In less than 7 days, I’ll do my first Olympic distance Triathlon. I can feel the excitement building up and I know it’s only going to get “worse” from now on. This will be my second triathlon. In 2014 I wanted to do something challenging to celebrate my 30th birthday and I signed up for a Sprint distance (0.25mi/400m swim, 10mi/16km bike, 3.1mi/5km run). It was a great experience and I knew I would do more triathlon events in the future. 

Last year, to celebrate my 31st birthday, I ran a full marathon. That race was definitely way more difficult than a sprint triathlon but it was the moment I realized I was ready to take bigger challenges and see where my body could take me. 

So this year I signed up for the Boston Triathlon, which will take place at Carson Beach, South Boston. I’ll be swimming 0.9mi/1.5km, biking 22mi/35km and finishing with a 6mi/10km run. Still not as challenging as a marathon but this is the first step towards higher goals. I’m looking at you Ironman. 

Training

I’ve been trying to focus my training on the swim and bike parts. Swimming is, like many people, my weakest sport. I never thought I’d be able to swim 1mi non-stop, but I’m almost there. I’m aware my technique is terrible not so great but I didn’t have time to relearn how to swim, improve my strokes and get the endurance needed in a short period of time. Lots of room for improvement here. 

Cycling is also a “new” sport for me. I’ve had many bikes throughout my life but I’ve never seen it as a sport. The purpose of a bike was to take me to places. That’s still the case but it’s also an essential part of a triathlon. I recently brought my dad’s road bike from Brazil and I’ve been having a lot of fun with the long rides. I also bought a trainer (Tax Vortex Smart) that will allow me to improve my skills right in my basement, specialty during the Boston’s brutal winters. 

Last but not least, my favorite sport: running. This is the sport I’m more familiar with. I’ve been running for a long time and I really enjoy it. The only problem is since my marathon back in October ‘15 I’ve been struggling with my IT band. I should have gone to a doctor, but I decided to use Dr. Google instead. It’s definitely better and the pain I feel when I go for longer runs is not nearly as bad as it used to be, if it hurts at all. But I regret not taking care of it from day one. 

Overall, I think I’m in good shape and I’ll be able to swim + bike + run, hopefully, without issues. I’m looking forward to next weekend and I’m pretty sure I’ll have a good time.