New Bike

I bought a new bike! After a few months of riding my roommate's city bike...I decided it was time to buy a racing bike. So I did! A Trek 1.5. It's white, grey, and lovely all over! It's all tuned up and waiting for me at the shop...as soon as I can figure out a way to get it in my itty bitty Saturn.

I had a rough run last week...it was hot, humid, and I hadn't run too much because of the biking, swimming and opera deal. I almost got overheated, but thankfully had some smart friends with ice and lots of water. A post-run beer helped as well.

3 weeks until the triathlon. I'm nervous and excited...just ordered my racing outfit yesterday. I should have a few weeks to try it out before the race.

I'm headed to Maine in a week or so for vacation. The friends I'm staying with live on a lake, so I'll be able to get some open-water swims in.

Exercise Holding Pattern

Until the show I'm in closes (this Sunday....), my exercise regimen-schedule-whatever-you-want-to-call-it is in a holding pattern. Meaning, I'm just trying to maintain the fitness I've built with a little running, some biking, and my normal Saturday AM swims.

Luckily this week, I had time to get a good, hilly bike ride in, as well as my first open-water swim! We went swimming off a friend's dock in the Severn River. It took me about 50 meters of swimming to relax and adjust to the murkiness of the water, but once I did it was fine. I felt like I could swim forever! The odd thing, however, is that it doesn't seem like you are making progress in open water...more like you are floating, flailing your arms about (otherwise known as a stroke..:)), and staying in the same place. I was shocked to look up sometimes and see the next dock was much closer!

Next week, I'll finally be able to get back into a more solid schedule...and hopefully take my running off the treadmill and back outside!

Normal

Just normal exercise recently... a few treadmill runs at work (gotta get back outside and going with the Nike +), a couple of bike rides, and my normal swim class. Training has been in a bit of a holding pattern while I am rehearsing for an opera production. Hopefully, I'll be able to gear it up in two weeks when the show is over! At the moment, I'm just glad to find time to exercise here and there!

Exercise Update

I know I keep saying it...but I really love swimming. I headed to the pool for a swim on Thursday evening. My goal was to get into a very slow rhythym that I can maintain for some distance. My swimming class every Saturday morning has been great for my technique and speedwork, but I know that in order to be able to finish the swim portion of the tri, I need to get a nice, smooth, slow pace going. I finally accomplished that on Thursday, and was able to swim about 500 meters without needing to stop. I did throw a few laps of breaststroke in there, but I figure as long as I'm moving forward that is what counts!

Saturday, I went to my regular class and had a good, hard workout.

Sunday, I went for a bike ride. I rode about 12 miles in the middle of the afternoon, so it was hot. I rode from my house down to Thomas Point, but I didn't go out to the water because I was afraid I'd be tempted to stop and not come back and finish my ride!

I've taken the past two days off to rest my legs, but I'll be jumping back in with a run tomorrow.