Melissa - Vain Triathlete

Today I realized that it's not any surprise, when I thought about it, that I wanted to do triathlon. My thoughts ran from latest to earliest while thinking this threw so this is how my blog is layed out as well. When I thought about it I remembered being in high school and my father inviting me to come along to the local pond with his friend Dick Aubey so that Dick could teach us how to swim for long stretches. My family was about to register for the local sprint in West Brookfield. Or we had already registered, I can't remember EXACTLY how the events unfolded. I DO remember Dick teaching me how to breath so that I could swim, with or without a correct stroke, for long periods of time. Isn't that cool? That my father and mother were into doing triathlons in their 30's (or so) and that they got their kids into it? See all you mothers out there. I'm living proof that doing sport while raising kids is a GOOD THING! We entered the West Brookfield sprint triathlon for at...

What's a hundo you ask?(or maybe you don't ask). Just in case you are asking, it's slang for a one hundred mile ride. AKA a century ride. I was able to get in my first 100 miler this past Saturday with Heidi and Kelly from www.iamtri.com. Yes, I met them on a website. It's what desperadoes like me do when they need biking partners. They were more than happy to break me in. Although I am not doing an IM this year I had this itch to see how 100 miles felt. I drove all the way to Salem MA at 5:AM. That drive takes 50 minutes for me. From Kelly's house in Salem we biked to Portsmouth NH! We went through my old teenage stomping ground Hampton Beach NH. That was very cool to see. I haven't been up there in a very long time. We had a bagel with P&B while sitting on the sidewalk basking in the sun and refueled. The ride went very smoothly. I took my road bike rather than my TT Bike. I forgot how much I really like my road bike. It was so much more comfortable than m...

My tri camp experience had some very high exciting moments and some very low discouraging moments. Superstars Jen Harrison and her husband Jerome held triathlon camp in Tucson AZ last week. For the most part I had an amazing time meeting new people, training, and spending time with Mary and Ange . We arrived Wednesday after learning first how to disassemble our bikes. The reassembly would left up to God. This was a lesson I was more than happy to be taught. I think it's really important to know your bike inside and out and how all the parts work and fit together. Lesson #1 - I now know how to dissemble and reassemble my bike. Thursday kicked of our bike ride up Mount Lemmon. I have run up a mountain in Hawaii before but I have never biked up a mountain and was unsure of what to expect. It was a grind the entire ride. There were a few points of forgiveness from the mountain but for the most part it was grind grind grind. I was so relieved to get to the top. This was a high point! I...

Today I entered my very first swim meet. Some people might think it a little naive or crazy to have the nerve to enter a masters championship with little experience in swimming. HOWEVER they are not me. The experience was fulfilling. I wondered how I would feel being at the ivy league school with all of these very experienced, very fast swimmers with their swim skins and all. How daunting it could be. Once there I realized it was really not daunting at all. I mean, yes, it's a big deal if you are going in for a win or to obtain a PR. That's a big deal. But for me I was there to practice my .8 mile swim. It was just a lot of fun. My friend Cheryl counted for me and I in turn counted for her. Unfortunately for me I forgot that an orange marker means that you are on your last length and so I accidentally swam an extra length. Everyone was yelling at me to get out of the water. What I thought when I heard them yell was that "you are taking too long, please get out of...

I just completed an inside brick. I was pumped to do this because I was able to go fast on the bike and on the run all within the same workout. Coming off of marathon training I'm not really in short race shape and this workout asked for 4 miles at 10k pace! Not so easy to do but I wanted to be pushed BACK into short race shape so I was more than happy to do this workout. At first it felt really good. Then, of course, towards the end, during the last mile I had to focus on just staying within myself. I was pretty tired when that was over but elated that I was able to do it correctly. It's perfect training for my sprint in May. Now I just have to find a short race in April. This month is really chuck full of activities. This weekend I have my first swim at Haaaavard. Yeah! I am very excited to go and see how I stack up. I'm pretty sure I can beat the 60 year olds ( I wouldn't dare say that about the 50 year olds) but I never over estimate. Let me just say that t...

February is over and so is the week of rest that I just indulged myself with. I'm happy that March is here. March, for me, and probably many other athletes, marks the pending birth of a new beginning. Spring and spring training. Yesterday was my last non-training day for the week but I could not resist taking BB2out for a spin. Since I purchased her this winter I haven't had many opportunities, or any actually, to take her out. We went for an easy 10 miles. I needed to keep it easy since I am still not 100% over this cold. It felt so great to be on the bike. The temp was in the upper 40s once I got out there with all of my new gear. I felt a little overdressed but did not care. I'm going to jump right into Half Iron training this week. I feel really good right now. I have recovered both physically and mentally. I will not be replacing my February marathon with another to redeem myself. There are virtually no local marathons in March that I could take on anyways. The last ...

This is a really hard blog to write. Hyannis was a bust. I was ready for it, all pumped up, relaxed, possitive, in shape, and I had taken care of all the details. Unfortunately, on Friday, I caught a cold. Does this sound like an excuse? Each time I say this it feels like an excuse. However I know it's not an excuse. I ran the first 7 miles perfectly. I felt comfortable and the pace felt easy. I was holding back a little bit. Not alot. Then, slowly, during mile 8, I started to feel tired. I ignored it for a while hoping it would pass but then, rather quickly, I started to feel very tired. I fell way of pace and I started to cough. At that point a thought crossed my mind that read "I might not finish this race". Just like that. By mile 9 I had decided I would not finish the race. It all happened very quickly. My body and mind had done a complete 360 within such a short period of time. I did not have to agonize too long about the decision. I just knew it was the right thing...