re·com·mit

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of the word "recommit" is:

Function:
transitive verb

Date:
1621

1 : to refer (as a bill) back to a committee
2 : to entrust or consign again

To "entrust" again -- I think that sums up my triathlon experience thus far. In this second attempt to complete a triathlon, I have entrusted the enhancement of my swim, bike and run skills (or lack thereof) to the TNT coaches in the hopes that all this training will help me get across that finish line in May (crossing my fingers...and toes!)

Last week, I signed and sent in my recommitment forms -- I've committed to raising money for this incredible cause and I am officially doing this triathlon in May -- yikes! To make the recommitment even more of a reality, today I booked my flights/hotel with the TNT travel agent ~ALOOOOOHA~ Time for a pina colada to celebrate -- oh wait, I'll save that for after I cross the finish line (part of the training is to think positively) -- if you think you can do it, you will! At least, that's what I keep telling myself!

So last Sunday, the coaches videotaped us swimming so they could critique our swimming technique/form and help give us better advice on what we should/need to correct in our swim form. For me, the fact that I'm able to get from one side of the pool to the other is a feat in and of itself -- so for the coaches to critique my swim form was actually pretty intimidating, but then I figured they could at least tell me if I even had any sort of form to my swimming at all, and that would at least be helpful.

When it was time to get into the pool (I was the first one from my group to get videotaped, woohoo, lucky me!) I was a little scared (read: terrified) because 1. I had never swam in a pool where I couldn't touch the bottom of the pool, and the lane we were supposed to swim in for the videotaping was 12 ft deep and 2. everyone was watching me! So when I finally got the courage to jump in, I did panic for a minute, then when I reached the surface to get my breath, I actually felt ok -- the water was a nice temperature and I soon realized it was a salt water pool. I swam a few laps before the coach signaled to me that he was ready to videotape me -- and actually, that part wasn't so bad. I swam two laps and he videotaped me from one angle one way, and a different angle on the second lap. And that was it....until it came time to review my swimming...

When it was my turn to review my swimming "form" (that is, if you can call having no form a form) it was quite interesting...did I mention I just learned how to swim?!?! Let's just say I still have quite a few things to work on. Right now, I am just satisfied with the fact that I can swim (really swim) from one end of the pool to the other without water wings! LOL! I can work on my "form" when I train for my next triathlon ;-)

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AHA! Moment #3

Swimming in the deep end of the pool is no different than swimming in the shallow end...however, if you can't swim, at least you can stand up in the shallow end. But once you do learn to swim, the depth of the water is negligible because hey, you can swim! AHA!

Pigs MUST be able to fly!

So you know the saying " it will happen when pigs fly"?

Well, pigs must be able to fly because believe it or not, I can swim! Yes, I can swim without the aid of flotation devices -- yeah, amazing I know...I have swimming skills! =) In fact, just this morning, I swam 250 yds freestyle -- huge improvement considering that a month ago, I couldn't even complete 25 yds (even with a flotation device)!

I have to admit, the private swimming lessons that I paid for probably had some part in developing this hidden talent (ha!), underdeveloped and highly underutilized skill that I now have -- actually truth be told, without those lessons, I would probably still be clinging on to the wall during the team swim practices. I think having a personal swim coach has given me the confidence to actually try to swim -- hey, you would try really hard to swim too if you were paying someone by the hour to teach you to swim...you learn really fast when there's money involved! But after all that is said and done, I am glad that I did invest in the swim lessons because it has given me some great "AHA! moments" in swimming...it's taught me how to push my so-called athleticism...and most important of all -- I can swim!

Do you see the pigs flying? Because I do! =)

If at first you don't succeed....try, TRI again!!!

Yes, I have been MIA on my own blog -- tsk, tsk, tsk...shame on me!
I really do have a good excuse...if you want to read about it, here it goes...

If you haven't noticed -- I've switched triathlons. I am no longer participating in the Lavaman Tri in March. I had to take some time off after the holidays due to illness, which caused me to miss way too many trainings -- and I was in no way (and certainly in no shape) going to be able to even think about completing a triathlon in March -- and that's not even considering the swimming difficulties I was having (read: I couldn't swim)...

And so, at the end of January, I decided (with my doctor's OK) to join the Spring Team and sign up for the Honolulu Tri in May -- which was perfect = more time to practice/train = more time to learn to swim (that is, with the goal of swimming without the aid of a flotation device!) ;-)

So begins the NEW journey -- because as they say -- if at first you don't succeed...try, tri again! And I am certainly going to tri again...

It's as easy as riding a bike!

Whoever said riding a bike is easy, clearly wasn't talking about me or my bike...actually, riding a bike isn't the problem, it's the things that can happen while riding a bike that seem to be a problem...

On Saturday there wasn't a scheduled coached workout, but our training schedule called for a leisurely 60 min bike ride on your own...so I drove to Brentwood and went riding with my cousin-in-law (Jimmy's cousin Christina) and her boyfriend -- since I'm a beginner, I don't like to do things alone -- which was a good thing for this bike ride! I got there at 10am and figured we would ride until about lunchtime. We took off on a trail in Brentwood towards Antioch -- it was a beautiful, crisp California morning...and everything was going well, until we hit mile 4...

As we were riding, chatting, and enjoying the beautiful morning on our bikes, all of the sudden, I hear this awkward noise coming from the front of my bike and as I look down, I yell, "Oh @#$! I've got a flat!" So, in the middle of a trail, somewhere in Brentwood, we all stopped (well, I was half stopped already thanks to the flat tire) and got off our bikes to assess the damage...and yup, it was a flat tire alright...can someone call triple A?

At this point, in my mind I was trying to remember the steps to change a flat tire that we were briefly taught at our workout last Saturday...but you never really remember everything until you actually have to -- and at this critical time, for me, a beginner, my mind was trying to remember everything...On my bike, I had a little pouch that carried all the necessary items to change a flat...extra tube, CO2 cartridge, tire levers...the challenge: remembering what tool was used for what and how to use it.

First, I knew I had to take the wheel/tire off -- so using the tire levers, I propped the damaged tube off -- it took some time, and some help from my Pit Crew (Bubba) -- yes, that's right, my own Pit Crew and photographer -- I train with an entourage! But I was able to get the damaged tube off, and we found the culprit of this disaster -- 2 goatheads stuck in the tire.


With the damaged tube off, I put the new tube on...

Then it was time to fill the tire with air...I had a fancy little CO2 cartridge holder, so fancy that it took us 10 mins to figure out how to use the thing! After we filled it with air, we realized that half the tire was full of air, and the other half, barely had any air in it, and the tire looked a bit lopsided...clearly, we were doing something wrong...My Pit Crew thought that maybe the tube was twisted and, at that point, we knew we were screwed because I only had one new tube (which was now twisted or pinched) and not a lot of CO2 left...so the only option we had left: call for help. Bubba called his niece who was staying at his house (his house was, well, 4 miles away -- we started the ride from his house) and asked her to pick us up. The road was just about a quarter mile from the trail, and the plan was to take my bike to a nearby bike shop, Brentwood Bike Co. So we walked to the road, my tire in one hand and bike in the other...


When his niece got there, we loaded our bikes on the back of his truck and headed over to the bike shop. When the bike guy looked at the tire, the first thing he asked, "did you blow some air in the tube first before fitting it on the wheel?" Huh? I must have zoned out on that part during the demonstration at last week's training...So I learned that blowing some air into the tube helps give the tube some shape and ensures that the tube isn't getting pinched anywhere (which would cause it to not inflate properly)...yeah, it all seems very logical now...so the bike guy deflates the tire and makes sure that the tube isn't twisted or pinched anywhere and fills it up with air...ah, much better! I put the wheel back on my back and, viola -- it's like nothing ever happened! And it only took us 45 mins and a trip to the local bike shop to fix it!

Since we only rode for 4 miles before the incident, we decided to ride for another 30-45mins. As Bubba was taking his bike and Christina's bike off of the truck, he noticed Christina's bike had a flat too! And the same culprit, those nasty goatheads. Luckily we were still at the bike shop and she was able to get her flat fixed within minutes...With everyone's bike repaired and ready to go
we were then finally ready to ride off into the afternoon California sun...so much for a 60 min, leisurely bike ride!

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AHA! Moment #2: When changing a flat tire on your bike, remember to blow some air in the new tube so that it takes shape, making it a lot easier to fit the tube around the wheel and helps to avoid the tube from getting twisted/pinched -- DUH, I mean, AHA!

ART & AHA! Moment #1

So I did some ART today -- the physical therapy kind, not the canvas/paint kind (acronym for Active Release Therapy) and it was painful! If I were to describe it -- it's like a deep tissue massage, only the therapist focuses on a certain spot and puts a sumo-size amount of pressure on that one spot with the goal of breaking up the scar tissue that has formed in a place in your body (mine is near the IT band area) that it shouldn't have...and the therapist goes over that one spot, over and over and over again until you just can't take it anymore! Sound fun? Yeah, fun if you are a glutton for punishment and pain...Well, apparently it's supposed to be helpful so I am scheduled to see my ART therapist 2x/week for three weeks...I guess I am a glutton for punishment!

In addition to providing pain, my ART therapist is also teaching me a lot about my body make-up that I never paid attention to or knew -- for instance, she told me I was quad-dominant, but I didn't know whether to take that as an insult or compliment...and at our next session, she going to do a gait analysis and video tape me as I run to see if I have proper form when running (which I hope the answer is yes...but if the answer is no, then maybe that would explain why I am stuck at the same PR for marathons no matter how much I train!) In any case, I think this ART thing may very well be a good thing...if you can tolerate the pain!

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AHA! Moment #1: After spending some time in the pool at the gym last Saturday (after the team workout), I realized that to stay afloat, you need to fill your lungs with air! And that when you fill your lungs with a lot of air, it (your lungs) act just like a flotation device, kinda like water wings...So the key to not drowning is to fill your lungs with air = BREATHE! AHA!
Now, just gotta work on those breathing skills...

1st Swim Practice with the Team -- OH NO!

So today was our first coached workout -- swim and bike. I thought I was mentally prepared for this dreadful day -- the FIRST day of swim practice with the team -- but, as you'll soon read, some of the forces were against me...

We met at Dougherty Vally High School in San Ramon at 7:45am. I got there about 7:30am, with all the necessary gear for both swim and bike training: swim suit on (under my clothes), goggles, swim cap -- I left the kick board at home, I didn't want it to be too obvious that I didn't know how to swim (although the fear in my eyes once we reached the pool probably gave it all away!) I also had my new Trek bike, which I just bought on Friday and barely knew how to operate the brakes and gears, but I had a helmet, so I was prepared for the worst, and I had my bike shorts (with necessary and helpful padding all in the right areas!)

The first part of the day was a nutrition clinic -- the coaches talked about proper nutrition ("fat burns in a carbohydrate fire" = EAT LOTS OF CARBS -- yes, bring on the bread and pasta! Yumm!) After the clinic, we walked over to the pool -- my heart started to beat faster as we approached the pool area. When it was time to enter the pool, we were asked to divide ourselves by skill level, the beginners (that's me!) were told to use lane on the far left, in the 3 foot deep water, where they knew we could do no harm to ourselves (or others for that matter). So I walked over to the "beginner" lane, and I was pleased to see that I wasn't the only one that considered themselves beginners -- there were actually three of us and we all had the same "look" on our face -- the "oh @#$%" look. We were given three drills to do in the water and for about 20 mins, we were trying to do the drills, but each of us could only get a quarter of the way down the lane -- our beginner skills/frantic splashing in the water was a clear cry for help. So our swim coach finally came over and worked with us (which was great timing considering that I was starting to feel the need to pee after drinking so much of the pool water!) -- she started with the basics: how to blow bubbles in the water...and by the time swim practice was over, I am happy to say, that even though we didn't get to do what everyone else was doing, we were still experts in our own mind...experts at blowing bubbles in the water!

After we got out of the pool, we had 15 mins to get into our bike gear. Again, they divided us by skill level -- and again, I placed myself in the "beginner" group -- where the goal by the end of practice was to be able to ride your bike and grab your water bottle without crashing into anything. For the next hour, we rode around the empty parking lot learning how to use our brakes and gears -- we were "getting to know" our bikes. And by the end of practice, we were all experts at riding and grabbing our water bottle!

So that was the 1st day of practice --it was long, grueling, and at some times intimidating, but I got through it...and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am looking forward to the next swim practice -- to show off my underwater bubble blowing skills! =)

Me + H2O = Disaster!

Swimming, as I have mentioned before, is the toughest part of my journey ...forget running a marathon, that's a walk in the park compared to swimming!

So today was my first attempt at swimming (the operative word here is attempt.) I got all the gear on, got in the pool, and even submerged my entire head and body in the water (those goggles are really helpful!) -- then I kicked my feet and moved my arms and attempted to swim -- if you were there, it would have been a sight to see (that is, after you pulled yourself off the floor and wiped your tears from laughing so hard!) So for about 30 minutes, I did what I thought was swimming and finally gave up after a 70-year old man got in the pool and swam about 20 laps, perfecting his kick-turn, and splashing me as I stood in awe at the shallow end of the pool...this is going to be a very long 20 weeks of training...sigh...or should I say GULP!

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Swimsuit, check. Swim cap, check. Goggles, check. Swim 25 meters, yeah, right!

And the journey begins...

Well, it's official -- I am signed up for the 2009 Lavaman Triathlon with Team in Training! Nervous? A little. Scared? Of course!

This is the first week of triathlon training...and even though I ran a half-marathon yesterday in Monterey, I have to say that I am a little nervous about training -- especially swimming! I have accepted and can admit that I am NOT a swimmer...all the swimming lessons that my parents paid for when I was little were a complete waste -- to this day, I cannot swim. Yes, I have a pool, but that doesn't help. Oh, don't get me wrong, I can get from point A to point B in the water, but it's not pretty (and may require the use of a flutter board and water wings! LOL!) As for the biking portion of the event, I don't think that will be a problem -- that is, once I get a bike! And for the running -- with 2 full marathons and 3 half-marathons under my belt, should be a piece of cake (so I hope!) Hmmm...now that I think about it, maybe I should have signed up for the triathlon relay team and do just the running portion... Oh well, I guess that's what 20 weeks of training is for (and I will need all of it!) =)

Well -- I'm going to Tri...And so, let the journey begin...