I did it - I'm going to TRI!

I signed up for my first Sprint Triathlon - August 28th. 1/4 mile swim, 13 mile bike ride and 5K run. I've been doing spin class twice a week and running 5ks twice a week with laps in the pool and cardio and weights. (Oh, and working 12 hour night shift too!)

The swim is going to give me problems. I was a strong swimmer until I was injured. I still have 2 tears in my left shoulder and herniated discs in my neck. I'm not looking to break any records - just finish for me.

REI had a sale on Tri suits and when I got there, they had 1 left - it was my size!!! I almost needed help zipping the girls in (I hope the zipper holds :) My younger son keeps following me to try and get a picture so he can put it on facebook. He just shakes his head and says "really?"

To Tri or not to Tri & fastest 5k yet

Yesterday hubby and I biked 10 miles before it got too hot. I have to get faster on the bike. Spin class twice a week should help with this. I ran 2 miles, went to spin class, and then walked the dog for 2 miles. Did a few laps in the pool and called it a night.

I ran a 5k (on the treadmill) in 35:44 tonight - my fastest time yet. Yeah me! My left lower leg started throbbing when I slowed it down. I might actually have to go see someone about this if it keeps up.

SOOOOOOoooo...... I am really thinking about signing up for the Medford Lakes Sprint Triathlon on August 28th. I've got five weeks to tighten everything up. The swim is a 1/4 mile - I think I can handle that - the tears in my shoulder haven't given me any problems yet in the pool (knock wood). I'm in for a shock switching to open water swimming after practicing in a 20x40ft pool.

Down & Dirty Mud Run Report

OMG - fun, fun, fun!!! The 5k MudRun was on 7/18 in - yep - 92 degree heat. Every run this year has been in 90+ weather. Me and hot - unh uh!

Hubby and I sat on the highway for 50 minutes waiting to get off the exit ramp. 4,000 people were participating in this event, do you think Philadelphia could have posted a traffic cop at the red light to direct traffic? So we got there a little late, but the race did not start yet. We were in wave 12 (remember 90 degrees). They started the waves in 4 minute intervals. After running the race - it should have been longer in between. We bottled necked at the obstacles for 20 minutes. I'm embarrassed to put our time up because of this - 1:42 minutes for a 5K!!!! Two sets of friends were doing the race - but we didn't see them.

Hubs was a little concerned for me at the obstacles because of the two tears in my shoulder and the herniated discs in my neck (thanks obese patient). But I did them all on the first try!! I was a little too exuberant on the rope climb and when throwing my leg over the top, hit the guy next to me and missed the top three rungs on the way down. Can you say rope burn?! I was able to hop up and over a 5 foot wall that was slippery with sweat. The next obstacle was the "slippery vertical climb." A rope was attached to the top and you had to pull yourself up and over. One girl kept slipping, hitting her face on the wall and then sliding down and out onto the muddy grass. After about 10 time of this, a large man laid down on the wall, told her to climb up his body and then pushed her by the feet to the top where military guys were waiting to help if needed. A few more small obstacles and then the - dum de dum - mud pit!!

OMG, you had to crawl under a net and then into the pit. Military guys were screaming at you "if you were in combat, you would be dead, you can't stand!" I said, if I was in combat, I would be in the medical tent, not crawling through mud!! (hahaha) So you got a good crawl going on and then they thought they were slick, they dug a deeper hole so your head would go under the mud. I caught myself just in time :) The showers they claimed to have consisted of a water tanker truck with 50 hoses attached. If you tried to stand up and rinse off, the water was no more than a trickle. My legs got torn up. I look worse than an 8 year old. Scabs, scrapes, bruises, lumps..... But it was so much fun - we are going to do the 10k next year. A BBQ followed. And the bling bling finishers medal was a dog tag with D&D Mud Run Series on it.

The pics show us clean at the start, nasty and just plain eeeeewww with our legs and feet. My kids want to do it next year.