Week 5...or, I guess I'm actually doing this!

So, it has taken me some time to actually sit down and get to this blog thing, which is something they suggested to us when we went to our first fundraising meeting back in February. Being someone who has always made writing a part of my life, I liked the idea of keeping some type of journal or log of the process I will go through over the next 5 months as I train for my first ever triathlon in July.

The title of this entry sort of helps to sum up a big part of why I am just now starting this blog - although some of the procrastination can definitely be attributed to just plain slackerish behavior on my part (hey, I'm a busy girl), I definitely know that I hesitated to get going on it because of just a small amount of uncertainty as to whether I would, in fact, be doing this event. Everything sounded fine and dandy in the info sessions, and in theory all the group training sessions fit into my schedule, but I think there was still a little nagging fear that maybe, just maybe, I had bitten off more than I could chew in regards to the physical demands the training program would bring. I felt like I needed to wait and see, to some extent, how I would fare with the 40 minute runs, hour-long swim sessions, and suggested 90-100rpm paced bike rides.

So, I waited. And you know what? Here we are, heading into Week 5 of training, and I haven't had a single failed training attempt to date. Which, of course, doesn't mean that some of the sessions haven't been hellish - they most certainly have. But even with the hell of trying to push through an intense side stitch for 20 minutes out of a 40 minute run, or the horror of turning my head to get a desperately needed gulp of air during a 10-minute continuous swim only to have my mouth and nose fill with a giant gush of water instead, I haven't once had to stop. I've slowed down, sure - pumping the treadmill up to a 5.3 miles per hour pace seemed like a good idea, but not after it resulted in me spending the following 10 minutes down at 4.6 mph just to recover - but I've never had to say "I can't finish." And discovering that, for me, was key in feeling like I can really say, "Yes, I am training for and will complete an Olympic distance triathlon next July." No kidding.

Anyway, this entry is a kick-off to what will hopefully be at least a weekly ritual of recording what's going on for me as I spend hours and hours physically conditioning myself for this event. It will also record the mental conditiong, and the emotional, because something I am coming to understand as I go is that the challenges you give your body are invariably linked to resistance from your mind, and so it's proving to be almost meditative for me to observe the way my brain is dealing with the demands I'm placing on my body. And I want to share that with all of you who are so supportive of me in this endeavor specifically, and in my life more generally.

So if you stick with me, and continue to read as I train, you can expect some interesting revelations, possibly some lamentations, and definitely many celebrations of this crazy journey I've taken to calling "Fast As I Can."

Lots of love,
Katie