Respect the triathlon
I can’t remember whom, but I recently heard someone say, “Respect the marathon.” Or maybe I read that in a quote. But either way, it stuck out to me. When you’re running a lot and have several races on the calendar, it’s easy to get in a mindset that running 26.2 miles is no biggie. Which is just dumb. Even if you’re just running for fun and have no particular goal, it’s a big deal.
That’s the approach I’m having with this tri I’m attempting in three weeks: I’m respecting the hell out of it. Because I’m not that strong on my bike and I’m kind of a sucky swimmer. Yes, I signed up with only like, seven weeks to prep for it. But I’m really doing my damnedest to make sure I’m ready come September 1—to at least survive it with a smile on my face.
Not gonna lie, I was feeling nervous about the likelihood of that last week, when I met Coach Scott for a swim lesson at Chelsea Piers. But yesterday I had a kick-ass workout and finished feeling so much more confident. I swam 1,600 yards, jogged home, rode my bike about 18 miles, then ran 3 miles. I was kind of worried that I’d be wiped out after the swim, but I felt great through the whole thing. I actually would have even biked and run the full race distance, but I decided not to push it since I’d run 16 miles just the day before. Here’s a photo about 13 miles into that, on Summer Streets with my buds Johnny and Molly:
I love the range of emotions.
The rest of yesterday, I took it easy. Got a pedicure, watched Felicity on Netflix, and cooked some tacos for dinner with refried beans, red cabbage slaw, and charred corn. Charring corn on the gas stove is my new favorite thing to do.
And the tacos were delish, if I do say so myself!
