To Tri or Not to Try

This is where my journey begins.  It was at the beginning of 2015.  My husband, Dan, asked me if I wanted to join a Triathlon Team with him. Me?  I have never thought of doing a triathlon in my life. A triathlon consist of three activities swimming, biking, and running.  Ive enjoyed watching Dan and supporting him doing triathlons.  After considering it for a little while I decided to dive in and join.  I knew how to run, a little.  At this time I had not finished any run over a 5K.  Usually in the 5K there was some walking.  I remembered how to ride a bike.  I thought that I knew how to swim.

I started out 2015 finishing my first 5K without any walking involved.  That was the first step!  Dan and I did the First Run in Portland, OR. which started at the strike of the New Years. Okay, now I know I can finish a 5K without stopping.

Next was getting back on a bike.  The last bike that I rode as a kid was a ten speed.  A road bike can't be that much different, right?  It took some getting used to the shifting, but it didn't take too long.  On my first time trial on the bike I thought getting to the end of the 12 miles would not come soon enough. Using it as a learning tool I knew that I needed to spend some more time on the bike.  Not only did I want to get faster but wanted to become more comfortable in the saddle.  Saddle being the seat of the bike.

Last came the swim.  Our Triathlon Team was able to do indoor swims for practice before the weather got nice enough for us to go outside.  The water has never bothered me, so I jumped right in.  Our coach wanted to see what I knew and could do.  After trying to swim a lap in the pool I quickly realized that I didn't know much.  Breathing for swimming took some getting used to, along with learning the crawl stroke.  As a kid I grew up with a pool in my backyard, and didn't know how to swim for competition, only for enjoyment.  Learning to swim took practice, but with practice I got better.  The Team swam for a couple months in the pool before going for our first open water swim.  Another new adventure!  The open water was totally different than the pool.  Why didn't anyone tell me they would be so different?  The first thing that I learned was to wear earplugs during the open water, so that I didn't get vertigo from the cold water.  Then came getting comfortable not being able to see very far in the open water. 

I did my first short triathlon, a Try-It, in June 2015.  I survived to tell about it!  Now I am addicted to the sport on many different levels.  I like to compete to see how I can do better than the last time. I am only competing against myself.  I love volunteering and helping at events.

This year has been my third year being active in triathlons.  I have completed Try-It lengths, sprint triathlons, duathlons, and been part of relay teams.  The sport is so much fun! The people that participate in triathlons are amazingly supportive of each other.  The fact is that when you do a triathlon there are others out on the course, but it is all about bettering yourself and not worrying about the other competitors.

I find it very rewarding to set a goal and then be able to obtain that goal!

Next I want to try the Aqua Bike (swim and bike).