taking my bike out of retirement.
I think I would really like to do a triathlon while in Hawaii. Not THE triathlon (I have zero desire to do a marathon, independently or as a leg of a tri) but just any one with the swim in the ocean. I happen to hate/be deathly afraid of swimming in open water, which is part of the allure I guess. And, I never swam a faster 500m than during a tri at Aquarena Springs in TX, where they had filmed the "classic" thriller Piranha, so I guess a little adrenaline never hurt. (I have a (mental) map of all shark attacks on island and the nearest attack to the race site is 1/2 mile. Not that a shark would want to attack a group of 200 thrashing away anyhow...)
I haven't ridden my bike in, oh 5 years. In fact it still has the tag on it from when Ben got it tuned up for me for my birthday (make that 6 years ago). I most likely will not be riding it in Washington (rain + ultra skinny tires + me clipped into the pedals = yikes!) and will/should most likely sell it before we leave so I'd like to take it on one last farewell tour.
I got it down and found in the seat pouch a opened, half-consumed packet of GU energy gel (expiration 5/2003) among other treasures and felt that the real test would be if the tires could stay inflated. I pumped them up and checked periodically throughout the day. It took awhile but the front eventually went flat. Luckily(?), I have an extra tube. If it stays inflated what should I do?
So the pros are: I have a bike, the water is warm(ish), the course is local and outstandingly flat, I'm not pregnant, I'm tapered and I don't need any GU cause I have about 7,000 calories I'm willing to expend. Oh, and the weather will be perfect, like it is every stinkin' morning. And free Jamba Juice and probably a t-shirt.
The cons are, 4:30am wake up, chafing that takes a month to heal, potentially injuring myself (the possibilities here are endless), I wouldn't exactly say I've been training (hence, why I'm tapered), $100 entry fee and another free t-shirt (which Ben would gladly wear).
10 comments:
Do it Lynn! Not many people can say they did a Tri in Hawaii. Avery and Miles will be so proud!oh and I'm sure Ben too!
if you do i will be there to pour dixie cups of water or gatorade, whichever you prefer, on your head. and now with the botox no one will be able to tell that it is a struggle for you, because you'll be smiling the whole time.
Doug and I have road bikes, and he'd do a tri with you, or at least train for one. He loves riding his road bike whenever he gets the chance. I, on the other hand, will not be doing a triathalon...ever.
Go for it! It's easy for me to say. I'm not sure I'd like to suffer a month of chaffing. Hopefully that's a "Banning Exageration"
That would be amazing!!! I definitely think you should do it. My cousin trained for a Tri in Washington. I don't know how she did it with two little kids, but she did. You would be awesome.
There are three tris at Fort Lewis this summer--all spring distances. They call it the 'triple threat.' I'm considering doing one myself.
So I say go for it, then come here and you can win a triple crown of sorts. =)
Duh. I meant to type sprint distances--the T is just above the G, and my kid is still screaming at me . . . so that's why I can't type or proofread. Ah well.
I think it is great that you kept that bike for as long as you did. I hope that you get a good farewell for it. I don't think any Hawaiian triathlon can compare with a 7th month prego trotting along the byways of USUHS and cranking out the time on a stationary bike. Go you!
You know your bike would work really well on the 150+ miles of bike trails here...if any one can do it you can! Good luck.
Carlos & I have been doing 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathons eventually hoping to get into a dualthon - Carlos will probably try a tri. It's a golden opportunity. Check out my most favorite FREE site in the world! www.mapmyrun.com (not just for running) Best of luck!
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