Tri Tuesday- MTWomen's Tri is THIS SUNDAY! EEP!

Hey, hey, everyone! MTWomen's Tri is almost here- it's THIS SUNDAY!

That's right, race week is upon us! I'm in the middle of my taper, which is about a two-week taper. This week, I'm not hitting anything too hard and keeping my brick workouts pretty minimal. I'm also focusing on short distances but working on speed, especially for my run. I've been doing a ton of speed-builder interval and tempo workouts lately specifically to work on cutting time in my 5K run and it's been going well, so I'm hopeful that it will pay off! 

Now is the time to reassess my goals for the race. My number one goal has always been, and continues to be: To finish and to smile! I feel very confident in nailing that one!

Of course, I've thought about time goals, too. I've cut a lot of time off my 500 swim, so I think I can complete that in around ten minutes. I think it will take me about 45-50 minutes to bike 12 miles on the road (on my mountain bike). My 5K PR is 25:00 (unofficial) but after swimming and biking, I'm aiming for about 27:00 and would be really happy with anything close to that. So, as far as actual physical activity goes, I think it will take me between 80 and 95 minutes to complete the triathlon. 

But then there are the transitions. I've practiced transitions only very minimally, so that's likely to kick me in the arse on race day. My biggest time deterrent will likely be that I seem to have to go to the bathroom a lot! ha! I guess that means I must be on-track with my hydration. :) Other than that, I expect my swim to bike transition to take the most time-- putting on shoes and socks, and helmet... etc. I think the bike to run transition will be pretty quick. Just take off the helmet and replace it with a hat and go. We'll see. 

All in all, I'm really looking forward to race day. I've actually moved past the nervous feeling, for the most part, and I'm confident that I'll do well. I'm not in it to win it, but just to do it for me. I've had a lot of things going on in my life in the first half of 2016, and one of the main reasons in deciding to do this was simply to do it for myself. I'll be channeling a lot of emotions into this race and I know the accomplishment will feel good. Then, it'll be on to the beer tent! :)

I'll be back next week with the full recap! Wish me luck!

Tri Tuesday- Only 2 Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

Wow, you guys... the race is coming up FAST!

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I missed last week's Tri Tuesday post (and failed to do any other posts, besides!) but I'm here today with an update on my training. I've been sticking pretty close to my training plan, which included its toughest week of training last week and the week before. Now, I'm already beginning my taper as I lead up to Race Day on July 17! 

Brick workouts continue to be the most physically demanding. Yesterday, I had a really great confidence-boosting bike/run combo, however. Jeff had asked me to ride my bike over to our other farm yard to pick up a vehicle we had over there and drive it back home. Excited about the prospect of a not-often-used training route, I planned my brick to workout so that it would end at that yard. I biked ten miles of net uphill, trying to work my legs really hard, actually, so that I'd get the feeling of what it might be like on race day. Then, I stashed my bike by the side of the road and ran the last 2.5 miles to the yard to collect the vehicle. 

Again, I tried to push it pretty hard on the run. Typically, I ease up a bit on the run portion of a brick workout, but I wanted to see what my legs had in them. I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my Strava when I finished up and saw that my pace was very close to my normal 5K pace. I had expected it to be much slower. I am really happy with how I felt throughout the whole workout and how it seemed like my legs knew what to do and were flying on the run. 

The best part of this brick workout? Running by this patriotic barn on the 4th of July! 

I came back later, after retrieving the pickup and loading up my bike, for some photos...

Swimming workouts continue to go well, too. I've been working on increasing my yardage, and also on decreasing my 500 swim time. The first timed 500 I swam earlier this summer was 11:40 or so. Now, I'm down to 10:15. So, I've cut a lot of time, and I'm really happy with my progress there. I'd really like to be under 10 minutes on race day, but we'll see. I don't really know what to expect because the pool itself is completely different from any pool I've swam in before. All the same, the time estimate I entered for myself was 12 minutes, so I feel pretty confident I can be under that on race day. 

As far as gear goes, I'm pretty close to set. At a recent Bangs family reunion, one of Jeff's family members (who bikes A LOT) suggested I look into getting some skinnier tires for my mountain bike for race day. Great idea, and waaaaaay cheaper than buying a road bike or tri bike. Also, I had asked around and posted on Facebook looking for a road bike I could borrow and had no luck. So, the narrow tires mounted on my current bike might be the way to go. I could shave a little time off, anyway. I know my bike is a good bike, but it's not made for competitive road racing, and I think at this point the bike will be my weakest leg of the race because of this. So anyway, I should be able to take my bike in to the local bike shop in Havre and get this done later this week. Exciting!

At this point, I'm starting to get pretty excited about the race. I'm actually feeling less nervous now than I did a few weeks ago, and I think that's because I've felt strong during and after tough workouts, and it's building my confidence for race day. 

Tri Tuesday~ FOUR WEEKS until MTWomensTri!

You guys... it's only ONE MONTH until my Triathlon!!! I'm already getting excited and NERVOUS! But, I continue have solid training and to stick to my plan, and that is definitely building confidence. Read on!

www.Mtwomenstri.com

Training
As far as training goes, I have been really good about sticking to my training plan. I've been doing one swim per week and one brick of bike/run, in addition to just running and just biking. I've definitely noticed myself feeling pretty tired in general, and I'm attributing that to just the overall load of training. With a few races in the mix over the past few weeks, including a 10K and a 5K, that has caused me to make a few adaptations as well, and probably contributed to the overall feeling of fatigue. I don't think what I'm doing compares apples to apples with half marathon or full marathon training, but I imagine the feeling of tiredness/fatigue is similar to what you'd get if you were training for a big race like that.

The bike/run workouts continue to be a the most challenging, yet the biggest confidence booster toward my overall training. I've got some doozies left yet in my schedule, so I know I'll be prepared well on race day.

My toughest workout so far was a brick where I did a twelve mile ride followed by a two mile run. The ride was very challenging. Remember that I do all my rides on gravel roads on a mountain bike. The route I had planned included a one mile section that I thought had a trail, but turns out, it did not. So even though it was only one mile, powering through clumpy grass was very tiring. The route also had a lot of hills and loose rocks, and on that day it was pretty windy. Normally, I do 12 miles on flat road in just under an hour, but this took me almost an hour and a half! I was exhausted for the start of my two mile run, which felt like about six miles! ha! I was very thankful for my hydration and fuel during this workout, which you can read more about later!

Gear
Last time I wrote a Tri Tuesday post, I had given myself an assignment to buy a 5-gallon bucket, and a bike helmet. Well, I did both! Hooray! I will be using the bucket in my transition area, as suggested on the Montana Women's Triathlon website. It was inexpensive at about $5 from the local farm and feed supply store. Way cheaper than a fancy triathlon bag. And, when I'm not doing a triathlon, I can use it on the farm! lol

I also bought a bike helmet. I didn't get the cheapest one that Scheels had to offer, but not the most expensive one, either. I felt a little out of my element trying to pick one out. I really wasn't sure how they were supposed to fit, and felt like I was in between sizes. I went with the larger size of the women's specific helmet and was able to tighten it up to fit my noggin. It's comfortable overall, and when I ride, I forget that I'm wearing it, so that's good. The only thing I don't like is that I have to adjust where I sit my ponytail to be able to fit with the helmet. Annoying, but only a minor inconvenience.

Fuel and Hydration
Something I've been aiming toward working on for weeks, and finally got to in the past week or two. I had a scary moment and learned the hard way after Governor's Cup that I'm not superhuman and need to be smart about fueling and hydration. I barely had anything after that race, and became extremely dehydrated later in the day, to the point where I had vertigo and nausea, and even threw up several times, on the way home from Helena. Stupid, and probably could have been avoided.

Since then, I've been much more deliberate about staying hydrated and fueling for long workouts, and even shorter runs. What I've been using and really liking is Nuun and Honey Stinger products. I also read a great tip on a Dietition/Runner blog that I follow, Fannetastic Food, about a natural fuel source for running. She likes to use dates or figs rolled in sea salt for a pick me up on long training runs. I like dried apricots better, so I am experimenting with that. So far, I've been very happy with these products, and I've been able to score some very good sales and discounts on ordering both Nuun and Honey Stinger.




On that tough 12 mile bike ride/brick workout I mentioned, I made sure to plan out my hydration and fuel so that I'd stay strong through the workout. My strategy was 5-6 swallows of Nuun (tropical flavor!) as I get on the bike, then drink every four miles. Fuel strategy was have a snack at six miles and then at twelve as I transitioned to run. I ate salted apricot pieces and one or two Honey Stinger gummies. I felt like it did make a difference in my energy level, and I noticed after I finished the workout that I didn't feel as dead as I thought I might.

New-to-me Swimming Pool and Clothing Choices
I also had my first pool/bike combo workout last week. For this one, I tried out the Chester swimming pool, an outdoor pool. Chester is a little closer to my house than Havre and I thought it would just work better to bike in this town than around Havre. I was really impressed with their pool- it's pretty new and just overall better than I expected for a small town pool. Plus, I had lap swim all to myself, which was kind of nice!

For the bike portion of the workout, I just left from the pool and went for about forty minutes. I didn't rush through my "transition," just wanted to see what it was like for the first time through without any added stress of trying to be fast.

The biggest test for this whole workout was actually my clothing choices. For the first time in my life, I swam in shorts and a sports bra. My tri shorts, which I've written about before, were excellent. I also wore my Oiselle Runway Sports Bra, which also performed very well in the water. Both pieces dried out quickly on the bike ride, and by the time I was done, there wasn't a drop of moisture left. Perfect. You can see in the picture that I also threw on a tank top for the ride- Oiselle O Snap top. So soft. Loved it. :) I was really, really happy with the way everything worked out-- this whole ensemble will likely be my raceday combo.

Budget
I have done a bit more spending over the past two weeks. The helmet was $40, the bucket was $5, and I spent about $40 total on Honey Stinger and Nuun (but bought enough to last for well beyond the triathlon!). My total has now reached about $435. It's adding up, even with offsetting some of the purchases with sales of old workout clothes. Time to sell more stuff!

Stay tuned for next week's Tri Tuesday post! I'm in the midst of my biggest two weeks of training. :)

Tri Tuesday! Six Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

It's Tri Tuesday! I have lots of great stuff packed into this post, including an update on my training and some brief reviews of clothing!

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On the training plan for this week was: 3 Runs, 1 Bike, 1 Swim, and one Brick Workout. 

What I did was: All of it! Yay! 

After a long bike ride. Still smiling!

I did my first really tough Tri Brick workout this week. Sure, I had done a mini brick a few weeks ago, but this one was the first workout that really felt like work. The workout was actually suggested by Jeff, since he had a vehicle stashed up at one of our far away farm fields that needed to be retrieved. (When farming and fitness collide...right?) So, we biked up close to where it was (10.5 miles) and then ran from where we parked our bikes the rest of the way to the pickup, for 2.5 miles of running. It ended up being 45 minutes on the bike and 23 minutes of running. I had on my training plan to do 40 minutes on the bike and 20 minutes of running, so this ended up working perfectly with my schedule, sort of by accident. The ride was net-uphill and did feel challenging at times. We maintained a pretty fast clip for mountain bike. I was on my top gear range for most of the ride.

The biggest challenge, I'm finding, with brick workouts is starting the run. Man, do your legs feel weird after biking! My lungs were fine, but it just felt really weird moving my legs in running motion. It sort of feels like your legs aren't even there. I'm moving, but my legs feel like they're not there. It's just an odd sensation. This lasted for about the first mile, then I wouldn't say that my legs felt fresh, but they felt more... normal. The run was also net uphill. The whole thing ended at the highest point of any land that we farm. The view was amazing. You'll have to take my word for it, though, because I didn't bring my phone... because my shorts didn't have any pockets and I couldn't hold it in my hand while I was biking. Jeff had his, so I screen-shot his Strava entries so you'd get another idea of what we did... I was pretty tired after finishing that workout, but I also felt very strong, just in terms of completing it and knowing I can do something hard like that. I'm actually really looking forward to more brick workouts. I guess I'm a glutton for pain!

The bottom map is the bike portion and the top map is the run. 

I also had my first SWIM of my training cycle this week, too! Man, I forgot how much I really love swimming. It went really well. I was a little sore the next day, but surprisingly not that bad at all. Not like I anticipated I would be. Even if I haven't hit the pool in about eight years, I guess my other fitness pursuits have kept me in decent shape that the first pool workout didn't feel like such a shock. Now, I'm feeling even more excited for the next time I get to swim!

For my first swim, I decided to take it a little easy and just see how it felt. So, nothing longer than 100 yards at a time. I did 1200 yards total and alternated between swim, pull, kick, and stroke for each 100. I also tried some flip turns. They were a little rusty, but not bad. Next time, I'll do my warmup, and then start building up toward being able to swim 500 yards with no breaks, and I need to be diligent and commit to flip turns every time.

Quick review of the Oiselle Long Flyte Shorts that I purchased. From the first moment I put these on, I was in love. They are SUPER comfortable, seamless, long but not too long. I tried them out right away on that Brick workout I did with Jeff. The bike is the real test of these shorts. I wanted to see if they were long enough that they would protect my legs from rubbing against my bike seat, and if they'd stay in place and not ride up. They passed both tests! And, they continued to stay in place while I ran, too. They are super light weight, and they definitely wick effectively. They are also seamless, so very comfortable. The only, only thing they are missing is a pocket. No pockets of any kind, probably because they are seamless. Otherwise, these are the shorts of my dreams for running and bike training. They are also pretty inexpensive at $36 full price. I'm now eyeing the other colors... I know I'll wear these puppies out this summer! In case anyone is thinking about ordering a pair, I ordered a Medium, just for your reference, and they are perfect for me. I typically wear a 6 or 8 in Oiselle shorts, depending on the style.

Image source: www.oiselle.com.
I have the black version of these Long Flyte Shorts, but isn't that Podium Blue pretty, too?! 

Also, a few more words about the Coeur Tri Shorts that I also purchased recently. I wrote about these briefly in my last Tri Tuesday post, as I had tried them out on a run. I have now used them on an extended bike ride and on a brick workout as well, and the continue to be amazing. They are very comfortable. I never notice the padded chamois in the crotch area when I run, and it provides extra cushion on my bike. I feel fast and strong when I wear them. They are very grippy at the hem due to a silicone grip. These do have three small pockets at back waist, too. Between these and the Long Flyte Shorts, I've got my bike short needs covered. These will be my go-to for race day. These are more compressive than the Flyte shorts, and definitely more expensive at about $86. (I bought mine with a PayPal credit I had from selling some other gear.)

Post-workout stretching in my Coeur Sports Lakota Tri Shorts!

This week, the workout plan is pretty much the same: 3 runs, 1 bike, 1 swim and a Brick workout. I am racing a 10K this Saturday at Governor's Cup, so some of my distances will be a slight cut back this week as I try to do a mini taper and keep my legs fresh for my race.

Gear I still need: 5-gallon bucket, bike helmet....and perhaps find someone willing to loan a me a road bike?!?

Still haven't done any fueling and hydration testing yet. Need to get prepared and get on that.

On the spending money front, I did buy a 12-punch pass for the swimming pool in Havre for $35.00.  So, my total is now up to around $350.

That's all for this week! See you next week with another Tri Tuesday post! Can't believe it's only about six weeks away!!! :)

Tri Tuesday! 7 Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

Ok you guys... Track and school are done for the year, so now it's time to get down to business! Only about seven weeks until race day!

www.mtwomenstri.com

Last week was a good one in terms of training and sticking to the plan.

Plan was: 3 Runs, 1 Bike, Optional Swim, Optional Brick workout.

What I did was- Five runs, totaling 18.5 miles, and one bike ride of nine miles! Nailed it! I'm feeling pretty good, too!

Last week I also wanted to start using some of my new gear, especially my Tri shorts. THESE are the shorts I purchased. It was too cold for shorts on my bike ride last week, but I did wear them for a 3-mile run on the treadmill. They were really great! Felt like any other tight short, only the hem was super grippy, which meant they didn't ride up at. all. I wondered if the chamois panel (padding for bike riding) in the crotch would bother me while running and I'm happy to report that I didn't even notice it.

I also ordered a pair of seamless tight shorts from Oiselle because I had a coupon- the Long Flyte shorts. I've been wanting something just like this for biking and running for a long, long time. I'll write more about them next week. Spoiler Alert: I LOVE THESE SHORTS!

This week's goals:
Goal Numero Uno:  FOLLOW THE PLAN! The plan for this week includes a non-optional brick workout, and a non-optional swim workout. Yep. The word "optional" is no longer in the training plan from here on out. Time to hit the pool. I've got plans to go when I'm in Havre on Wednesday. Can't wait!

Goal Dos: Fuel. Again, begin experimenting with fuel and hydration. I'm not even really sure where to start. I have tried a few different gels and gus in the past and did not like them in the slightest, largely for the texture. I couldn't get the image of swallowing glue or boogers out of my head and it would make me gag. I'd really like something that resembles real food. I've heard about salted dates or apricots being good fuel, and honey, so I might try those out. Also, I am a fan of NUUN hydration. Probably should stock up! :) If anyone has any favorite fuels or hydration products for running or triathlon, please let me know!

Goal Tres: Bike Helmet. So, I do still need a little bit of gear. I need a bike helmet. I know, I know... I should already have one. But I don't. I can't compete in the Triathlon without one, so it's time to get that nailed down and start practicing with it.

At the time of writing this, I've already done my brick workout for this week! Stay tune for next week's Tri Tuesday post to read about it and everything else in my Tri training endeavors! :)

Tri Tuesday! 10 Weeks until MTWomensTri!

Hey everyone!

It's time for a weekly update on the Triathlon training! There's about ten weeks until the race, and this was really my first "official" week of training. I also gave myself a pretty firm deadline of ordering a swimsuit for lap swimming.

Starting with training, I think I had a pretty good week. Right now, my training doesn't look that different from a normal week in my fitness world, anyway.

Here is what I had on my plan to do this week:
Week 1 (This week!) 3 runs, 1 bike workout
optional brick: 3x(4 mile bike, 1mile run)
swim if possible

And here is what I actually did:
Four runs AND a brick workout!
6.4 miles (on trail) on Sunday, 3 miles Tuesday, 3.4 miles Wednesday, and about 2.5 miles on Saturday. These were all just running workouts. I did not get a swim in because I didn't have a suit yet. :)

For my Brick, I was short on time, so I greatly truncated the workout I had on the schedule. I just did one set of the 4 mile bike, 1 mile run, and lengthened the run slightly to 1.5 miles. I called it a Mini Brick. Even though it was short, I still got a taste for what a brick will be like. What I've read/heard is true and I noticed it even in my Mini Brick- my legs felt weird when running immediately after biking. I'm glad I have a lot of bricks built into my training plan so I can continue getting used to that feeling.

Overall, I feel like I followed my plan close enough for the first week. I replaced my swim with a run, and I did do a brick. So far, so good!

I also had a secondary goal of BUYING A SWIMSUIT! And... I did it! I ended up ordering a suit on sale from SwimOutlet, along with two swimcaps and two sets of goggles. Caps tear easily so I wanted to have a spare on hand. I also wanted a spare pair of goggles for the same reason.

Here's what I got-


Just standard latex swim caps. The goggles are Speedo Vanquishers, women's version, which is what I used in high school and college, so I know they'll work great. I bought the reflective kind to cut glare for swimming outdoors.

The suit is a TYR Diamond Fit suit. I wasn't totally sure I remembered my size, but I guessed right and it fits great. I'm a 34, for reference, in case anyone is looking to buy a suit and isn't sure about their size. SwimOutlet has tons of selection and it can be overwhelming. I used their search bars to narrow down to brands I wanted (Speedo or TYR), then selected my size, and then clicked sort by price low-to-high. I chose one in colors that I thought were OK and was on sale, and in a fit I knew I would like. This style of TYR suit is the same as my lifeguarding suit from high school, so I knew it would fit and perform the way I would want. I guess there haven't been a lot of changes in competition suits over the years. All in all, I'm really happy with it and I can't wait to try everything out in the pool!


One more note. At this point, I plan to only use this suit for my lap swimming and training. This could change, but I think for the actual race, my plan is to swim in a sports bra and triathlon shorts, and then put a shirt or tank top on over the top for the bike and run portions. I've been doing a lot of research, and this seems like the way to go, especially for first-time. I can always buy a wetsuit or even more specialized gear in the future if I get really serious about triathlons. I plan to actually order a pair of tri shorts very soon, so I can start getting used to them. I've got some picked out already and I'll be sure to share what I end up with!

Money spent so far. Triathlon gear and registration is pricey. I had spent almost $200 already on the race registration and hotel reservation. I've now also spent almost $100 on swimsuit and gear, so my total is around $300. Eek! Still have to get a certified bike helmet, and the tri shorts. Plus I'm sure there are other odds and ends. Thinking about selling some old running clothes on eBay to help defray costs.

Goals for this week-
1) Stick to my training plan again. On deck for this week are 3 runs, 1 bike, optional brick, and optional swim. I am really hoping to actually get to the pool later this week, possibly Friday or Saturday.

2) Loose goal-- order tri shorts!

Stay tuned for next week's installment of Tri Tuesdays!

Tri Tuesday! 11 Weeks Until MTWomensTri!

Well, here I am at about eleven weeks from MTWomensTri!

www.mtwomenstri.com

Specific goals that I had for today were as follows:

1) Identify/create a training plan.

2) Buy a swimsuit.

Starting with Goal Number 1- Identifying a Training Plan.
I did a bunch of research on beginner, Sprint Triathlon training plans. One observation about tri training plans is that there are A LOT to choose from. Training plans vary greatly, as do the types of triathlons people train for. The most basic tris seem to be similar to what I'm doing- beginner-friendly, pool swim, sprint tris. Mine is 500 meter swim, 12 mile ride, 5K run. They range all the way up to Ironman distance, which is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a full marathon (26.2 mile) run! Holy cow.

In the end, I created my own training plan after looking through a lot of other sprint-tri plans. One good thing is that I already feel like I'm in really good shape for bike and run, as I can cover both of those distances without any problems. So, the biggest opportunities for me are in swim training and transition training.

With the swim, I do have a solid background in swimming, but I just haven't done much of it in recent years. I think swim conditioning will come quickly once I get into the pool. I found a lot of training plans that are geared toward beginners for sprint distance, but the biggest challenge was finding one that worked for my unique situation, specifically regarding swim training. The vast majority of plans had 2-3 days of pool workouts listed per week. Given my distance from the pool, realistically, I think I can plan on one pool workout each week and a second pool swim would be a bonus most weeks. Right now with track season, it would be a long shot for me to make it to the pool at all, so my swim workouts won't pick up until June, most likely.

Transitions are the term for when you transition from swim to bike, and then from bike to run. They're referred to as T1 and T2. Based on the research I've done, one of the best ways to train for transitions and also to work on overall conditioning are through what's called "Brick Workouts," or just "Bricks." Since I already feel comfortable in the run and bike distances, I'm not needing to build mileage at this time, like a lot of training plans do in the early stages, so I'm already going to add in bricks early on, specifically bike/run bricks.

Here's an outline of my training plan:
Week 1 (This week!) 3 runs, 1 bike workout
optional brick: 3x(4 mile bike, 1mile run)
swim if possible
**So far, I've done two runs this week. I just need one more run and a bike, or a brick, and I'll have this week accomplished!

Week 2 3 runs, 1 bike workout
optional brick: 5 mile bike at moderate effort and 3 mile run at 10 min/mile pace
swim if possible

Week 3 3 runs, 1 bike workout
optional brick: Ride 30-45 minutes, run 15 minutes
swim if possible

Week 4 3 runs, 1 bike
optional brick: 2x(6 mile bike, 1.5 mile run)
Swim if possible

Week 5 3 runs, 1 bike, 1 swim (no longer optional!)
brick: Ride 45 minutes, run 20 minutes

Week 6 3 runs, 1 bike, 1 swim
brick: 6 mile ride at moderate effort, 3 mile run at 10 min/mile pace

Week 7 3 runs, 1 bike, 1 swim
brick 1: 12 mile bike, 2 mile run
brick 2: 500 swim, 30-40 minute bike

Week 8 3 runs, 1-2 bike workouts, 1-2 swim workouts
brick 1: 3x(4 mile bike, 1 mile run)
brick 2: TIMED 500 swim, 45 minute ride

Week 9 3 runs, 1-2 bikes, 1-2 swims
brick 1: 12 mile bike, 5k run- practice T2
brick 2: TIMED 500 swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run
~or~
break it up as TIMED 500 swim, 6 mile bike - Practice T1 - (in morning) and 6 mile bike, 5K run in evening - Practice T2.

Week 10 3 runs, 1-2 bikes, 1-2 swims
brick 1: TIMED 500 swim, 8 mile bike - practice T1
brick 2: 8 mile bike, 2 mile run - practice T2

Week 11 3 runs, 1-2 bikes, 1-2 swims
brick 1: 500 swim, 6 mile bike - practice T1
brick 2: 30 minute bike, 15-20 min easy run - practice T2

July 17- RACE DAY!

Whew. Seems kinda crazy after typing it all out like that. With the "3 runs," I'm thinking that at least one of them will be a long run of distance 5-8 miles. Even throughout the tri training, I'd like to stay in shape to be able to complete a 10K race, and have a few planned in the interim anyway. Also, the brick workouts are not necessarily meant to be separate from the outline of "3 runs, 1-2 bike, 1-2 swim," but could replace those workouts. I'm not super rigid when it comes to training plans. I also find that I can't plan in advance that a certain day of the week is my "swim day," or "run day," as each week varies soooooo much on the farm. I'll just plan on a week by week basis, or try to, and figure out which day I'll do which activity as I go along.

Now, addressing Goal #2- find a swimsuit!
There are no stores within a two-hour drive of my house that sell competition or lap swimming swimsuits, so to the internet I go! I still haven't ordered a suit, but I plan to do that today. I'll probably pick a basic Speedo or TYR on sale from www.swimoutlet.com for my lap swimming workouts. I'm still deciding if I will want to race in my workout suit, or if I want to try something different. I'm sure I'll post more on that later! So, obviously no pool workout this week until my lap suit comes in. :)

Also, just for fun--  Here's a hilarious blog post for people who like to laugh and know very little about triathlons: http://www.oiselle.com/blog/fan-girls-guide-triathlon. I highly recommend reading this one!

Next week on Tri Tuesday, I'll hopefully be reporting about how the first week of training went, and all about my new swimsuit! See you next week!

Tri Tuesday! 12 Weeks to MTWomensTri!

Twelve Weeks Until Montana Women's Triathlon!

www.mtwomenstri.com

With all the enthusiasm and support from you all surrounding my decision to tackle my first triathlon, I thought I'd start a new weekly series on the blog all about my tri training experience. From the signup process to completion of the race and everything in between, check back here each week to see how it's going. I'm calling it Tri Tuesdays! (Yes, today is Wednesday... I wanted to publish my Icebreaker review as soon as I finished it yesterday, so this got pushed back.)

Why did I sign up for a triathlon!? Well, I've always wanted to do one. I have good experience in each of the triathlon disciplines, so why not put it all together? Plus, I am really looking forward to the challenge and problem solving of training for the tri, and the awesome feeling of accomplishment when I finish the race. I'm not doing it to win, I'm doing it to prove to myself that I can. My goals are to finish and to smile. 

Why this Triathlon? I heard about this one haphazardly through Active.com's email blasts. I love that it's women only, it's sprint distance, and the swim is in the pool rather than open water. I've also read and heard over and over that this race is very beginner friendly, which suits me quite well. The distances for this race are as follows: 500 meter swim in an Olympic pool, 12 mile bike, 5k (3.1mile) run.

Montana Women's Triathlon is held in Helena. This will be the second year of this event. I just love the positive vibe that I got instantly from their website. From their site: "Our goal is to empower women to find strength within to live healthy happy lives." Sounds like it is right up my alley!

The Sign-Up Process...
The only thing I have done so far to prepare for the MTWomensTri is...sign up for the race. The sign up process for this triathlon was slightly more complicated than your average small-town 5K race,which is mostly what I run, so I thought I'd share a little about it. Who knows- maybe one of you readers will decide to sign up for your first triathlon and this blog will be a helpful source of information for you!

Ok. So there are a few extra steps and pieces to put into play when you sign up for a triathlon. Obviously, this is the first and only time (so far) that I've signed up for one, so this is the only one I'm basing my experience off of, but I'd assume others are similar or perhaps even more complicated.

First, I found out I had to sign up for a USA-Triathlon membership because MTWomensTri is a sanctioned USAT event. I went to the USAT website to research membership cost and benefits. $50 for an annual membership. Yikes! And, you had to make a written request for an application (who doesn't have an online application in 2016?!), fill it out, and send it back with money. Uffda.

I decided to take my chances and just see what would happen if I signed up for the race first. Luckily, this was the right call. In the process of signing up (online, thankyouverymuch!) for MTWomensTri, they offer a USAT day pass for only $15. Sweet. If I decide I like triathlons and plan to do more, I can even credit my $15 day pass toward the year-long membership fee.

The next thing that came up in the sign-up process was a bike stand. I guess I have to purchase a bike stand???? I'm not sure if it is a single bike stand just for me/my bike, or if I'm paying for a spot on a large bike rack. This was a little confusing, but it was only $5 and I figured I'd rather have it than not, especially if they are suggesting it, so I bought that, too.

Next, they asked for a time estimate for my swim to help seed me in the most appropriate wave of swimmers. The swim portion is 500 meters in an olympic pool. Now, I haven't swam a timed 500 since... probably high school. When I was lifeguarding, I could do it in about eight minutes, and that was yards, not meters. I have no idea where I'd do it today. I put down 12:00 as a shot in the dark. So, I guess now I have a goal for my swim training- be able to swim 500 meters in under 12:00. I'm actually a little concerned that my estimate is too fast. I guess we'll see!

Finally, payment for the race itself was $60. So far, my total is $80 for the race fee, USAT day pass, and "bike rack."

I also made a reservation at a hotel that's near the triathlon start/finish. I can always cancel it if I find someone to stay with later, but I just wanted to have piece of mind that I will have a place to sleep before the race, which starts at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday in Helena. Helena is a little over three hours drive from my house, so it definitely necessitates an overnight stay on Saturday night.

What's Next?
Next, I need to start working on gathering supplies, and deciding on a training plan. I started researching sprint triathlon supply lists and my head started spinning. Of course, some lists insist upon a very large number of supplies that you "absolutely must have" in order to be successful in your race. I want to know what I actually must have and what is not really necessary, especially for a beginner whose goals are to finish and to smile.

Here's what I know I really do need, as of now:
- swimsuit 
- swim cap
- goggles
- 5 gallon bucket to use as my "transition bag" and hold my stuff
- bike helmet (why do I not already own a bike helmet?!)
- shorts I can wear to bike in and to run in

Other things I would like, but may not be absolute must-haves:
- kickboard for pool training
- beach towel
- fuel/energy gu of some sort
- a borrowed road bike

Now, let's talk training plans. I keep looking for plans for my specific situation- beginner, pool swim, sprint-distance tri. Many plans call for hitting the pool 2-3 times a week, which is not really feasible for me, living as far as I do from the pool. In the end, I will probably work on creating my own training plan, adapted from others that I find online. I'll write more about this once my plan is developed. The good news is that I can already cover both the bike and run distances of this race with no problem. It's really the swim that I need to bulk up on, and to start working on multiple-discipline days, or "brick workouts." (I have learned that in tri lingo, a day when you train or workout in more than one discipline is called a brick day. See? I know things!)

Next Steps:
By next week, I will have decided on a training plan and will publish it here. I'd also like to have researched the Havre swimming pool for costs and lap swim times, and would like to have at least ordered a good lap swimming suit, cap, and goggles.

Your job is to hold me accountable to this!

See you next week with my next Tri Tuesday update!