A couple of months ago I was asked to be an ambassador for the Boston Triathlon all thanks to my fitness and blogging friend Chrissy Carroll from Snacking in Sneakers who referred me. When she asked if I’d be interested in the opportunity it felt like fate, as I had literally just had an entire conversation with my coach about breaking the ice and doing my first tri.
I’ve always wanted to do a triathlon, but there are two reasons why I’ve never taken the plunge, literally… The first, and definitely the biggest reason is because I’m not much of a swimmer. Don’t get me wrong, I know how to swim, and I actually love being in the water, but I have a bad right shoulder and I’ve let the fear of it being an issue in the water hold me back.
The second reason is because although I absolutely love being on my bike, I tend to get nervous riding outside. I’ve never truly felt comfortable riding with traffic and I always feel a bit uncomfortable and timid with cars whipping by me. But since becoming a certified spin instructor over a year ago and definitely being in the best shape of my life, I feel as ready as ever mentally and physically to take on a new challenge.
The first thing I told my husband when I accepted the ambassadorship was that I refused to do the bike in my running sneakers. No, no, no friends – I want to clip in. I clip in for every spin ride, every trainer ride in my basement and it was time to take it outside. And this Memorial Day weekend I did just that! I successfully did my first ride clipped in with my husband, my daughter and a couple of our friends by my side and it was freakin’ awesome! It was so exhilarating and what a difference it makes riding.
I started on the rail trail and then took it to some beautiful country roads. My husband told me all weekend how proud of me he was and how incredibly strong I looked riding. But the best part was that I felt so proud of myself. I let go of the fear I had of being clipped and the mentality of it being something I’d never be able to master and I just did it and rode. My husband told me all the spinning classes I teach every week are clearly paying off, and admittedly I totally agreed… my legs and body felt like a powerhouse on my bike. And as much as I looooove spinning, nothing really beats riding outdoors.
Of course, running is the easy part of my triathlon training. That’s what I do, I run. Creating a running plan and knowing what I need to do for that aspect of the race is easy peasy. But I’m a lucky gal because I’m married to a man who was a sponsored cyclist and who raced at a professional level for several years. So I get all the best tips, training and support when it comes to cycling. And I’ll need to stick with my outdoor riding if I want to keep up with him and my 3-year-old who went from riding her balance bike straight to pedaling on two-wheels!
So all that’s really left for me to “master” is the swimming, and thanks to my run coach, who happens to also be a triathlon coach, I’m working on how to fit some swim workouts into my busy jam packed schedule of motherhood, teaching group fitness classes, training clients and training for my own races.
I cannot wait for the Boston Triathlon and to officially be able to call myself a Marathoner and a Triathlete! In the meantime, keep following me here and on my social media channels for updates on training to be a triathlete and race day. Happy swimming, biking and running 😉