OMG! It's Official!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hopefully, you all had an awesome and safe New Year and are ready to start on those resolutions!  I wasted no time in beginning mine when I signed up on January 1st for the second event in the 2016 LA Tri Series at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, CA which takes place on April 17th (OMG!)  The event I registered for is the Tri Express which consists of a 300M swim, 11.4K bike and finishing up with a 5K run - no problem, right? Wrong!

Okay, confession time. While I have all of the confidence in the world that I can bike and run the distances, the swim has me shaking in my boots.  Remember my last post when I confessed that I'm not a great swimmer? That is definitely part of it but if I am going to be perfectly honest the real fear for me is the body of water, which for this race is a lake.  Yup, you read that right.  I have an irrational fear of large bodies of water and what lies beneath them, not to mention the frigid temperature of the water itself.  While I'm pretty sure I can get myself safely up to the 300M distance by April, when I think about stepping into that cold lake and swimming with a gazillion people who may or may not be bumping into or pulling on me or what may or may not pull me under from below, I can't help but feel a little nervous.

You may be asking yourself why in the world I would willingly sign up for something that makes me so nervous? The answer is simple - I want to overcome my fear.  Additionally, I would be lying if I said that I didn't thrive on the adrenaline that is produced from the fear itself.  Nutty, I know, but absolutely true. Despite my fears, I am truly excited and can NOT believe I'm actually doing this!

Now that I've gotten the confessions out of the way let's talk about what I'm doing to get myself prepared for this race.  Right after I signed up my sister handed me the same book she had bought for her husband when he signed up for his very first triathlon called, Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel (straight forward, right?) I'm not too far into the book, but so far he has some sound advice and positive words for the newbie like myself. For example, start small by signing up for the sprint distance (which is what I did) not the Olympic distance as has become the trend apparently. Stay tuned for more thoughts on the book as I get further into it.

In addition to reading up on preparing for my first triathlon, I've started running (as mentioned in my previous post), will be signing up for a gym membership (because it is way too cold to swim in my pool which is currently a crisp 45°F), and getting my bike serviced and road ready.  I know it is only the fourth of January, but I seriously feel so behind already. I'm hoping everything starts to fall into place and I can put aside that bit of anxiety.

The training isn't all physical though, it is important eat well while training. While I haven't really changed my diet yet, I do intend to revamp it and focus on clean eating.  I know, I know. I should have started that up right away but I'm weak and find myself snacking with the kids and eating on the run as we spend the last week of Christmas break hanging out together.  Over this week I intend to clean out all of the bad food from the holidays and bring in the healthy food.  More on the diet changes as they develop.

So that is it!  I am signed up, preparing for, and anticipating my first triathlon.  It's crazy and exhilarating and I can't wait to really get into my training.  What about all of you, have any of you signed up for a race or set a New Year goal to get in shape?  I would love to hear what you are doing to prepare, how you've structured your training, and if you have any fears or worries about achieving your goals.

My How Time Flies...

Nearly five years ago I wrote a New Years post stating that my goal for the new year was to be more positive and work toward my long time goal of running a full marathon.  Well, shortly after writing that post I learned that my mom had stage IV pancreatic cancer and would only have 3 to 6 months to live.

At that moment, it felt like the wind had been sucked out of me and then suddenly I was propelled forward into the role of care taker alongside my sisters.  My mom was told that she could choose chemotherapy in hopes that it would slow the cancer and give her some extra time, possibly up to 24 months of time.  Not feeling ready to throw in the towel, she opted for the chemo and this began a different type of marathon - a marathon of survival.

My sisters and I alternated flying from our home out of state, back to Utah to be with her for a week at a time to get her through the treatments and to spend valuable and precious time with her.  We were extremely fortunate that my mom had strength and overall good health as it allowed us to have priceless experiences and build memories that aided us in letting her go when the time came.

My running became less and less of a priority, however. I did end up completing my first marathon, the Long Beach Marathon, but I really wasn't in shape for it and probably shouldn't have run it at all as it left me a little damaged in the end which led to me running even less. I should note that I did run off and on over the last several years, even running a few races, but I haven't really ever gotten back to focused training. 

Since 2011 a great deal has changed in my life besides the loss of my mom...I gained weight, lost weight, had a tummy tuck to repair the damaged muscles from a c-section (stay tuned for more about this in future posts,) and last but certainly not least - I turned 40!!! So, with the new year upon us I have decided that it is high time I get myself back out there, only this time my focus will be to participate in and complete my first triathlon! 

Now you have to understand what a huge feat this will be for me.  First of all, I have never ridden a bike more than a short distance before. Second, I am a terrible swimmer despite years of swimming lessons as a child!  Last, since my surgery last May, I have not been able to run more than 4 1/2 miles at any one time.

All of this changes with the new year!  To get myself properly pumped (and try out all of my new running gear) I began my running yesterday!  So, beginning tomorrow the challenge is on! In the meantime, what are your goals for 2016?  Anyone else starting over or just starting on a new fitness goal for the new year? 

Me in some of my new gear, getting ready for a chilly morning run!

Stay tuned for more on my goals, training and overall random ramblings! I'm looking forward to a fun and fabulous new year. For now I hope you all have a very safe and happy New Year!  Bring it 2016!!!