Melissa - Vain Triathlete

I decided to put this picture from Chicago 2007 up on my vision board because I really like it. I had a good time in Chicago for the most part. The run was a little hot :) but our group all finished the marathon despite the heat, lack of water, and sherpa dehydration. It was a run to remember!

Now that the last weekend in P-Town has arrived I will now start to focus on my training. I just hired a triathlon coach. I'm starting my new plan of attack on September 1st. I hope to fine tune my plan this week by finally deciding on which races and triathlons to plan for in 2009!

Saturday I went for a challenging 33 mile bike ride with Donna. Donna, you see, could have gone to the Olympics if she wanted to. She's a triathlon veteran with impressive times. Over the years of knowing her, it hasn't been until now that I have been able to somehow convince her to ride with me. She filled my tires to 120 (I've always been cautious to only fill to 80) and off we went. Not knowing if I would even be able to keep her in sight for long, thankfully she was kind and I was able to "look" like I could keep up. In the middle of the ride Donna noticed that I was using the large ring way to much. I actually thought I would have more "power wattage?" (am I using the correct term here?) by keeping my bike in the larger ring as much as possible. In fact, Donna explained, you can wear out your legs unnecessarily much faster by riding that way and I should spin more. Good tip. DAY TWO: On the second day my friends and I decided it would be fun to swim...