What have I gotten myself in for this time?
Well it is official, despite having the swimming abilities of a large rock I have decided to do some super sprint triathlons. I went into the bike shop the other day and by coincidence the girl in the shop happens to be a triathlon coach.
She takes a swimming session twice a week and very kindly invited me along. I must say I felt like a bit of a tool when I found out afterwards that she is a professional athlete and has finished at the pointy end of numerous Ironman and Multisport events and there was me completely ignorant of anything involved in running a triathlon.
So anyways she gave me some good advice and I have since ordered a wetsuit (it apparently has inbuilt extra buoyancy which I will definitely be in need of). I got the bike out today for the first time in ages. THe first half of my 21km ride felt good and was at a speed that won’t embarress me next weekend but when I turned around I discovered I had the advantage of a good tailwind but was now riding directly into it. Needless to say my return pace wasn’t real flash.
Next week is a super sprint which involves 300m swim/10km ride/3km run. If I can get through the swim somewhere near the main group and not 1/2 hour behind then I think I could be competitive.
Looking at the last races times the average was between 40-50 minutes which is great because it means that this wont distract me from the weights or my main goal of working towards a possible competition later on in 2009 
January 31, 2009 at 1:07 am
The swimming will challenge you in a whole new way. 300 metres does not sound far but it can feel like a marathon if you’re not swimming fit.
You’re going to have to spend some time in the pool… but hey Ryan I’m sure you’ll be great at this too!
January 31, 2009 at 3:16 am
Sounds like a great challenge. Good luck. If you don’t sink at least you know you’ll finish. Keep moving forwards, and enjoy your journey.
January 31, 2009 at 7:35 am
all the best, stryka!
January 31, 2009 at 9:07 am
I’m sure you’ll be able to do it no problem.
January 31, 2009 at 3:00 pm
u will do awesome and it sounds like u r making connections to make this new experience fun and interesting..u rock ryan keep us posted!!
January 31, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Congrats!! You’ll blow through the race, no problem. I did one a couple of years ago. Believe me, you’re way ahead of the game already.
I had a profile on beginnertriathlete.com and tracked my training through that. It also has a ton of info. It’s like BB.com for triathletes.