complete a triathlon

i didn’t think i was, but i probably was increasing the pressure too fast. :’(

So I am out for 2 days now. I went to the pool last night, thinking that my knee is better, and it resulted in severer pains. so this morning i went to my brother in law, who’s a physical therapist, and he worked on my knee, and really improved it. he said i shouldn’t “go” (in Hebrew the word for “walk” and the word for “go” are the same) so i decided to understand is in a more “extended” way, and not go to work. LOL

of course, i am kidding, my knee is in bad shape, and i hope it is not the kind of thing that will make me stop training for a month and miss the coming tri.

as threatened, i decided to register to a major triathlon on the 1 of october.
I am getting a little weak in the knees just telling you about this… and i am going to take it up a notch in my swimming and cycling training, since i am just pathetic… ;)
however, they say that the course of this specific tri is rather flat and that people usually get good results there.
so i hope “not dying, and completing the distance” is a good result for a first timer…
cross fingers again!!

I have added 2 weekly trainings. I am cycling each weekend (currently 30 hilly km) and training at home for half an hour on the trainer. I hope this will stick and become a part of my weekly routine.

I am actually considering registering to a sprint triathlon this October. to see how it is to combine all three disciplines. if i do, it will be my “training” triathlon before the “real one”. Israel’s official state championship (with non-professional heats) in December.

for a while December has been my one and only goal, i haven’t thought beyond that, and to be honest, it scared me to think that i will not have a goal to work for, and thus stop working…

But now i think that i will create me a long-long-long term goal. eventually, i would try to complete an olympic distance!
it might take a few years, but i think it will keep me going.

from a total couch potatoe, i managed to pull myself together and manage this:

This Sunday i swam 1km. it was the first time i went to the pool and tried doing laps. it was S-LOW. but i did it. yesterday i swam 750m much much faster (still embarassingly and excruciatingly slow) and with many stops and breaks and drills. i can see myself do this distance without stops and am optimistic about this.

i am working on running for a while now, and from 5Kph over 45 minutes, i am now at almost 7kph. again, not brilliant, but definitely optimistic. i can run up to 8 minutes, at 9-11kph and then require rest (walking) that’s, honestly, my main concern. I constantly improve, but it is with blood sweat and tears, and i can’t honestly say that i can see myself run 5K nonstop in 3 months time.

cycling i haven’t done in ages. but i am prolly most optimistic about. ‘coz when i say ages i mean months, and i know that the 20K is not going to be the hardest part.

so that’s my status report, not more than 4 months ago i thought i would need to be hauled with a truck in order to finish it, and now i can see myself completing a triathlon at a pathetic pace. (THAT’S SOMETHING!)

I would love to get your comments and training tips… just remember that i am a chubby disabled veteran before you judge me :)