starting tomorrow

Did I tell you what I'm doing tomorrow morning? No, of course I didn't; I know this because I didn't even know I'd be doing this until... oh, about 35 minutes ago.

After some thinking, a Google search, some scrolling through the website, a phone call for additional information, nervous butterflies in my stomach, another phone call, this time to Jay to excitedly tell him and get his 2￠, a short swim** -- which helped solidify my decision, then a final decision and registration; I can finally tell you...

I signed up for a triathlon clinic... no time for second thoughts, because it starts at 8:30am tomorrow!

I know what you're thinking --yes, I realize that a triathlon includes running, and of course I can't do that yet. The goal race for the clinic is August 23, more than 2 months away, and my Dr's hope is that I can begin running again in 2-3 weeks. The Try-a-Tri would be a 2.5k run, a Sprint Tri would be 7k run... should hopefully be able to manage that by then.

The bigger reasons why I thought this would be a good idea are the following:

• Bought my road bike last year, haven't a clue how to change a tire. If I go out for a long ride on my own, I'd be f*cked if I got a flat, or another mechanical issue -- the clinic will cover maintenance. Check.
• I've only ridden on my own or with Jay, never with a group of people. I know you'll find this hard to believe, but I'm shy. I don't know anyone around here that rides, I'm not comfortable tagging onto an unknown group of riders (or even approaching them to see if I could join them). Also, doing any sort of triathlon or anything with lots of cyclists around makes me a little nervous. Hoping to boost my confidence with other beginning riders. Check.
• Routes for riding!
• Swimming -- will be doing some pool lane swimming with the clinic, as well as open water swims, a total first. I definitely want to improve my swimming endurance and confidence. Check.
• I'm sure my Dr., my dad, and even myself will agree that my body just doesn't tolerate only running, especially 5 days/week. The added cross training, and variety will hopefully help keep me less injury-prone. To be honest, I've absolutely enjoyed swimming and biking lately, so a combination of all three seems perfect!
• If I'm ready to register for the goal race by the end of the clinic (will depend on my ability to run by then), I'll be able to do this with other people, not alone.
• If nothing else, the training plan, meeting people with similar interests and abilities and the topics covered will be well worth the registration fee.

Considering the frustration I've experienced over the last 5 weeks, this is exciting stuff for me. I'm looking forward to learning a lot, and hope it'll serve as the next step to fewer injuries.

Marlene, I'll be in your neck of the woods for the clinic! :D

**public lane swimming has been a bit annoying at one of the two pools I swim at. I'm not a very fast swimmer, but do swim in the fast lane since I'm swimming freestyle/front crawl and keep up with the others that do as well. There are many in the same fast lane that swim breaststroke, pretty slowly (I have nothing against those that do breaststroke, but I noticed today that those in the fast lane were going the same speed as those in the medium speed lane -- wish the lifeguards would kindly monitor it and ask them to switch lanes). I got kicked in the stomach as I passed a swimmer because there was a traffic jam of swimmers and was basically treading water behind him for half the length. After 20 minutes, I left as I was frustrated. I can imagine it's how really fast runners feel during a race when people don't line up appropriately and they need to weave between those that are slower. Hoping that lane swimming with the clinic will prevent this frustration. Vent done.