Tag Archives: triathlon

Tour de Women

Here’s the thing with seven-time Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong—I think he is good looking, athletic, and his will to survive after being diagnosed with cancer is simply inspirational. However, I have never been able to get over his decision to divorce his wife and the mother of his three young children, Kristin. What’s more, when I heard that he dumped fiancée singer Sheryl Crow just weeks prior to her breast cancer diagnosis, I again questioned my opinion of the guy. Now, I am wondering if his good looks and steely resolve are not tainting my judgment of him. … Continue reading →

Biking—An Alternative Mode of Transportation

Unless you are as financially sound as Bill Gates or Oprah then you have likely been trying to find ways to save money on gas. In our town, the price for a gallon of unleaded gas is currently $3.15. YIKES! YIKES… is also what I exclaimed yesterday when I saw my neighbor biking home from work in temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees. Joe (my neighbor) has been trying to save money by biking to and from his office located about 4 miles from our neighborhood. He’s been doing this since April and everyone in the neighborhood gives him credit for … Continue reading →

Triathlon!

I did it. I finished a triathlon on Saturday, and I didn’t come in last, which were my initial two goals. I am someone who, six months ago when I signed up, couldn’t even run a mile, got winded after a few laps in the pool and had just decent bike skills, so this was quite an accomplishment for me. As the event drew nearer and I gained confidence that I could finish the triathlon, I set another goal, and that was to finish in less than 2 hours, which would put me somewhere in the middle of my age … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 12: Tapering

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This should be my favorite week of training before my triathlon, because it’s the week I’m supposed to “taper,” meaning cut back on the volume and/or intensity so my body can rest before the big race. But it’s not my favorite for a couple of reasons. 1. I’m not where I’d hoped I’d be at this point. Although I have worked hard and have made great progress, I’m still questioning whether I’ll be able to finish the race. Most of this is anxiety, but I wish I had another month. I did a couple of “brick” workouts and struggled mightily. … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 10: Finding Time

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One of the frustrations of a busy person, especially a parent, is finding time to exercise. It’s especially difficult when you feel you need a large chunk of time or it’s not worth it. But there is good news from recent studies that you don’t need to do all your exercise at once to achieve fitness. I’m a living example of this. I’ve been trying to squeeze my training into a busy schedule, which mostly revolves around getting kids here and there and meetings and obligations, work, laundry, the cat barfing up a hairball….you know the drill. (Sometimes I’m looking … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 9: Chocolate Milk and Jelly Beans

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Over the last few years I’ve watched my road biker husband drink all sorts of weird, powdered concoctions in the name of “recovery.” I called them his performance-enhancing drugs, which isn’t that funny given all the recent scandals about doping in professional bike racing. But my point was, what’s wrong with regular food to meet even a competitive athlete’s needs? After realizing the importance of proper nutrition after starting my triathlon training, and how difficult it was to get it right, I was on the verge of giving in and trying one of the yucky-looking protein shakes. Then I read … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 8: Open Water Swim Safety

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It is two weeks before my first triathlon, and I have yet to train in open water. My first ill-fated attempt in Santa Barbara ended because the ocean water was too cold. I went to Lake Natomas near my house yesterday, but the water temperature was only just above 50 degrees. Even with a wet suit, I could only stay in about 10 minutes before recognizing signs of my body temperature dropping too low. Part of the problem was I’d left my swim cap at home, and it was actually painful to put my head in the water. I knew … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 7: Bike Gear for Beginners

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I’ve probably enjoyed bicycling as exercise more than any exercise I’ve ever tried, and stuck with it for about three years now. I’m actually looking forward to the bicycle leg of my upcoming triathlon, because this is where I have the best chance of a respectable time. Road biking is a lot of fun, and I wish I would have tried it sooner than my mid-thirties, but I was always a little mystified about what gear I would need and what kind of a bike to buy, and how much it would cost. Lucky for me, my husband helped me … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 6: Mental Gymnastics

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I once rode a bike about 200 miles from Seattle to Vancouver B.C. in two days. Not only was this a bit beyond my capacity and training, but it poured rain the entire time. My longest distance ever before the ride was 60 miles. At mile 72 on the first day I was in was could only be described as some sort of purgatory. I remember vividly feeling nauseated, chilled through, not sure my legs would keep turning, and pretty close to some sort of breakdown. I was riding with three companions, but had been alone for about 12 miles. … Continue reading →

Triathlon or Bust 5: Open Water Swimming

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The swimming part of a triathlon is usually the part triathletes dread the most. Not me. I love to swim, and even though I’ve never raced and am not in good swimming shape, I’m not afraid of the half-mile swim in my upcoming first ever triathlon. But maybe I should be. I went to a Master’s swim class at my local gym to see if an instructor would check out my stroke and also to see if I could hang with the other swimmers. They had us do some timed 100s, and although I wasn’t as fast as the two … Continue reading →