Two weeks ago, I wrote a recap on our training for the upcoming triathlon in August. I hadn't realized just how difficult, time-consuming, and exhausting training for all three aspects of the race in parallel would be. I am happy to report today that, two weeks later, it is still difficult, time-consuming, and exhausting. But it has gotten a little bit easier.
Green = Complete, Red = Skipped . . . Not bad!
Swimming
We have been in the pool a minimum three days a week since we got started training. I went from being able to do 500 meters to start to finishing the full 1,000 meters in 35 minutes. On Sunday, I made another great stride and got my 1,000 meter time down to 27 minutes. I am feeling more confident and more capable in the pool, and I think it is a direct result of having spent quite a bit of time working on my technique. I've really focused on bilateral breathing and fully committing myself to the front crawl. I can feel my arms getting stronger, and it is making a difference.
Biking
I haven't done a ton of long-distance riding yet, though I did spent a bit of time in the park a couple of nights working on getting used to the new bike. I'll be honest, making the switch to a road bike has been pretty punishing. I am not used to feeling every bump in the road and, after an hour and change of hard riding, it got to be a little painful. That being said, I am loving the speed and hill-attacking ability. I really just need better hills to work on. Maybe Thatcher Park . . .
Running
The Boilermaker is 11 days away . . . and I am getting anxious. We have completed a 15K training run already, and I can confidently say that I am not concerned about the distance in the slightest. I am more worried about the weather. Right now, the extended forecast has it at 77 degrees with a chance of showers. It is still a ways off, and forecasts change pretty quickly . . . but if it is humid, all bets are off.
It has been tough balancing all of our swimming and biking and still getting our good runs in. We have let some of them slip through in favor of the other activities, mainly because it has been unbearably hot, but also because I felt that we would get stronger all around, which would help our runs anyway.
Overall
I am feeling tremendously better about this whole thing since last I wrote. I feel like this is actually attainable, and, if I keep it up, I might not actually come in last place overall. Our six-day-a-week schedule has taken a toll—I fall asleep at about 10:00 every night—but aside from that, I am relatively pain-free and happy to report no major injuries thus far!
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