Tri-Ooomph

July saw me compete in my first duathlon and another sprint triathlon. Both were great fun, and I performed well. The Disco Duathlon was supposed to be our TNT group's Olympic-distance tri to make up for the cancelled CapTexTri. Due to the 40 days/40 nights weather we'd had, Lake Ray Roberts was closed to recreational activities, and the 1 mile swim was replaced with a 2 mile run. I was ecstatic, to say the least. I've been running for over 20 years (off and on), but not until this year's training did I discover that it's my best (and favorite) of the triathlon sports. Good thing, because I need something to makeup for my slow swimming. I'd succumbed to a cold the week before the race, and had to take a couple Sudafed so I could breathe the morning of the race, so, I was only running at 80%. Still, I placed second in my age group, and had a really fun time.

The following week, I raced in the Couple's Tri with one of my TNT friends. It's a fun format - both members of the team do the sprint tri course, then they combine your ages and times for your final score. We were in the over 80 age group, a tough category, and placed 11th. Once again, I had an open water swim to face. This one was 800 meters, slightly longer than the Danskin swim distance. I followed my strategy of hanging back at the start so I didn't have the added anxiety of being jostled by other swimmers. I was the very last person to start the swim in my wave. Slow and steady is my swim pace, but I was past the first buoy before any swimmers from the next wave passed me. I think I even passed one or two swimmers from my wave. Most importantly, I felt confident and strong throughout the swim. No panic, no anxiety, no thoughts that I couldn't or wouldn't make it. Since that was the second time to feel that good swimming the half mile, I take it that I've crossed the mental barrier I've had about open water swimming. That is definitely a triumph for me. I am exceedingly grateful to the TNT swim coaches and everyone who's told me I could do it. I'm a swimmer.

I finished in less than 1.5 hours, which was a course record for me. I've raced the Decker Lake sprint tri course four times, plus twice as a relay, and am ready to experience a new triathlon course. I'll get that opportunity Monday in the Austin Tri. I'm nervous about the swim again, since it's twice the distance I'm comfortable with. I did a mile at Quarry Lake last Friday, just to make sure I could do the distance, and that second half mile was tough. I've considered renting a shorty wetsuit for the weekend, but I'm really wanting the challenge of this swim, on my own, unaided by the extra buoyancy of neoprene. My swim coach mentioned Dorie from "Finding Nemo" at practice last week and I'll have to "just keep swimming...just keep swimming..."