins, because after all.... It is the distance of the race. And, I'm STILL injured from above mentioned race.
So, there are like 6 of us that go to Vegas to do this race (Shane, Erin, Mindee, She-ra, Myself & the infamous Daniel). One of us, Daniel, is the only one who has ever done a triathlon.
Guess what... he's the only one who did not end up doing the race (are we surprised?). He said something was wrong with his stomach..... Had I only known his pattern of habit THEN......
Pick out Outfit:
2 piece swimsuit
Pair of Running shorts to wear OVER said swimsuit
Running Singlet. To act as a parachute on those hills in Vegas
What does this lead to? 2 Layers of elastic binding to aid in chafing of bikini line while biking in 100 degree temps. Need I say more?
I wish I had some pictures to share with you all, but I'm assuming you can come up with your own image.
Not only was I dressed all wrong.
And Trained all wrong....
I didn't even know how to shift my gears.
I had no idea what my legs would feel like when I got off the bike, because "what is a brick?"
They don't have the race results available, but I'm pretty sure I can sum it home with a good estimate:
Swim (600meters) - ~15:00
Bike (~12miles) - ~55:00
Run (3 miles) - ~32:00
So, that was 5 years ago....
Where am I now?
- Finished my first Olympic Triathlon in June 2003 (after buying a road bike)
- Finally got to NY Marathon, November 2003 got engaged....
- A couple of painful half marathons, still injured
- A handfull of Sprint Triathlons
- Finally fixed my injury via surgery in October, 2004
- Went back to first triathlon venue to to the Olympic Distance, September 2005
- Competed 1st Half Ironman October, 2005
- Back to Vegas for new Olympic Race, April 2006 Finished 2nd in Age Group (1st Triathlon Award!)
- Completed 2nd Half Ironman July, 2006
- and..... need I say anymore???
Have you ever been asked how or why you got to the finish line? Well... that was my story :-)
Comments
P.S. You mentioned that you got engaged in November 2003, but I saw no discussion of a wedding. I trust that things are fine in that area as well.
Second - I've had bikiniline chafing too!
It was AZ IM, my first Im. I was told to lather up my tri shorts pad with Aquaphor since I'd be sitting on my bike for so long. Well, as you know AZ is the desert, and with the wind kicking up sand all day, I had to run the marathon with gritty sand in my tri shorts.
Ouch! I'll never forget it!