Two years ago, I decided to do a triathlon. What is interesting about this? Well for starters, although I knew how to swim, I had never swam in the ocean. I actually was afraid of swimming in open water. I had done four marathons ten years earlier, even though I detest running. I had biked a few events for fun and had gone on biking vacations. I don’t like doing physical activities that break you down ie. limping to the finish line, finishing but looking torn up, or events that involve mud.

LA Marathon 1998

So with all of this I decided to become a triathlete.

I was never an athlete. I never played any sports in school. I did take swimming lessons as a kid, but did not recognize that I was a good swimmer and perhaps could have been a competitive swimmer. As an adult I was always active, primarily for vanity reasons. I loved taking classes at the gym, and many years ago I taught aerobics.

I signed up for my first triathlon October of 2010. I trained on my own for three months. I had just celebrated my birthday and wanted to do something that would signify the start of a new year. I wanted a challenge to do something different “for me”. I also wanted to overcome my fear of swimming in the ocean, which I did after I realized that my wetsuit was like a floatation device. On the day of my event I was so nervous. You have to arrive before day light in order to park and set up your stuff, so there is a lot of waiting around until the start of the race. By the time the gun went off and I entered the water there was no looking back, the adrenaline rush is overwhelming, and there in no time to think about anything but moving forward to the next leg of the race.

My First Tri

I have ten weeks before my next triathlon. I am doing the Malibu triathlon on September 16th. No. I have not been training. Between everyone being home, graduation celebrations, a little traveling combined with some laziness I’ve been in a rut of sorts. I did the Malibu Triathlon last year so I know what to expect. The event is a 1/2 mile swim, 18 mile bike ride and a 4 mile run. The training can seem daunting, but once you get into a routine of swimming, biking, and running your body starts to get in the flow again.

Transition Area

Transitioning is a big part of the sport, there is a method to getting out of a wetsuit and jumping on your bike. I have yet to master this part.

Malibu Tri 2011

Reggie did the Malibu Triathlon too. It is nice to have a husband or partner to do a triathlon with, there is so much stuff that has to be set up and it is nice to have a “honey do” to help out ie. checking air in the tires, putting bikes on the rack etc.

Malibu Finish

My friend and workout partner LaShawn did the triathlon. It was really nice to have someone to train with, my workouts were more regular as a result.

Why I Tri

1. Swim/Run/Bike combo-No time for boredom

2. Weight loss and body sculpting

3. Bragging rights-something interesting to talk about at parties

4. Cute outfits

5. Eat more food

6. Cardio workouts

7. Personal sense of accomplishment

8. Awesome feeling crossing the finish line

Do you Tri? Would you like to Tri? If I can…You can.

xoxo,

Gigi

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