Well, for the first time in four days, there is no sign of rain, and the sun decided to make itself known to us again! And you know what that means: bike ride and run in dry conditions!
A couple weeks ago I signed up to do the 2nd annual Vassar medical Center Tri/Duathlon down in LaGrange, New York. I told you a goal of mine is to complete a triathlon, so competing in duathlons is my way of “babystepping” to triathlons. I completed my first duathlon in July which was incredible. Ohh, FYI, in a duathlon, you run, then bike, then run again–unlike triathlons which have swim-bike-run. In this event, the run will be 1mile, followed by 14 miles of biking, then a 3 mile run. Does not sound too bad. However, I am notorious for not training for long distance events. But I am actually trying to get my body a tad bit prepared for this event. I purchased a new Scott road bike last week in preparation for the race, and it really is a beautiful bike. I consider it my baby. Some people in their 20’s, 30’s, and more often nowadays 40’s, decide to have children and start familes. I on the other hand, just purchase really amazing bikes (if you are a cycling enthusiast and watched the Tour De France, Cavendish won the last stage of the tour on a Scott).
It’s a Scott CR1 Team road bike. Carbon Fiber. Light. Fast. Yes, it really is a beauty, isn’t it? Eventually my drooling with stop.
Proper duathlon training encompasses weekly rides and runs, of various distances, starting weeks before the actual race. This type of training is similar to that of running races. I know this because I have started numerous training plans for marathons I have run, but never actually continued to follow the plan for more than a couple weeks. Either work or some other excuse would arise. Starting today, though, I’m back on the plan, which means bike ride with my baby, and run.
I am also going to re-start my training for a marathon I signed up for September 26th and I have a feeling I will die completing it. I told myself after running two marathons in the past without training, that this one would be different: I would be prepared. I would follow a training schedule. And that is what I began to do a couple months ago. Follow a training plan (which I’ll post later). But the training candle kind of fizzled out once I started work. How hard can another marathon be? Piece of cake, right?
Secretly, I am terrified.
And for you readers, please consult your physician before doing any type of strenuous activity to make sure you have no known medical conditions which might be affected by your new athletic regime. Furthermore, do NOT follow my non-training training. NOT training for athletic events is stupid and you can do quite a bit of damage to your body. Train. Train. Train. Get your body used to the activity. It will reduce the risk of harm. Trust me, I know.
A Rendezvous with Sneakers 