Friday, September 26, 2008

Tri Anxiety

Here's what I've been up to since Sunday:
Mon:  2 mi run, 1600 yd swim
Tue:  40 min bike ride
Thu:  2.5 mi run

I am happy to report that the last two runs went very well.  No pain during the run, no pain the night of the run, no pain the day after.  I've been giving myself two days rest between runs.  Still no final decision on San Jose. If I decide to go through with it, I'd probably do a 4 miler and 7 miler sometime next week and walk/run the half marathon.  I'm taking it run by run and am not opposed to abandoning the idea.

I'm trying to mentally gear up for this triathlon tomorrow.  I've done my homework for the swim.  But I think swimming a mile in a pool in preparation for a 400 yd open water swim is sort of like running 26 miles around a track in preparation for a hilly trail 5K.  In other words, I'm scared silly.  The bike ride tomorrow will be my longest in 8 weeks. The run tomorrow will be my longest in 4 weeks.  I haven't done a single brick workout.

It's pretty obvious why the running and bricks suffered, but I have to take total responsibility for the lack of cycling.   I sort of went into a general funk when the running got taken away.  One of my professors in college used to love to say, "Prior planning prevents poor performance."  I think I botched this one up.  

The other night when I was taking a shower, I inhaled some water and started choking.  I coughed so much I almost threw up.  I was in such a fit of coughing I had to step out of the shower (my primal instinct, I guess, was to get away from the water).  All I could think was that if this happened in the lake, I'd die.  Flat out die.  I don't think the "water buddies" could get to me fast enough.

I almost drowned in a shower two days ago and tomorrow I'm going to jump into a lake.  Not my brightest idea.

That said, if I survive this triathlon I can finally reveal a dirty little secret I have hidden away in the back of my closet.  Stay tuned...

5 comments:

RG said...

Well let's say you have not filled us with confidence about this outcome.

So surprise us with a sterling performance and survival!

Runner Leana said...

I'm sure you will do much better in the lake than in the shower. This is your first tri, and you know you can get through each component individually. Don't let the fact that you haven't done a brick worry you. I hadn't either. Your legs will feel like jello, but the feeling should subside within the first mile or so. I know you'll do great. Best of luck, and I can't wait to read what this little secret of yours is!

ShirleyPerly said...

Well, you MUST finish this race fine so we can all hear about this dirty secret!

Seriously, you will be fine. You KNOW you can swim much further than required. If you start to cough or panic during your race, just tread water or roll onto your back and take some deep breaths to calm down. Or you can swim to a kayak and hold on for a bit (that is legal). Don't worry about being fast. Just get it done! Good luck!!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

I'm sorry I haven't been able to keep up like I should. Have you been able to practice open water swimming? Will there be guide ropes? Will you be able to wear a wetsuit? If you're not very experienced in open water and you CAN wear a wetsuit, do so. It'll give you confidence because it's so bouyant.

Remember you have the swimming skills. Don't be afraid of what might be in the water. There's nothing in there that's going to stick around more than three seconds once the first wave of splashers hits the water.

You've practiced sighting, right? The water might be murky or even opaque. This can be very unsettling if you're not used to it. Just being aware of what conditions you might encounter should be enough to make you feel better.

Above all, remember it's only 400 yards. Not a big deal at all compared to what you're capable of. Shut off the brain and let your body do what it's trained for.

Have fun and write a good report! :-)

Sarah said...

You've gotten some good advice, I agree with Shirley. If you panic, just roll on your back and take deep breaths. You'll do great!