The final brick in the wall

Friday I head back up to Wisconsin... for my FIRST TRIATHLON! I made the decision to attempt a tri back in December, started training in January (learn to swim!) and now finally, race weekend has arrived.  I don't expect to win or place or anything like that... but as an athlete, I do want to do the best I can and not embarrass myself.  The sprint triathlon is in my hometown of Winneconne, so hopefully I will swim/bike/run into some familiar faces.

I've completed countless bricks in the past six months. In fact, I'm kinda addicted to brick training. Single workouts just don't feel like enough anymore. (Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between, just as you would do in a race.)  My swim is still shaky, and I'm still getting comfortable on my new road bike, but endurance-wise, I am ready.

This past week, my mind has been whirling with detail stuff... gear, transition how-to's, etc. I'm total OCD. Thank goodness for the great YouTube videos out there. To set myself at ease, I decided my last brick on Wednesday was going to be a 'mock tri'.  I packed up all my gear and headed to the city of Morton. They have a big outdoor pool that always has an open lap swim lane. I set up the back of my mini van like a transition area, changed into my tri suit and headed into the pool.

I didn't time the swim, but completed 13 laps in the pool which would equal well over the 1/4 mile in the sprint tri.  The glaring afternoon sunlight on the water was a real adjustment. Must buy mirrored goggles. I grabbed my bag and jogged back out to my transition area in the parking lot.

Quickly I toweled off and slipped on my socks, shoes, glasses and helmet. I was sailing along country roads for the next 48 minutes, covering almost 13 miles. My new tri suit dried quickly on the ride and was very comfortable. The only thing I found missing was gum. I gotta have gum on the ride, so I made a note to add that to my bag, along with a packet of GU Energy gel.

By time I came in for the second transition, the afternoon sun was so hot with temps in the mid-90's. Thankfully, my actual triathlon on Sunday will be in the wee morning hours instead of high afternoon.  I love to run, but running after a swim and bike is kinda difficult. It feels like I'm moving in slow motion and I have a tough time naturally gauging my speed.  I was sweating like a pig and reminded myself that I definitely need a headband in the T2 setup. I finished the 3.1 miles in 28:30 which I'll be happy with come Sunday.

After my mock tri, I was exhausted but gave myself much needed confidence for this weekend. With a couple adjustments, it should be a smooth ride on Sunday... I hope.

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A couple hours later, I headed back out for 3 miles with the Sole Sisters along the riverfront. It was still summer hot hot hot, so I ended the run in the water fountains...