Swim, Bike, Run
Swim:
It's a Friday morning and the day before I
Swim a Mile for Hospice. I have actually "trained" a bit for the swim this year. I went for an open water swim at my Aunt and Uncle's home and have tried to swim a bit more with the kids in the water with me -they are after-all an entire year older than they were last year. Last year there was no way I could do a lap in the deeper area while they were swimming as well. This year we have two swimmers and a kid in a life jacket so it is less stressful.
I have my swim kit all set:
swim cap -to be honest this is not my favorite, but I think it's because I have VERY long hair. But it isn't a huge deal and I have to wear the cap they give me at the event anyway so I just wear this one for training -which I hardly ever do HAHA.
goggles - I like these and they were inexpensive. They have sunglasses tint, which is nice for swimming outside.
swim suit -this is new this year and I needed something inexpensive and it's surprisingly comfortable and modest. I highly recommend if you are just looking for something to do laps in (or kayak, with the kids at the beach). It has two layers of fabric that seem to smooth out all the smooshie bits very nicely. I feel very sleek in the suit. :) I typically look strange in one piece suits because I'm a S/M on top and a M/L on the bottom so in order to get the bottom to fit the top is loose... This one is just great. I ordered a size 38 based on the sizing chart.
Well, that's pretty much all I need!
I will mention that I also have a
swim buoy that I wear when I am swimming in open water by myself. I pop my phone in, strap it around my waist, and away I go feeling pretty confident that I'm visible and "safe". It acts as a way to keep my phone with me in case of emergency and also to track my distance with the MapMyRun App. The buoy also acts as a way to stay visible to motor boats and you can hold onto it to take a rest like a flotation device. My Uncle also suggested a whistle to wear on my person -which is a great idea and I'll probably look at getting one in the future.
Bike:
I have taken Cici out on 4 trips!
Trip 1: HOLY COW, riding a road bike is actually much different than riding our mountain bike. With the very skinny tires every movement is exaggerated and you can tip very easily. I took my first trip as a quick jaunt around
Higley Flow State Park. It was a bit of a disaster... I got on and started to tip over with one foot in the clip and one out and my hands not near the brakes.... BUT I didn't fall over. Then I had memorized the gears backwards so that it was impossible to get up even the easiest hill. I was very confused and a bit defeated.
Here I am before!
Here I am after!
Trip 2: I rode two laps around a
three mile recreation trail... I finally figured out that I was using the hardest gear on the hills so big success there!
Trip 3: My boss and his wife took me on a 10 mile ride on "real" roads. This was super for me to get comfortable on roads and we also did a few adjustments to the handle bars to get them in the correct position.
Trip 4: I went to do 3-4 laps around the recreation trail again, but the trail is windy and hard to get up speed and there was also a lot of vegetation litter on the road (slippery for a road bike) so I went out onto a highway that I knew was relatively flat with a really wide shoulder for about 8 miles after only one lap around the recreation trail. Cici is SO fast! I'm in love. :)
I even let her ride in the backseat of the truck like a dog. Haha
Run:
I've been sort of weird about not running because I have been plagued by silly little injuries since I broke my ankle 18 months ago. Last fall I ended up with
cuboid syndrome in my left foot after participating in a 5K event. I also had HORRIBLE sciatic nerve pain in my left hip that was finally cured by core exercises and two months of intense
chiropractic care (Shout out to Jamie and Lisa!) over the winter. Then I ended up with
plantar fasciitis in my right foot this Spring when I tried to give running another go.
BUT I went for a short easy run two nights ago and it was SO peaceful. I had forgotten how much I LOVED listening to the night sounds of the country at dusk/dark. So I didn't go far, and I will probably only run a tiny bit each week for a while, but it is still something that I love and will be part of my life forever!
Phew! :) I do FINALLY feel like I'm getting closer to actually performing a triathlon!
Thank you for reading and for the encouragement!
I hope you all have a fantastic day!
#swimbikerun #getfit #triathlon #swim #bike #momblog #backontrack #openwaterswim #swimamileforhospice #running #training #goals
Another Swim a Mile for Hospice in the books!
