The Couch's Nest: Moment of Reflection before 10/03/10

Which is the day of the Trek Women’s Triathlon in Austin, TX. EEEEK!!

Thinking back about when I first considered doing one….I actually didn’t even consider for a second doing the whole thing because I was deathly afraid of getting on a BIKE especially one of those ones with skinny tires which I soon found out was called a road bike. Whoever came up with the metaphor, “it’s like riding a bike” in reference to one of those skills you never loose, is not someone I can relate to.

Anyways, I started out on Cheri’s cruiser and rode with her up and down the driveway (about 0.2 mi) at the ranch. She taught me how to turn and literally at one point held my shirt (think it was meant to be funny). I really was that rusty though. I did get the hang of it eventually, only falling once in the beginning (during a turn of course). Fortunately the fall wasn’t traumatic enough for me to sell my bike back.

As for the SWIM, I just had to get my body back into shape. Luckily since I used to swim when I was younger, I already had the form down which is a big obstacle for many beginner triathletes without swim backgrounds. I was able to build up pretty quickly, surprising myself how much I remember from 12 years ago. Gotta thank my mom for that – dragging me to swim practice all those mornings….thanks Mom!!

And as for the RUN, I have been jogging on and off for the past couple years. I mainly focused on just maintaining until I signed up for a half marathon in January 2011. Then I had to step it up a notch and start running longer distances.

Anyways, I mostly followed a TRAINING program set up by the triathlon organizers. The couple of weeks when it got more intense, picking up in frequency and all, I wasn’t able to stick to – just with school and all, I had to prioritize.

So after 10 weeks of preparation, the big day is here. It is hard to not have any doubts. Just have to think positive – or as Sally Edwards would say, think to yourself “I AM STRONG!” the whole way through.

My inspirational husband has been so supportive all along, telling me how great I am doing, giving me so much confidence. Amberly, I am so grateful for – she committed to doing it with me which made this whole process much more fun. And Cheri, my little bike riding partner. I am so blessed to have had her there for me/with me since day one.

Here are a few pics of all of us in Austin the night before the race.