Swim, bike, and walk

Today was a great day. My friend, Denise, and I made our way over to Lifetime Fitness this morning for their annual indoor triathlon. It consisted of a 10 minute swim, 30 minutes on a Schwinn indoor bike, and 20 minutes on the treadmill. The event was a bit disorganized, Denise and I got lost during our swim/bike transition trying to find the cycling studio (yes, the gym is that big), but the staff was encouraging and helpful and the music selection was amazing. All in all, it was a great way to get our feet wet and prepare for the  outdoor triathlon we intend to do in April.

This was the first time I had ever done a triathlon swim in a pool and I didn't like it as much as the open water swims. Granted, I could see where I was going, I didn't get kicked and smacked, and there was absolutely no worry about being eaten by a giant water dwelling creature; however, I had a really hard time getting into a regular rhythm like I could when swimming in open water. When I stopped to think about it, I realized that the incentive to swim faster was also missing, since the fear of being eaten  makes a person put just a touch more effort into their swim.

After we were changed and once we found the cycling studio, the bike ride portion of the event was pretty fun. I kept my cadence at about 17-19 mph, even though we were encouraged to drop all resistance and pedal as hard as we could so we could cover the most amount of miles. After watching some of the participants bouncing around in their saddles, apparently in one of the waves some man managed to bounce hard enough to move his bike, I was even more appreciative of the good education and safety protocols I received when I was certified to teach Spinning. I definitely felt the gluteus maximus muscles once I got off the bike, which meant that I was pedaling safely and effectively.

The treadmill portion was pretty uneventful. Thankfully there was no tripping or falling involved, and I just walked for 20 minutes.  Unfortunately, the leg is still not 100% since my fall a few weeks ago and my calf started to feel tight and ache the last five minutes. Ibuprofen, stretches and foam roller to the rescue!