First Triathlon Post-Baby

Well, I guess I was worried for nothing. I actually performed way better than I thought I would at this past weekend's Fairport Harbor Pirate triathlon. Maybe the shortened swim and the countless hybrid bikes to pass motivated me, but I managed to get 3rd in my age group (out of 22)!

My swim is still horribly slow, but it is a little better since I had an open water swim lesson on Saturday. Apparently, I need higher elbows and to reach out wider. My bike is rock solid though. I LOVED racing and passing everyone I could catch out there. Flat course + my triathlon bike + me = FAST! But, of course, you eventually have to get off your bike and try to outrun those you passed. My run is okay, but not super speedy.

I passed BS just before T2, but she ran past me like I was standing still, which I basically was while mounting that hill out of the park. I'm really proud of her for finally doing her first triathlon! The first one I ever did, I was almost dead last. Not so for BS! If the ladies in her age group wouldn't have been so competitive, she would have snagged an age group award easily and certainly finished in the top third of the females. Incredible!

I'm feeling fairly good about the GCT Olympic now. I just have to survive the swim and then I'll be set! Of course, this bike course isn't flat, but I'm pretty decent on hills too. Wish me luck!

Here is a picture of me with BS and AS - two fast chicas (picture courtesy of AS)!



Here are a couple of pictures of the happy, little guy. He is 4 months old now!

A triathlon you say?

My first triathlon post-baby is coming up on Sunday. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

On one hand, my running and biking have been coming along nicely, but on the other, my swimming is in the crapper (and no that is not a reference to the Lake Erie water). MN and I have an open water swim lesson on Saturday, so hopefully that will help identify what the heck I did to my stroke while I was pregnant. Of course, I was never that great of a swimmer, but I want to be faster darn it!

I've been training about 7 hours a week. I run 3-5 days for a total of 20-25 miles, bike on the trainer 2 days, bike outside 1 day and swim 1-2 days (hmmm...maybe that is why my swim is so bad - lack of focus on it). Anyway, my long run is up to just over 10 miles at a 9:48 pace and my shorter runs are around 9:15-9:30 pace (even with the stroller). My long bike is up to 31 miles at 18.4 mph pace (flat course). My longest swim is still around 2000 meters, which is longer than I need to go for GCT, but it is going to be a slow slog. Good news is that I can still use the "I just had a baby 4.5 months ago" as an excuse for not hitting a PR on that course if I need to do so. Lets hope the stars align and I don't have to use that excuse.

Being back at work means I need to juggle being a mom, being a good worker and being an athlete. I think I'm doing okay at all three so far, but I'm definitely tired. I'm so thankful to have Wednesdays off. Not only do I get to run and hang out with my fellow mommy runner friends, but I can also catch up on some sleep. Will is still not sleeping through the night, but hopefully he will soon. He's so fun the rest of the time that I don't mind that so much.

The last couple Sundays have been fun too, because I've gotten to swim and have a picnic with some of my favorite people. Plus, Will gets to see his birthday buddy! Here is a picture of them this past Sunday.



Wish me luck this weekend!