Swim-Bike-Run – Triathletes who SHINE!
It takes place in a big park and it includes beer gardens, restaurants and, of course, the finisher stadium. The evening of the pasta party and after the people have finished eating everyone walks to the town square where there is a big celebration. The swim takes place in a canal with thousands of spectators lining the the waterway on both sides including on the bridges. The age groupers even get to hear the play-by-play of the pro triathletes swim the single loop. The two loop bike course takes you through the beautiful Bavarian countryside. The bike course takes you through small towns where the town’s people cheer you on as they sit, eat and drink beer at long tables along side of the streets. The run course is flat and takes you through the woods and waterways around the area. You run a loop in a stadium purposely built for this triathlon and cross the finish line to the roar of thousands of spectators, the sound of music and announcers with lights flashing everywhere. You are then escorted into the Finisher Tents where you can take hot or cold showers. Over 5,000 triathletes, over 4,000 volunteers and over 250,000 spectators converge on race day.
Team in Training – Countdown to the NYC Triathlon!
Just about 6 weeks until the big day!! It’s hard to believe that it’s coming up so quickly. We didn’t go because the thunderstoms last weekend would have messed us up, BUT we rescheduled and are going for real in a few days. Don’t you worry – swimming is still going to be turned up to the next level! Bike racks are super awesome, but even the easiest one can take over an hour to install, even with instructions and 2 YouTube videos. Even if you are in the best shape ever biking hills are killers on the ol’ gams. Seriously, it was no joke and the hills on the Alpine trail are brutal at times! It was great though – even without padded bike shorts on – and we called it a day after almost 23 miles of nonstop hills and some terrifying minutes a busy street with the tiniest bike lane ever. If you know Harlem Hill, then no explanation needed. If you aren’t familiar, let’s just say it is no picnic – especially on a humid afternoon in the middle of they day. While the way up took effort the way back down was actually fantastic, and I was happy with my splits. The other day was a milestone in this year’s tri training: the day I successfully swam a full mile.
My Why – This Triathlon Thing…
I realize that’s it’s been a really long time since my last post. All of those things that I thought I would have time for – well, I’m not quite sure what happened there. I’m embarrassed to say that after all of this time, injury is still a part of my journey. The list includes feet, ankles, calves, knees, hips, upper and lower spine, shoulders, arms, hand The biggies that forced the cycles of extended time off followed by having to start all over again were: a stress fracture in the hip, two major abdominal surgeries, herniated disks with nerve impingement in the upper and lower spine, sciatica, a partial tear of the hamstring from the hip bone and bone contusions from a bike crash. Then there is this thing you have to do at the very beginning of a triathlon called swimming. I feel anxiety every time I get in the pool. It enables me to participate in a sport with my husband, giving us more time together. I ice and heat the different pieces and parts daily, sometimes multiple times. I have bad days, I have disappointments, issues, and times I don’t want to work out or don’t feel like working out. I overcame each injury, each setback, one at a time.
Physical Edge
To complete an Ironman you need discipline, determination, and inspiration, because you must fit training around work and family life. I worked with a coach who set my training schedule at the beginning of each week. The training was 6 days a week and increased in intensity over the year. Training for three different disciplines meant training twice for each discipline in the week. My bike was serviced three times in the year and I did Pilates early in my training to get more stability in my body, and prepare for the arduous months of winter. My swim coach and Training coach were important for technique training and organizing my training plan. I remember one of the greatest moments in training was cycling through the hills of Portugal with a World Duathlon champion and Portuguese triathlete. I still go for 3-4 hour bike rides but do not train for Ironman any more. I use my entire team to help them train and also provide them with all the resources to make the year fun, exciting and inspirational. I remind them the experience will be mind blowing and there are so many lessons to learn about goal setting, nutrition, training, health and discipline.
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