Wednesday, February 23, 2011

200 Days to Race Day!

Some of you may remember back in October when I announced that I registered to participate in my first triathlon. The race is a sprint triathlon {1/2 mile swim [0.8 km], 12 mile bike [19.3 km] and 5 K run [3.1 mile]} that takes place in September 2011, exactly 200 days from today. I only figured this out an hour or so ago and am excited to start counting down the training days to race day.

I registered for the Tri with several of my regular workout buddies, but a couple of weeks after signing up for the Tri last fall, I learned that another friend of mine (not a workout friend) also signed up for the same race! We were both excited to discover this and have talked about training, what to expect, what we're worried about, etc. often over the last few months, both of us expressing a lot of anxiety over the swimming. Today she emails me to say that she signed us up for semi-private swim lessons at our community indoor pool and it starts tonight!

Say what? At first I wanted to laugh, but I knew she wasn't kidding and that this was probably a great idea to get me in the pool and start training--starting with learning how to swim freestyle properly. So I consented and was at the pool a few hours later for our first lesson. I'm also counting today as my first official day of training for the Tri. Out of curiosity, I later looked up how many days there are until race day and discovered that it is exactly 200 days away from today! Let the countdown begin!

I'm so glad we took the plunge tonight.  {ha ha! pun intended}

Are you a swimmer? 


What's your favorite stroke?


I can't do butterfly at all and freestyle is probably my weakest stroke, but only because I never learned proper breathing technique. Hopefully I'll get that straightened out over the next several weeks of lessons. :)

10 comments:

  1. Oh Christine! I am so proud of you!!! You're gonna do a great job!!!! I'm really excited for you!!

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  2. Woo Hoo! You Go Girl!

    Where is the triathlon being held?

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  3. WOW, girl! I have no idea how you fit it in! Swimming was always my favorite I was on the swim team during my middle school years & loved it. I could never get the hang of turning quickly enough to win. I often wish hubby would put a pool in but then we have the age old argument of the pool temp -- I prefer bath water temps & he prefers mountain lake temps.

    I enjoy the breaststroke the best, butterfly is okay but I agree about the breathing. I loved backstroke but not when competing -- I'm just not a racer.

    You are really kicking but & I'm so happy for you -- maybe if I'd have stayed active I wouldn't have hated being home instead of working.

    Good luck learning to breathe!! I'll be thinking of you while I try to work out my elliptical issues!!

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  4. 200 days will probably go by all too fast. I hope you have fun with all of this.

    I do get a kick out of all of your challenges. I should start a "learn to quilt" challenge. Would I get you to join?

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  5. Yay! YOU CAN DO IT! Good for you jumping in feet first. *G* (Pun intended. *g*) My hubs signed up for a walk to benefit the Special Olympics. It's in May and while it's only 5km, he's going to have to step up his workouts to do well.
    I love to swim, and swim mostly freestyle.

    Hope you have a wonderful day and lots of fun training!

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  6. Dang woman - you are going to totally kick-ass on the triathlon!

    Swimming - I used to ride my bike to the beach when I was a kid. Even went back in the water after seeing Jaws. LOL Now, I'm more of a floater than a swimmer. :) I think the kids & I do more playing in our pool than swimming but it's fun!

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  7. You guys are awesome cheerleaders! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm! *hearts* :D

    Shawn, Thank you!!! I can't think about the actual race day too much or else I start to get a knot in my stomach, so I'm trying just to think about training...

    Dru, it'll be in Sandy Hook, NJ. The swimming segment is in the bay, not the ocean. Thank goodness. :)

    Gina, I fit it in before 7 am or after 7 pm, anytime on weekends. :)

    So you're a swimmer! My eldest is a good swimmer and could probably easily beat me and my husband in a race. She just finished her first season on the high school team. I'm hoping maybe she can help me train in the summer at the pool. LOL @ pool temps between you and your husband. I'd go for somewhere in between ... ;)

    Backstroke is definitely my stronger stroke. I know freestyle is most efficient, but the breathing is so hard and despite feeling pretty darned fit right now, I get out of breath so fast! I really need to work on this. Not just for the Tri, but in general, too.

    What elliptical issues are you having?

    Phyl, Tell me about it! It's already 198 days away! Eeek! I hope I have fun with all of this too. It's supposed to be fun and challenging, but not nerve-wracking, right?

    A 'learn to quilt' challenge, you say? I most certainly WOULD join! :D

    Brandy, LOL!! Hopefully the weather is improving already by you and your hubs can get outside on weekends to train more. What a great cause.

    Leslie, I hope I kick ass on this Tri. I have a time goal in my head... I'm afraid to tell anyone or write it down. LOL. Maybe I'll get a better idea if my goal is realistic after I've done more training. *gulp*

    I've done more playing in the pool these last few years than any serious swimming, too. That's why I felt I needed the lessons. Form? What form? Doh!

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  8. You are my inspiration! I haven't forgotten our deal, but I need to get myself our from under everything and less...running around like a headless chicken. I should start by getting back on the Coca Cola wagon and back to walking...again. It's scary how I get stressed and reach for the Coca Cola!

    All the best with the swimming training. I was a swimmer in my teens - freestyle and breathstroke. I did a year with the tri-squad in my late 20s and was told I was a natural butterflier, which I thought was hilarious since I was useless in my teens!

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  9. Go for it, Christine!! I used to be fast, but have totally no techniques ^_^;

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  10. awww, orannia, thank you! :)
    No pressure about our deal. Only do it when you're ready and only if you want to do it!!!

    So I take it that means you've been having trouble eliminating the Coca Cola? Same goes for me with the ice cream.. :/

    Wow. A natural butterflier! I'm impressed! :)

    nath, thank you! Fast is good! Fast is very good!! LOL!

    I'm running a 5K race in an hour and a half! I'm hoping to break my time from this race a year ago by three minutes or more! Wish me luck!!!!

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