Pretty Much Freaking Out!

The triathlon is just 2 days away and I am starting to freak out! Normally I am a pretty mellow person, but this has now got me worried.

I ordered a wetsuit over 2 months ago to be able to swim in the bay and adjust to the ocean. I just received it a few days ago and my first try in the water was a total FREAK OUT!. The suit makes my butt and feet so buoyant, that they feel like they are above water and pushing my head down. I only swam about 50 yards and was completely out of breath, struggling with the suit, my form completely gone,  thinking WTF am I doing? I muddled through the swim, but thought "Oh My Goodness" I can't enter the triathlon like this. It would be so .. so... lame -  hence the freak out. The suit is also very tight in the chest which I am sure added to the breathing difficulties.

I actually used to be a lifeguard for many years and am comfortable in all different types of water. How can I go out in this race and struggle to move forward and hardly be able to breathe? Due to the weather and water temp, swimming without a wetsuit is not an option. Soooo... I have 2 days to get used to working with this suit. I thought the run would be the most difficult part of this race, but if I can't get this swim down, the whole thing may be a total debacle.

So, I went on BeginnerTriathlete.com and asked the fabulous people of the community forums for help. Apparently this is a normal situation for the first experience with a wet suit. Today I will try and work on making sure the suit is on properly, make a few more adjustments suggested by the wonderful folks at BT.com and hopefully get my swim together.

This disaster in the water also has me questioning my fitness level. I have been putting time into training, but may not have been putting in the intensity needed for a good aerobic fitness base. True I was actually going from a "couch" to tri situation, but I thought I was doing better than my performance suggested yesterday. I think after my race Saturday I will have a lot to wrap my head around in terms of where I go from here and how I train in the future.

Wish me luck - I am going to need it!

Getting the Support I Need

I am a couple months into training for my triathlon and getting back to the active person I once was. I would say that overall I am doing pretty well. I had a set back of a few weeks with the sprained ankle but am back to running again. My weight has not changed for about a month ( down 10 lbs), but I would say my body composition has. I have developed leg muscles once again and my arms are becoming toned. I even had to shop for some new clothes since my old jeans were too baggy on me. I still want to lose a bit more weight and get rid of the last of the back fat, but think I will hone in on that once I have finished my triathlon.

Being active again has been very rewarding on other ways. This weekend my husband and I took our dog out for an early morning jog. It was such a great way to start the day that we plan to do it each Sunday. The obstacle races have provided our family with an activity that we can all share and have fun doing together. My family has been very supportive of my efforts to get fit and it has provided us with healthy family fun.

I am so glad that at the beginning of my training I swtiched to Beginnertriathlete.com. The plan that I selected has been very straight forward and I can tell my aerobic capacity is increasing. It hasn't been hard to stick to this plan and I love all the tracking and data information on the site. I know what I have to do and get it done. I am becoming confident that I won't die during my upcoming triathlon:)

Even though the plan has been great, the best part about the website is the support and information that one can get from other triathletes in the community forum. I scan the boards multiple times a day and find so much information, encouragement and humor in the community. If I have a question, seasoned triathletes answer promptly with great advice.

Talking about support, the one thing that I have found that I am beyond thrilled with and could not train without is my....... sports bra - ha!

It is the Lululemon Ta Ta Tamer. I love this bra because it REALLY gives me the support I need and does not cause the dreaded mono-boob. I also like that it is not a racer back style and has the tradtional bras straps. I don't like how racer backs leave me with back fat hanging out the sides. YEK! The bra really keeps the girls in place when I run and is very comfortable. 

I have been getting support from many different sources websites, apps, my family even a great bra - and it has been wonderful.

I am Still at It!

I haven't blogged for a few months but I am still working toward my goal and doing pretty well if I must say so.  With school, volleyball practices starting and fitting my training into my schedule, I have had little time to blog.

So here is a recap of the last couple of months

On August 17th our family entered our first obstacle 5K, the Foam Fest Run. It was such a blast! The obstacles went from dirt to foam to dirt to foam. The obstacles ranged from climbing walls, mud pits and a 50 ft slip and slide.  We now have a new family hobby. Here is a pic of Jake all foamy. He came in second overall in our heat.

The next weekend we drove up to Mammoth for the 3rd annual Mammoth Mud Run. We dressed as super heros as many people wear costumes for the race. Megan and I made the tutus which were easy and fun to run in.  Now THIS was a fantastic time. The weather was perfect and there was such a party atmosphere about the town for the event. This will become a definite Bilbao tradition. 

Some dirty shoes and tutus

Although, I came away with a souvenir that I wasn't planning on. A VERY sprained ankle. About 1/2 mile into the course I stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. BUT I finished the race. The sprain put me off running for 3 weeks. I still kept to biking and swimming to stay on track for my Triathlon training. 

To see a fun video of the Mammoth Mud Run, click here. We are actually in the video for a nano second warming up with Tony Horton of P90X fame. Our next goal is to participate in a Zombie Run. ARRRRRR. 

If you want to try something fun and get some exercise, try an obstacle race. Check active.com or other racing websites for obstacle races in your area.