Crabman Sprint Tri! Yikes! Week of 7-22 to 7-28

Here we go, yo...!

Holy crap, what did I get myself into?  I believe I've said that before...as a longtime surfer (25+ years) and water-loving dude, I confess I've never done distance swimming, and I'm nervous as Hell about the swim portion of this race...and I sort of suck about training properly, which has already been firmly established.  I'll kill it on the bike and the run, but the swim?  Not so sure...my race day equipment is also ramshackle (great word!) and, while functional, will probably make me look like an idiot, which ain't much of a stretch.  If I survive the swim, the hilarity of me making my way through the transitions should be epic, and may involve a wardrobe malfunction or two.  I might even rock a skateboard helmet for the ride...and smuggle flippers and swimmies in my trunks for the swim :)

Monday, 7-22 - Karate class, and my last eye appointment for the abrasion (100%, but I'm not allowed contact lenses the day of the race...so I get to swim blind-ish?).  Took the Soph with me, and as we had to kill some time, we hit the Westerly TJ Maxx, where I scored some sweet Speedo mirrored goggles for 5 bucks:

Triathlon on a budget!  Thanks, TJ's!!!

And, as we still had some time and Soph wanted to see TS's crib, I drove her down to Watch Hill, and cruised past the monster hedges and surly guard out front...I pointed out the chimneys, and gave her some stats.  She thought WH was pretty rad.  Realized when we got home that Taylor was hosting Selena Gomez, Sophia's favorite actress/singer/celeb person EVER.  She thinks it's coolness x 1,000,000, of course! OMG!

No run today.  Just monster amounts of yardwork (2 acres suuuuucks to mow and weedwhack), and hanging with the family :), then back at it tomorrow!  Cheers!  Here's my take on my swim/bike transition worries:

Tuesday, 7-23 - 0 Miles - Light weight training, some stretching and time with the kids.  Oh, and more yardwork, during which I got sweaty, possibly into some poison ivy, and stung by a wasp.  Love the yard...

Wednesday, 7-24 - 0 Miles - Karate this morning, and bowling with the kids at Alley Katz afterward.  Can't catch a break with the fun runs...but I was able to swim 50 laps in my in-laws' pool, which equals 1/4 mile.  Problem is, I can't do it continuously, so while I can do it, it ain't the pretty, "Phelpsian" form that tri- athletes normally have.  If I find out there's like 20 boats, boards, and kayaks on the swim course for Sunday, I'll be good to go; otherwise, not so much...my nerves are through the roof for this, and I'd much rather be running the Blessing on Friday, in all its hot, humid glory.  It might be "Okay to Crawl" but it's not OK to drown, or worse, DNF (Did Not Finish)...going to try to get a run or swim or surf in tomorrow morning.

Thursday, 7-25 - 2 miles (Trail Hike) - Cossaduck Hill portion of Narragansett Trail with the kids for fun and trail maintenance.  The kids had a blast, and I got to do some clearing on the trail :)

Kids love trails!  Get 'em out there, I say!

Friday, 7-26 - 3.5 Miles (Trail/Road mix) - Canonchet Preserve trails and Hoptown roads with Jim H.  Good, cool morning and nice muddy trails (and lots of spider webs!).  Never been in this preserve before, and the first trail we took was a gradually descending, wide trail that ended at a road.  We followed the road for a bit then turned back, got to the car and decided to take the other trail which ended rather quickly at someone's backyard.  Have to ask Muddy about this spot, as it's on his turf...

     p.m. 4+ Miles (Road/Beach mix) - Misquamicut roads and oceanfront run with Gazelle.  Stopped by Gazelle's place to pick up to shiny new WTAC singlets (awesome!!!)  and, in spite of his scheduled Blessing 10 miler tonight, asked if I was up for a short run...yup!  Ran to the beach, then on the beach, then back.  Perfect weather, too - overcast and 70, and nobody on the beach.  In spite of high tide, great running there.  We talked about the Crabman, my mental issues surrounding the swim, and he gave me some valuable tips about the race, prep, and getting through my weakest part of the event (wonder what that is, hmmm???).  Good running day!



     p.m. Part 2 - 1/4 Mile swim (Ocean) - Swim from Seaside Beach Club.  So I'm down in Misquamicut anyway, checking the surf (nada), and I'm looking at a pretty calm Ocean and decide "What the Hell?", there's nobody in the water and now's as good a time as any to get a swim in.  Suited up, and swam parallel to shore 1/4 mile, as I'd walked off the distance with Sophia a few days ago and knew where I had to go.  Swam the whole thing in one shot, and while it wasn't pretty, and certainly wasn't fast, I got it done.  Huge weight off going into Sunday...

Saturday, 7-27 - 0 Miles - 1 day to Crabman...drove down to 'Gansett with Lori and the D-O-Double G to pick up my race packet.  Dogs love car rides...Ran into 5K and talked race strategy for a few, then Lori and I took a drive down to Point Judith to check the waves and walk the dog.  My nerves kicked into overdrive on the ride home, and as per my usual, I got very quiet while a million things rattled around in my head...

Sunday, 7-28 - 2013 Crabman Sprint Triathlon - See separate write-up, coming soon...