THE DAY BEFORE THE DAY BEFORE
Apparently, my countdown was a little off, so we're approaching it from another angle right now!
I'm not feeling particularly stressed right now, nor have I been all day. It is what it is at this point! I have been cramming zinc lozenges down my throat (supposedly shortens the length and severity of colds) even though they make my stomach so upset that I am sure my face is close to turning green and copious amounts of vomit are about to empty out of my stoach and onto the floor with every lozenge. I have been taking Airborne (again supposed to shorten the length and severity of a cold) and I have been drinking pure pomegranate juice because a friend told me that the antioxidants in it are a cold-prevention method for her. I will try anything at this point! But, guess what. Today my cold was not so bad at all! I am going to keep doing what I'm doing in the hopes that all is well on race day.

I didn't taper again today---36 laps with wetsuit, then a spinning class. Then 500 stomach crunches. Still can't decide whether I will be using the wetsuit on race day. It definitely makes my arm muscles tire more easily because I am pushing hard against it...but I can still go the distance...and then I don't really need to use my arms after that for the rest of the race, so does it matter whether they are sore? I don't know!

The weather has been stormy lately, and the Schuylkill has been "red," which means swimming is not recommended. There are no storms predicted for tomorrow, so we'll see whether it goes to yellow or green. I am not at all prepared for the run-bike-run if the swim is canceled!

Tomorrow is the triathlon expo and packet pick-up in Philly. A group of us are going down together, and I am looking forward to a fun day without exercise!

THREE
My nerves were running a little higher today when I woke up and realized that I don't have too far to go! I settled down, though, and I've been fine all day, except when I realized that I really was coming down with a cold. I can't believe it, I have been so healthy all summer and now this. And when I get a cold, it does not come lightly. I am congested and can't breathe and up all night, and constantly with a tissue to my nose. Not ideal conditions for doing a triathlon! I am trying to fight it as much as I can, and hope for the best.

Today I did a boxing class at the gym, then did my laps, this time with wetsuit. I am still really torn about whether I will wear it in the swim; it does keep me up, but it really restricts my shoulders from reaching! I am thinking maybe one more swim without it and then I will decide.

I received an email today from the Danskin Sherox powers that be, telling me that I can sign up now for next year's triathlon, already slated for August 1, 2010, for the bargain 2009 rates. The wheels are turning...

FOUR...
Still feeling pretty good about this whole thing today, although I did wake up in the middle of the night with some strange dreams (having nothing to do with running, biking or swimming) and I was up for a while. Sleep is not usually elusive for me, so I have to figure that something's going on in my brain!

I just did a pretty intense spinning class today, riding just under the point where one little turn to increase the intensity makes the pedals stop rotating, and they won't start again no matter how hard you push against them! I was tempted to take a run after that, but I know this is supposed to be "taper" week so I took it easy.

This entire triathlon preparation has been a great experience, no matter what happens on race day. I am lucky to know, or have met, about 20 other girls who are also participating in this triathlon. They come in all shapes and sizes and levels of athletic ability. They range in age from 33 years old to about 50 (surprisingly very few are even in their 30's!) and two of the girls are having birthdays on triathlon day---48th and 50th birthdays! Our "organizer" (who had that seed planted in her head way back last August) has also planned a post-triathlon party later on race day.

I have learned new vocabulary words during this process, like "drafting" and "Body Glide" and "bike-run bonk" (that's my personal favorite). I have learned how to swim! I have not learned how to run better, but some time in the future I will read up on that. I have set a goal for race day; well two goals actually. I will try to not drown in the Schuylkill, and I will try not to embarrass myself. Other than that, I am going to just show up and GO!

FIVE...
Feeling pretty good right now, and not particularly worried about race day. I think I have a little bit of a cold coming on, but I am HOPING that it doesn't get bad. This is suposed to be "taper" week---you're supposed to taper down your work outs and conserve your energy. I don't know whether I can do that!

I took a step class this morning (hoping, the whole hour, that I didn't land wrong and twist an ankle or develop some other injury) then I headed to the pool and banged out 36 laps in 25 minutes---no wetsuit---no stopping! I can do this.

SIX DAYS
Starting to count down now. Six days before go time. Today I ran 3.1 miles (my head still won't go past that distance) and I swam 36 laps in my wetsuit again. I was still struggling to reach my arms out as far as I could, and I need another swim in the wetsuit (and one without) to see whether I will wear it on race day. On that point, I should note that there is a possibility, on race day, that the swim portion of the triathlon will be canceled due to poor water quality. If it continues to rain all week like it is predicted, the water may be too dangerous to swim in. They make the call race morning. I am quite surprised with myself at my reaction to this possibility---I am actually really BUMMED at the thought of it being canceled! I want to go for the swim! If they do cancel the water, they will add a 2 mile run, so it will end up being a 2 mile run first, then 15.5 mile bike, then a 3.1 mile run. Have I ever said that I've thought that running is a form of mild torture? So there you have it!

NOT THAT I HAVE MUCH TIME!
By this time next week, the triathlon will be over...for better or for worse. I wonder whether I will hang up my gear and be happy with what I've accomplished, or whether I will be looking for the next event shortly after this one ends Everyone says they are addictive! Only time will tell, I suppose.

But, good news! I swam in a lake and didn't panic! I felt good! I suspect that part of it was that we were having such a nice day---we rented boats and enjoyed the scenery as we paddled and motored to find an area that was out of sight of the boaters and park rangers. The sun was shining, the lake was beautiful and all was calm! And we jumped into the water, and I was fine! I wasn't going for distance on this swim, just getting accustomed to the open water swimming. And I came back with my head in a good place! I don't know where my head will be on race day, but I at least know I can do this!

This morning a few friends and I went down to Philly and got in a 15 mile bike ride in the area where our race will be. I wanted to get a visual of the Schuylkill where we will be swimming (it actually didn't look that bad, but then again, I wasn't standing in the water when I was looking!), riding and running! The bike course is mostly flat and fast; there are some hills but we didn't go off the closed-to-traffic area today (the whole thing will be closed to traffic on race day!) so we didn't see the hills. The run looks flat. And hot! No shade in that area! So we have an idea what we're up against next Sunday! Our main competitors are the geese that are walking all over the drive! Apparently, there was an incident between a cyclist and a goose at the SheROX triathlon last year;I never learned who won! Worse yet is the goose-poop lining the grass on the way to the water! Can anyone say disposable flip-flops?

When I got back home, I went to the gym to take my first swim in my wetsuit. I was pleasantly surprised by the buoyancy when I first got into the water, but there were some negatives as well! It was really hot swimming in the wetsuit! And more importantly, I felt like it was so tight around my shoulders that I was fighting against it to reach out on every stroke! My muscles tired quickly as a result...but I still made it through my 1/2 mile. I am hoping that I will get used to this with a little more practice! Not that I have much time!

CLOSING IN...

My anxiety level just hit the roof when I realized that my last post was on Monday, and now it's Friday and I have run out of the "second to last week before the tri." Did I train enough this week? I have a feeling that "enough" will never be "enough" right now. I didn't get in one run all week! And only one cycle class! Anxiety is starting to kick in a little; I woke up in the middle of the night one night, with a bad dream---about the water, of course.

I may have found my saving grace though---I decided to use a wetsuit for the swim. Not only does it keep you warm if you need it, but it gives you buoyancy in the water; I am hoping that this will help me avoid my panic in open water. I have yet to try it, but I may have a chance tomorrow---I found another open water swim! I will be jumping in another lake tomorrow. Unfortunately, it's a lake we're not allowed to swim in. But a group of rebel girls will be going to try it anyway! I am just not sure whether I will try out my wetsuit, though...nothing screams "I'm going for an illicit swim in your lake" more than showing up with swim gear!

Apparently, a triathlon wetsuit is supposed to be skin-tight, and a struggle to get on. All I can say is that I better not gain one single pound between now and race day, or I will have no shot of getting it on race morning!

RUN BIKE SWIM
Starting the day more motivated then ever, I banged out 36 laps without stopping, or putting my feet down on the bottom of the pool. Then I went on to do about 24 more laps, with stops in between. (Have to chat sometimes!) Then, I took an hour long water aerobic class which incorporates a lot of strength training---something I don't get enough of! (Now I really want to try another open water swim, but they are hard to come by. Swimming is not allowed in any of the local lakes.)

Looking back to all of my posts, my blog entries have been almost exclusively about swimming. That's about the way my training has been going also. I have barely focused on the run or bike aspect! I said at the beginning that I didn't want to give up my "fun" classes, so I have been doing them and then spending the rest of my training time in the pool learning how to swim! The SHEROX triathlon provides a free training program to all participants, which consists of an email in your inbox every morning, telling you what your workout should consist of that day. And so, every day for the last few months, I opened my training program, looked at it, and said "yep, not doing THAT today," and sent it to my virtual trash bin

Biking? Kurt and I had our bikes fixed up, and I have had an occasional ride outdoors. Other than that, one cycle class per week. My bike is a mountain bike, which is apparently going to slow me down in the triathlon when compared with the hybrids or shiny tri bikes, but it's mine and it's what I'm using!

And running? Have I said that I think every step of running is a form of pure torture and I hate it even more than swimming? I have not trained much for it. After I first took a run and realized I could go the distance, I had gotten on the treadmill on occasion, and usually had not even gone the 3.1 miles. I started doing some 5K runs outdoors just to get some run time, so I have three of those under my belt, and other than that, not much additional run time. And I have never run more than 3.1 miles, which I should be doing! Even last time I was on the treadmill, I was at about 3.0 and I told myself I was just going to go to about 3.3. But, as soon as LED display told me I hit 3.1, I stopped. I could not take another step. My head will not go past 3.1 miles, and so my legs have no choice but to stop!

I started to step up the biking and running a little more last week. I should note that my "fun" classes aren't exactly easy; they are hour-long high-intensity cardiovascular workouts every day. So, water class, step class, spinning class, boxing class and athletic conditioning class have made up the base of my weekly workouts with swimming or running before or after. So, between my jump in the Schuylkill last weekend and my jump into the lake this weekend, I have been working hard. I participated in a mock-tri the day after my Schuylkill swim, and swam 1/2 mile in the pool, biked for 45 minutes indoors, and ran 3.1 miles outdoors. I made it through and went on with the rest of my day without problem. I was told I should rest the next day, but I swam about 50 laps (the first 35 without a stop) then ran 3.1 on the treadmill. The next day I took a spinning class and swam; the next day I had my last (5th) swim lesson, where I did not learn anything new, but corrected some bad habits. At the end of the lesson my evil teacher hooked me up to a tether in the pool and had me swim against it as it was pulling me backward. The next day I ran 3.1 on the treadmill and boxed for an hour, gloves on. Friday was a "forced" rest day; I had a continuing legal education class scheduled that day, and I need to take a certain amount of credits before my deadline! Saturday I did an outdoor ride; somewhere between 16 and 23 miles, and Sunday I jumped into the lake and floundered around! (Didn't get much physical exercise that day, but the emotional exercise drained me as though I did!)

This week is supposed to be a high-intensity week; next week I am supposed to taper off, and then...the day.
.

ANOTHER DAY...
Another day, another swim in open water, another freak-out! I don't know whether I can actually do this triathlon---this whole blog itself may be written in vain, which is the reason I didn't start this earlier. I was never sure I was going to do the triathlon, so I didn't want to write about it! So, another open water swim today initially left me sure I would not be doing the tri. But now a few hours have elapsed, I am not so sure about that decision to give up when it's so close...

I went to swim in a lake this morning. The lake swim was planned by a group of "mentors," probably more to give them swim practice than to help their "mentees," but there were a mix of both in the group. I was eager to get into the water, and I was calm walking in (zero entry, gradual drop off) and I even swam about 20 strokes before I went into that panic-mode again. I couldn't catch my breath, couldn't swim, I couldn't go forward, couldn't go back to shore, just didn't know what to do with myself. Yikes! I ended up paddling back to where I could stand again, and I caught my breath. A mentor (someone's mentor, not mine--- but I wish she was mine!) came up to me and tried to talk me through this event. Ultimately, she had me swim out just a little, then back to shore; then we swim a little farther together, then back to shore; we repeated this exercise a few more times going a little farther every time. I had no problem doing any of this! In fact, on the last leg of this exercise, I felt great and calm, and was enjoying the relaxing swim in the lake with the sun beaming down on me. Now, I don't know where my head is! Will I FLIP out the next time I get into open water? Am I cured of my panic? Will I ever get in the open water again to find out? I. Don't. Know.

SWIMMING LESSONS
I am actually four swimming lessons in right now. It really started as a slow process. The first two lessons were close together and did not yield much in the way of results. I was able to move about three strokes in the water before I stopped, coughed out pool water and went back to the start of a lap lane for another go. I did not put in that much time at first...I just didn't enjoy it. I had a hard time learning how to breathe and stroke, so I struggled. I was told to use a pool buoy for flotation, and was finally able to get to the end of a lap lane with that---and then I was able to go two laps---and my distance gradually increased until I could go the distance required for the tri,stopping to breathe at the end of every lap. Then I realized that I was dependent on the flotation device to get me through the water, and I was unable to go even a lap without it. Then I was able to go one lap without it, then a few and then the 35 laps I needed, and more. But I was still stopping at the end of every lap to breathe. And I still had a number of problems with my stroke and my breathing and with getting into a rhythm...and I am still working on them today. I was seeing small improvements every time I got into the water. Then I went to a swim clinic, sponsored by SheRox, and I jumped into the Schuylkill River and everything I knew went out the window!

I was pretty unprepared for the entrance into the water...it was not gradual...it was a jump from about 4 feet up straight into deep water. There was no touching the bottom or pushing off from a wall to start! I had to tread water for about 5 minutes before my group went out for a swim. I never learned how to tread water, although I was a fast learner after I jumped in! By the time I moved off to swim, my heart was pounding so rapidly I just couldn't get my breath, and I was expending all of my energy just trying to stay afloat. I couldn't get a rhythm going if I did try to freestroke, and since you can't see much more than your hand in front of you in dark water, I spent a lot of time bumping into people everywhere and starting all over again from panic mode. (Remember, I was still used to stopping at the end of every lap to breathe or push off, so this was a completely different experience!) In retrospect, I really don't know how I got through the swim that day---and it was only a 1/4 mile swim. There were people in canoes and mentors all over the place in case you needed to be pulled out, but I refused to need to be pulled out. I just kept moving, dog paddling, and backstroking my way to the end of the swim. When it was all said and done, I realized that I needed to learn two things: first, I needed to do the entire 1/2 mile in a pool without touching the bottom once, and I needed to learn another stroke---either the side stroke or the breaststroke, to get through this swim. And I need to find some courage to get back into the Schuylkill River on race day!

Danskin SheROX http://www.danskinwomenstri.com/

I am told that when (if) I participate in the triathlon, I will be driven nuts by the repetition of "SHE SWIMS, SHE BIKES, SHE RUNS, SHEROX!" coursing through the speakers on race day. So, the burning questions, when I was deciding whether to do this triathlon, were: Can I swim? (NO! Never learned. I got in the water to see whether I could do anything at all, but I only confirmed that I couldn't swim a bit and was scared of the water to boot!) Can I run? (I never did, but I gave it a whirl before I signed on and I could get through the mileage required. Never mind that I hated it, and thought that each step was pure torture!) Can I ride? (Well, I hadn't ridden a bike outside in about 10 years, but I took a spinning class every week, and rode that pretty hard!) And so, with thoughts of swimming lessons running through my head (after all, I was making the kids take them and encouraging them to get over their fear of the water; what kind of role model was I anyway??) I signed up for the triathlon. I wasn't confident that I would be able to learn to swim in time, but the possibility of the race being filled up if I DID learn to swim (and after I had trained all summer) would be too disappointing. I promised myself that I would not let it ruin my summer, and that I would not change my gym routine too dramatically. I had so much fun in the classes I was already taking, I did not want to give them up! And so, I signed up for the event, knowing that I may not learn to swim in time, but also knowing that I could back out at the last minute if I needed to.

SCHUYLKILL, REALLY?
As I sit here, still reeking of Schuylkill River after a practice swim (and after a long hot shower!)...my first in open (dark!) water, I am looking back over the last few months and wishing I had written something...anything...down about the training process. I thought about blogging about it many, many times, but I wasn't ready to discuss it, wasn't sure what I thought about it, and wasn't sure whether I was going to participate in a triathlon! And now a few months later (and only weeks before the event) I am still not sure what I think about it, whether I am ready to discuss it, or whether I am going to do the event (especially after a river swim today, but more on that later!)

So, let me go back to August of last year when I was in a spinning (cycle) class and one of the regulars in class gave a t-shirt to the instructor, and explained that she had just participated in an all-female triathlon; she raved about her experience. No, don't for a moment think that this inspired me to do one, or even planted a seed in my mind! It did not! It planted a seed in another girl's mind, unbeknownst to everyone else until earlier this year, when she started trying to recruit people to participate in this Danskin SheRox all-female triathlon with her, with a dated slated for August 2, 2009. The tri fell on her 48th birthday, and she was GOING to do it. When people first started asking me whether I would be participating, I had an easy out. I never learned to swim! I couldn't swim, so I couldn't do it. The end. Heavy sigh. That would have been so easy. So how did I get to the point where I took a swim in the Schuylkill River this morning? A scary swim in the Schuylkill at that. That chapter is for another day. Right now, I am off to sleep early because I have a mock triathlon scheduled for very early tomorrow morning (I have never looked so forward to a pool swim in my entire life!) so I need some sleep! We are swimming a 1/2 mile, biking 45 minutes, and running 3.4 miles (all components will be timed), and learning how to reduce our transition time between race legs to get the best time we possibly can. Sounds like more fun. Night night! (And about the music...no, I really am NOT a Hannah Montana fan, but this music seems to fit, and it always happens to be playing in the car when I am facing a new challenge.)