I’m writing this week’s blog-tastic entry from a train, traveling slowly across the spanish coast. This post might be a little longer than usual, but damn it’s pack full of exciting stuffs! Today marks the four week mark- one month remains! So what happened this week? Let’s re-cap on the training front:
1. no swimming! Bad bad bad, but did manage to spend an hour yesterday sea kayaking. Used my arms a lot, and fell into the water a few times while trying to launch myself into the kayak… hot.
2. ran twice – brilliant! even did a run along the beach – youch. If I’m a bad runner on land, throw sand into the mix and it’s all downhill. Stopwatch was nowhere to be seen, put it that way.
3. cycled a bit – still waiting for bike… hmfgh. Let’s not go there.
Now onto the exciting business: the issue of near naked-ness required for triathlon participation.
Introducing: The Midriff
Four weeks to go: am really going to have to decide what to wear. Now, this may be fickle, but I recently learnt 92% of women perform better at sports when they feel good in what they’re wearing. so with statistics on my side, allow me to relay my experience Exposing the Midriff.
I’ve decided I’m going for a morning run on the beach, followed by a dip in the ocean. I’ve also decided not to go in my usual running garb (long pants, tank top). today – possibly enthused by the sangaria from the night before – I commit to testing the waters in Exposing the Midriff While Exercising.
If you’ve seen any of these sporty triathlon types, the midriff is out. However, I haven’t been involved in a Public Midriff Exposing Episode since the late eighties (when it was fashionable, for nine year olds). So it’s out, and I’m running. Fortunately nature is somewhat on my side, and I don’t have a particularly obscene midriff, so this is aiding my confidence. At first, I’m feeling a bit paranoid, then suddenly, as I pass the usual All Shapes and Sizes on the beach – I realise, it’s not so bad, and I’m running (so possibly a little bit blurry anyway) – and by the end of the run I’m Free Of All Midriff Insecurities.
So, that's great on one hand, but i still have NO IDEA what i'm going to wear. Invest in a tri suit for £80, possibly never to wear it again? Get over the VPL and wear my swimming costume running? Go naked, and win the event by all other competitors falling off their bike at the sight of me?
Maybe not.
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3 comments:
Al
Swimming’s actually going better than the other two, mainly cos I’m into the routine of 2 or 3 lunchtimes a week. Cycle and run a bit haphazard, trying to fit them round family life. I too faced the what-to-wear dilemma last time. T1 was such a disaster last year I went and bought an all-in one tri suit straight after the race. Being end of season it only cost £10. The disaster was trying to pull on a tight cycling shirt with tired arms over a wet body while trying not to rip the race numbers I had carefully pinned on. Then realising I still had plastic covers on my cleats… Moral of the story is, get an all-in-one ( bare midriff might be cold, it was really cold last year, and this one is a week later) get a number belt, and practise your transistion until the drill becomes second nature. All that effort in training could be lost in a few fumbles. I improved my time by over 4 mins in May, nearly all in the bike and transistions. More Richie’s top tips coming soon!
lordy - so i really need to be practising transitions? i must admit it's something i haven't thought about yet - but 4 mins is a long time! can we just write our number on our arm, and forgo the number issue? what is a number belt?? will it rain tomorrow?? need more richard top tips!
Hi,
For the first time in my life I've had to condiser what I'm going to wear more than an hour in advance of the occasion and it had me genuinely concerned for a while. I just bit the bullet and bought a tri-suit in the end. They are pricey but I figured that was the incentive I needed to keep my training going over winter and into next year.
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