Esther Triathlons NYC

Here we go again! This time with Tammy, Joannie, Ron!

First Swim Training!

I’m done with all the firsts of this season. Run, check! Bike, check! And now, swim, check!

As soon as I jumped in the pool at Asphalt Green tonight, extreme regret took over me. Why am I doing this again? What the hell was I thinking? Am I seriously here again? Jumping in the water tonight, I was transported straight back in time to July 18, 2010. The first 2 seconds I was under water, I felt the same way I did on that day, in the Hudson: panic, anxiety, and remorse. Swimming is the most challenging part of the triathlon for me. It’s not fun and it’s hard and I don’t enjoy it at all.

My goal this year is to shave 3 minutes off my swim. I finished swim last year in 23:33. Let’s see what happens. I learned tonight that the key to swim is relaxation. Whereas bike and run is fueled more from the aggressive, competitive side of me, I swim best when I’m calm, relaxed, and take my time.

Licensed to Eat!

Contrary to what may be the reality of things, I feel like I’m licensed to eat whatever I want since I’m now training.

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First Bike Training: Take Two

After failing to wake up in time for my coached bike training on Saturday morning, I decided to try it again with an afternoon ride over the George Washington Bridge with Allan. Failing to train as planned ignited a strange motivation to do the following:

11am: Acupuncture

12pm: Lunch and stop at the bike shop for water bottles and gels

1pm: Meet Allan at the West Side Highway to start our ride

3pm: Shower

4pm: Bar Method

9pm: Dinner

11pm: Dancing

It was only while laying on the acupuncture table that I started to think that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. It was at 3:30pm when I was unable to carry my 17lb bike up 5 flights of stairs to my apartment that I was convinced that this was an ambitious plan. But not wanting to be the difficult client who cancels Bar Method at the last minute, I went.

I walk into the Bar Method studios at 4:03pm. Tim, the owner tells me to go into studio A. Amy is teaching the class. Amy is one of the owners of Bar Method Soho and is also the hardest instructor as well. Her classes are hard without a pre-class bike ride. As I walk into the studio, Amy greets me and says: “Esther, today I’ll be teaching an advanced class. If you want to join the normal class, it’s in studio B.” Normally, I don’t bow down from a challenge but this time, I knew my limits and proceeded to walk out. Amy called out, in front of the entire class, and asked if I was sure. It was at this point that my pride got the best of me, and fearing the judgement of others in the class who may be thinking that I’m just a weak newbie, I stayed.

Take that Week 1 of training! Bring it on Week 2!

First Bike Training Session: FAIL

Slept in by FIVE minutes. I suppose in the world of competitive athletics time is everything. By sleeping in 5 minutes I’ve completely missed my morning bike training.

So bummed :( I’d like to pick up the phone and start calling people to see if anyone is up for a ride today. But at 7am on Saturday morning, that’s like social suicide :/

Anyone up for a 2 hour ride today across the GWB?

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Breakfast of champions: garlic and herb sausage, 2 eggs, and cheese.

(not) Ready, (not) Set, (but gotta) GO!

Training Week 1, Day 1.

The whole TNT tri team is on Week 4 of training and I feel totally behind. Part of the reason I’m lagging is because I signed up Week 2 of training AND it’s been harder to get into the discipline of training than I had originally thought.

Not to waste a minute longer, I kicked off the 2011 training season tonight with a familiar 3 mile run in the hood with Mr. Symon Hallam. The last time I ran/jogged/put my sneakers on was when I crossed the finished line at last year’s triathlon. To be honest this last sentence isn’t completely true. A couple days after last year’s race, I did attempt a run with Tammy. If memory serves me right, we ran 2 blocks before we decided that both of us hate running and that we would go eat instead.

So here we are 9 months since I’ve trained or done any kind of exercise (I define exercise as running and swimming). What I have been doing in the past 9 months is The Bar Method. It’s sort of like pilates and yoga, but better. It’s definitely helped maintain my core, but because it’s far more enjoyable than running and swimming, it’s difficult for me to see it as exercise. It’s just something I did about 5 times a week for an hour to keep myself from becoming a winter stricken blob, but because I didn’t loathe every minute of it, I don’t see it as exercise.

What a difference a 9 months makes!

Because I haven’t trained, I hadn’t touched any of my gear! I had to adjust my Polar watch and bump up my weight by 7 pounds. To make me feel even sadder, I had to extend the chest belt for my heart monitor because it was an inch too tight.

As I started the run, I felt that the run was easier. For the pace I was keeping, my heart rate was low and it was overall easier for me to maintain last year’s pace. I also realized that my thighs had gotten strong from The Bar Method and I was taking longer, higher, bouncier strides. At the same time, I was acutely aware of what I lost and am lacking. My ankles felt weak, I felt as though I was pronating. My shins felt weak. My shins felt weak! I never knew I had shin muscles till they were gone! My back felt weak. And just generally speaking, I felt like I forgot how to maintain good form and running posture.

I worry about how I’m gonna get through training and how I’m gonna complete this race without giving up. But I guess I’ll worry about those things later. All I know for now, is that I finished day 1 with a 3 mile run pacing at 9.5 min/mi. And with that, I went to Georgia’s Eastside BBQ for a friend chicken sandwich, with cheese.

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ZOMG, am I doing this again????

I never wrote my final post after last year’s race. I had so much to share, and at the same time I was so drained that I wasn’t able to put together a post in a timely manner. I’ve carried around the regret of not writing a final post for two reasons. One, I failed to thank everyone for their support. The fundraising part was actually the most touching experience of the tri; I was just floored by the generosity of, not just good friends, but folks I haven’t spoken to in years who were so supportive. Second, I failed to capture the emotions that I felt immediately following race day. It all seems like a distant memory to me now.

I finished the 2010 Nautica NYC Triathlon in 3 hours and 10 minutes. Immediately following the race, I vowed to do it again this year and finish under 3 hours. That sentiment faded fast as winter smacked down on us.

So here we are, Spring. Training started last week. I wasn’t going to participate this year because the TIME and EFFORT and TIME that I put into training last year is something I wasn’t sure I could do again.

But atlas, Tammy Loh happened. She committed and because I promised her I’d do it if she did, here I am doing it again.

Here’s to the 2011 season….. {gulp}