I NEED TO RACE!

I've found myself very frustrated lately.  I've had a lack of motivation with my training in general.  I just can't seem to do anything on a regular basis except my swim class on Tues/Thurs mornings...and even that I've skipped a few times recently.  I need to get back on track.  I've been struggling to figure out what was going to jump start me back into a good routine.

On Thursday and Friday of this past week, I was invited to a getaway trip as a reward for doing a deal with St. John Properties.  They took us to the Hyatt in Cambridge for relaxation at the spa, nice meals, a boat trip and general fun.  It is always a great excursion and I try to do a deal with them every year so that I get invited often.

This year the trip fell on the Thursday and Friday right before Eagleman.  So Friday when I was checking out, the lobby was filled with athletes and their families checking in.  I saw some really cool bikes.  On my drive home, I passed several cars with bikes on their roof racks or on the backs of their cars.  I thought a lot about my training, my lack of motivation and my overall excitement for the athletes doing Eagleman. 

That was it!  I don't have a race on my schedule.  I sat down this morning and did some research on the internet.  I was thinking that I would sign up for a sprint distance some time in mid to late July.  I found the Diamond in the Rough triathlon in Perryville.  They offered a sprint distance and an olympic distance.  I looked at the Olympic and realized that the run was only 5 miles instead of the standard 6.2 miles.  So I immediately thought "I could run 5 miles!"  Before I knew it, I had registered for the Olympic distance. 

So now I have a race on my schedule.  I have 35 days until race day.  I have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time!  I will have to plan on doing a run/walk because I can't imagine that I'll be running 5 miles by then considering I'm only at 2 now.  But if I really put a focus on my run and do some hill repeats on the bike, I should be OK to finish the race. 

I am never one to take the easy route on anything but I am a little worried that I've bitten off more than I can chew with this one.  But this is exactly what I needed to get my training back in line.  Now if you will excuse me, I've got to go for a run!

OWS Training

Sunday I attended Anne Johnson's open water swim (OWS) clinic.  I love her OWS clinics!  I attended 2 last year and was excited about the first one this year.

After last weekend's swim in Betterton, I was really looking forward to some focused instruction on OWS techniques.  My head continues to be the biggest challenge when swimming in open water.  I knew that Anne's clinic helped last year and I was hopeful that it would help again this year.

The water temps were approx. 67 degrees, so there was no question that we would be wearing our wetsuits!  As I drove over to Hammerman where the clinic was held, I felt relaxed and looking forward to getting in the water.  I pulled into the park and Elliott greeted me at the gate.  She was checking names off the attendance sheet.  We chatted for a few minutes about my challenging swim the week before and then I drove off to the parking area.  I looked out across the water and had to take a picture...what a beautiful morning!

I walked down to the pavilion where Anne was checking people in and immediately saw Ron.  Ron is my lane-mate during swim class.  It was really good to see another familiar face.  We agreed to stick together, althougth I knew that I would slow him down. 

Anne gave a brief speech about the objectives of the day and then we split up into groups.  They divided us into beginner and intermediate.  I joined the intermediate group and had several people that I recognized in the group.  Ron and I started our warm up swim together.  I immediately had issues with breathing and was panicking a bit.  Ron kindly stopped to check on me and make sure I was OK.  I told him I was fine even though my breathing was a disaster.

Once we started the actual drills and workout, I calmed down and actually got into a really good groove.  I encouraged Ron to swim ahead so that I wasn't holding him back, which he did.  I found a comfortable group to join and focused on my breathing, keeping my strokes consistent and sighting like an alligator.  There is such a HUGE difference between swimming in the pool and swimming in open water!

At the end of the clinic, I checked my fancy new watch to see how far we had gone during the clinic.  1.72 miles!!! Holy cow!  That's the farthest I've ever gone in one swimming session.  So much for thinking I was out of shape.  There was not one moment where I questioned whether I would be able to finish.  I'm very proud of myself.

This photo is from the end of the clinic as people are finishing up their workouts and chatting with the instructors.  It really was a great morning.