Starting from scratch in the pool

Quick update.  My swim progression is going nicely.  When starting to swim after a very long break, I begin on the first day with 12 laps, then next day I do 18 laps, 18 laps again, then 24, 24 again, then 30, 30 again, then do 33 or 36.  For a long time, my math-challenged brain thought 36 laps was a mile, but then my friend Ryan pointed out that 33 laps is a mile!  Oops!  Since I don’t count the laps very well, who knows how far I really am going?  Now, I can count to 33, yeah, I’m not dumb.  But when swimming, if I start to daydream a bit and strategizing about work or relationship challenges, I can totally loose track of what lap I’m on.  I do the same thing on the track.

Anyhow, last night I did 24 laps in 28 minutes.  I was pushing it the whole way, because I started at 9pm and the pool closes at 9:30pm.  I think I may have done 1 or 2 laps extra due to that daydreaming thing I was mentioning earlier.  I need to focus and get an accurate lap count so I can get an accurate gauge of my speed.  Anyhow, it was slow, but not too bad for my 4th swim.

Two nights ago, I got on my bike on the trainer for 30 minutes while watching the underwhelming Ravens play Cleveland for Monday Night Football.  I wore my running shoes, and a lot of the foot pain and knee pain didn’t happen, like when I wear my biking shoes.  So I guess I need new biking shoes.  :-(

Break-time is over!

Sorry I haven’t been doing much with this blog recently.  I’ve been swamped with schoolwork and I have been trying to figure out what I want to do next.

I was a bit unhappy with my progress, and I needed some time to regroup and rethink some things.

Today, I went to the pool for the first time in a very long time.  It was quite enjoyable, perfect for a rainy day.  As the seasons change, it is getting dark earlier and earlier.  It is very difficult to get in trail runs.  Last year, I was able to scoot out for an hour or two in the afternoons, but I’m not sure I will be able to do that this year, since I’m in a different job that is more support than development.  If you are providing support, you have to be available to your customers, not out running in the woods!

Ok, here is the big news:  I think it is about time to try a triathlon!  I like swimming, biking and running, and 2 out of three can easily be done indoors without need to worry about environmental concerns.

At this point, I am just information gathering.  I need to figure out what distance, what race, and sign up.  I also need to investigate training programs, to make sure I have enough time to train.

I have a bike, but I will probably need to acquire a few things.  Wetsuit, bike shoes that don’t make my feet scream in pain after 30 minutes of riding, would be a good start.

Anyone out there have good suggestions on first triathlons for people in the Baltimore, MD area?  And don’t suggest the Irongirl.  I don’t think I qualify.