Mini Triathlon

Something that I have been working on and training for since after baby is a mini triathlon that I completed on November 5. Fifteen minutes of swimming, 20 minutes of biking, and 20 minutes of running. I have wanted to do a triathlon like this for a few years now, and finally there was one happening in my town. It was an indoor one - I mean we’re in Alberta and it’s November.

Training for this was harder than I expected it would be due to time constraints and being more tired with baby, but I also became a much stronger swimmer. Swimming is my weak point so I focused more on that than the biking or running. The first time I swam I did 16 lengths in 20 minutes, and after just five more times swimming I was able to do 20 laps in 15 minutes. This just goes to show that hard work and dedication do pay off! Now, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t nervous about the triathlon, because I want to do my absolute best…and I often compare myself to other peoples’ abilities, but that is something I am working on.

The morning of the triathlon was a bit more challenging than I had expected. My husband was originally going to come and bring our daughter, but he was sick. So…I had to ask my dad to come watch my daughter so I could do the triathlon. I knew I would be disappointed if I wasn’t able to do it, because I had put effort into my training. Thankfully, my dad was able to come help.

When I got into the pool, I set a goal for myself. I just wanted to do at least 5 laps (so 10 lengths there and back), much lower than what I was doing in my training. I told this to the lady who was lane-sharing with me. I knew she was a really strong swimmer so I was nervous to share a lane with her but I reminded myself that I’m just going to focus on me and do what I can. By 7 minutes in, I had completed my goal, and the lady beside me was like “you already beat your goal!”. With the 8 minutes left, I finished 5.5 more laps, so in total I did 10.5 which was 525 meters. I was proud of myself because that was 1 length more than what I was able to do while I was training.

Next up came the biking, so I switched out of my swim gear and got ready for that. I took it pretty slow on the bike and did 4.1 miles in 20 minutes. I knew I wanted to save up my energy for the run, because that was what I felt was my stronger point. Sure enough, I was able to run 3.5km in 20 minutes, which is about a minute faster than my ‘average’ pace. When the time was all up, I was glad that my daughter (and my dad) where there. Before I got my medal, I grabbed my daughter and asked for the medal to be put on her.

Now that I’ve finally done a little triathlon, I’m so proud of myself! It was great to have my girl there to cheer me on.

So just remember, mama, even though it’s tough to make time for you, it will pay off!