Triathlon training day on Sunday

The HumanRace WomenOnly Triathlon training day at Dorney Lake is on Sunday. I’ve been eagerly anticipating it since I signed up in December. It was really a way for me to feel like a triathlete again without actually signing up for a triathlon. But then, I signed up for two novice distance races shortly thereafter, in the belief that I could finish them even if I had to walk the entire length of the 2.5k runs.

Dorney Lake WomenOnly Triathlon

Awesome women doing it the tri way

Now that it’s approaching, I’ve been filled with a sort of dread. I haven’t started running again yet, though I’ve dabbled a little, and I’m straight off the plane from LA with a healthy dose of jetlag, not to mention that our puppy, who sleeps in the bed with us, has been sick in the night, two nights running. I’ve put on over a stone (maybe almost 2) since my back injury and I’m not convinced that my website even fits let alone whether I can get it on without putting my back out. To top it all off, I’ve only really just started working out again. I cycle to work a few days a week (7 or so miles a day) and swim when I can be arsed to deal with the screaming infants in the women’s changing room at my David Lloyd (membership cancelled, as of 31/7, by the way). We’ve also started climbing again on Fridays, but I’ve been on holiday, or recovering from it, since the 28th of April. Sure, we did loads of hiking in Yosemite and walking everywhere else, but it just doesn’t seem like enough.

Anyway, I woke up this morning with a wonderful thought. I don’t remember getting an information packet so maybe my application didn’t go through and I would escape the ignominy of being out of shape AND too fat to fit into my wetsuit. Alas, those buggers at HumanRace are super efficient and sent out an email with all the links while I was on holiday. So, I followed the link to the information packet and a funny thing happened; I started reading about what we’d be doing and what I needed to bring and a tingly sensation started creeping all over my skin.

I’m actually very, very excited and really looking forward to it. I’m still worried about getting into my wetsuit (I’ll try it on this weekend, but I’m not hopeful) but the fear and loathing has been replaced with a sense of deep anticipation. It’s all day, from 9am to 4:30, so I’m sure I’ll be tired by the end of it, but, more importantly, I’ll be a triathlete doing triathletey things. Even looking at the photos of all those amazing women on the website running/swimming/cycling/sweating/living got my proverbial juices flowing.

Inspiration is a funny thing. For me, at least, it doesn’t come from within, but that’s actually nice to know. I can motivate myself by looking at photos of triathletes or climbers or cyclists doing what they love. Chrissie Wellington is my hero and just looking at a photo of her crossing the finish line with that huge grin on her face is enough to get me putting my running shoes on.

The trick is getting myself to look at the photos in the first place!

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