I'm in the aftermath of my first triathlon. In the aftermath of big events (marathons, weddings, final exams, etc) we often have a period of elation, let down, and mourning. There's this big to-do, and then suddenly everything just goes back to normal.
The day of the triathlon, after it was over of course, I felt an amazing elation. That was awesome! However, after having run a few marathons, and still remembering the pain from the first one, I can approach this a little more objectively. That actually kinda sucked.
Let's go back to my very first marathon. Back in 2003. I got injured training, on my longest run of 15 miles. A month or so later, Debbie (curse her) called me and asked if I wanted to run it anyway. Sure, why not. We managed an 8 mile run a couple weeks before the marathon.
A marathon is 26.2 miles. An 8 mile run is a mere smudge on the course map.
Needless to say, it was awful. It truly sucked. But we finished, and we didn't die. I vowed to never run another mile for as long as I lived.
Two days later I was doing a search for my next marathon.
Why? I really can't be sure. I've never been able to figure that out. So I've done 5 marathons and I've gotten a bit faster.
I was a swimmer for years, a runner for years, I can pedal a bike for some time before being engulfed in despair. So why not a triathlon?
Two days ago I did my first triathlon. A sprint triathlon. I'm wondering if two days is a magic number here. It's a drug. Except during, you're thinking, oh my god this is miserable, why am I doing this? And after, That was amazing, I totally didn't suck (because I actually didn't this time, unlike my first marathon).
Then you analyze the results and realize that the girl who pummeled you going into the swim finish, was first in the swim, and you were behind her by only 4 seconds! And she probably pummeled you on purpose because she's used to winning and somehow had the wherewithal to notice that you were wearing the same color cap and were ahead of her.
And it turns out you rocked the run, even though you couldn't feel your legs.
Ok,so your bike kinda sucked, but hey, you didn't crash.
And that's how it starts.
I went for a swim today (in a heated pool) to calm my nerves. I'm in San Diego awaiting resolution of some contract issues with my internship, so I've got some time on my hands (and have been slacking on my thesis).
First of all.... the water was soooo warm!!! There were no icebergs. It was awesome. I wore no wetsuit. And I didn't die.
But as I swam my laps, I considered what it would take to improve my triathlon. First, I would need to learn to swim in the ocean. Which actually might only take getting in and doing a warm-up ahead of time to adjust. After the first 100 meters or so in the race, I calmed down and did a little better. My bike needs improvement. It's also my least favorite and the one I least want to work on. My run is just going to have to take care of itself (it was actually my strongest leg, rank-wise).
So I decided if I just continue my half marathon and marathon training (half in November, full in January), and then work on my swimming and cycling, I could make big improvements in my triathlon. Oh yeah, and the transitions. Whatever.
Hmmm, so basically you're going to do triathlon training now.... Ugh. No! No, I do not want to do triathlon training. I want to do fast runs. And maybe swim. Somehow the bike is less exciting than it used to be. Maybe I'm still recovering mentally from my century ride that turned into something more like 120 miles. Just over a year ago.
But if my bike got better, I could do some awesome triathlons.
The guy in the lane next to me said I really should do something longer like the Olympic distance or Half distance.
For the past 48 hours, I've been looking into the available triathlons going on around me. First of all, lets take a little look at the available distances.
There's a half at the end of July here. So I would run a half marathon... after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56 miles. Umm..... holy goodness.
There's an Olympic distance in Santa Cruz in September. Maybe I'll focus on that.
So... swimming. I was basically born fish. Little did I know I was born to be a fish in a fish tank. I've got mixed feelings about this whole ocean swim thing. I did just order the "Open Water Swimming Manual" by Lynne Cox (author and athlete of "Swimming to Antarctica" a HIGHLY recommended read, for anyone).
I did well on the swim. But I cannot tell you how badly that swim sucked. I almost died. I almost drowned. I almost vomited whilst swimming. It was scary, uncomfortable, cold, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, there were legs and arms and kelp. And lifeguards, so there's that. So how well I did on the swim did not reflect how awful it was. Kinda weird. Kinda fascinating. Kinda mysterious.
The ocean is mysterious. It's frightening and large and powerful. It's got creatures and cold and darkness. It's beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
But I swam in it. (And didn't die) And I swam well in it. Which is weird considering I almost died.
I don't even know why I'm talking about the swim other than it scares the bejeezus out of me. My bike is what I need to work on. Hrm.
But I think the swim allowed me to visit my roots. To swim without signing up for the swim meet, where I would be far behind the age-groupers. My body remembered what to do. When I finally stopped hyperventilating, my stroke became smooth and fluid.
Maybe triathlons aren't so bad after all....
This is just trouble.
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