The Perfect Ending to My 1st Triathlon Season

The start of this calendar year was chock-full of things that would make the average person believe that they could never complete a Triathlon. I was recovering from a major surgery and double pneumonia, I did not know how to swim, did not own a bike and could not make it down the stairs and to the corner (due to the pneumonia), and so of course I could not run. I had a goal of making it to the corner, and then to my friend Jolie’s house 3 blocks away, and then to the gym 6 blocks away. I was determined. I joined a Triathlon Club and training program, signed up for a few races and started to research bikes. My life became consumed with all things Triathlon. I had a goal and I was focused. On January 30th, I wrote a blog post entitled “what are the chances?”. This post questioned both my ability and my sanity, but I pressed forward. And on June 19th, I became a Triathlete in a Sprint distance race. I decided to Tri again and completed another race that was twice as long on September 12th, and now me and my buddy Dawn will end our 1st Triathlon season with a birthday weekend getaway for her to Bermuda, where we will race our last race of the season. This race is being put on by an organization named SheROX. How appropriate of a name?

Love,
Tri Becca

September 12, 2010 @ 8:48am

It all begins again on September 12th at 8:48am. The Nations Triathlon!! This will be my second Triathlon, but the distances will be longer. I will swim nearly a mile in the Potomac River, Cycle 25 miles through DC and Maryland and run (well, probably walk due to shin splints) 6.2 miles.

I sure hope that you can come to cheer me on!!  Those screams really do help to keep me going when the going gets tough. Here is the info just in case you can come out to support me:

The swim start is next to the transition area and the finish line so you can watch more of the race. I start my swim at 8:48 and will be with the swim wave wearing Aqua swim caps.



The Transition Area is located at West Potomac Park.


***A great place to see us on our bikes and on the run is 17th and Constitution, which is a short walk from the swim start/finish line/transition area. Here is a map of the entire course.


***Please note that there are over 5,000 athletes racing and parking will be limited.


*** If you can take the metro, the closest to the start is at GW Hospital (walk down 23rd, across Constitution, around the Lincoln Memorial to start).


Thanks in advance for your support!!!

Time to pick up the pace!!

3 weeks ago today, I completed my first Triathlon. I have 9 weeks to train for my next race. In the last 3 weeks, I have been on my bike twice, in the pool once, in open water once and I run/walked 5 times. None of that is nearly enough, so it's time that I pick up the pace. I did start a boot camp to help with cross training and have been a few times, but even that doesn't cut it.  Starting tomorrow, I am going to start to train hard.

I need to be able to swim a mile comfortably, bike 25 miles as fast as possible and run 6.2 miles with ease after my legs recover from the bike. In 9 weeks, I feel that I will be able to do that and so much more. There is something about completing a Triathlon that has me feeling like I can do anything! That accomplishment will take me even further in life and I am definitely looking forward to the future!

One thing that will be different about this race, is that I feel like it is more about just finishing. I know that my training will get me to the finish line, but I have a competitive edge this time. I am doing this race with Trudy (she's completed many Tri's), Lisa (she is a great runner), Tania (completed her first Ironman Tri last year), Dawn (who has been training hard on the bike and already a great swimmer), Lisa (she is a beast in the water and bike and also a multi Tri finisher), Francy and Dubois (my two buddies that I completed my first Tri with and they both beat me to the finish line). So, see, I can't let all of these folks show me up. I gotta be able to hang. We need to be a beast of a Tri team and cross the finish line taking names. The pressure is on!! I am up for the challenge to hang with these folks. Wish me luck!!!

Tri Becca

TRIing again

After training so hard for my first Triathlon, I felt like it was terribly easy. I purposefully took it nice and easy on the swim. I was so stoked by making it out of the water and that great sense of accomplishment (since I started the journey to Triathlon without knowing how to swim), that I completely cruised on the bike. The run was tough, since that is the leg that  I trained for the least and the high temperatures didn't help. I was so surprised by how easy my first Triathlon was in general, that I immediately knew that I had to "TRI" again.

I want to swim further the next time and really race on my bike. I don't want there to be a chance in hell that a dude on a mountain bike can pass me on my carbon fiber Orbea road bike. I want to be properly trained for the run. Although the run sucks for everyone, I want to at least feel trained. So, those are  my reasons for TRIing again.

 I am TRIing again to be better, to be faster to go longer. I want to feel that it was a greater challenge. I am a Triathlete and will be be able to cross the finish line again in 11 weeks with another sense of achievement. I don't think that The Nation's Triathlon will be my last race. In fact, I know it in my soul that it won't be. I suspect that I will be TRIing for life.