Tri-hard

In the wake of last blog’s brouhaha and amongst Angry Dan and Angry Rory’s continued quest to quash the slow runners of the world, it would seem, well, I’m getting slower.

My tempo runs are now a good minute slower per km than they were in October and I’m at least 30 seconds behind my old “easy” pace. Yikes! I suspected things had gone downhill over the holidays… but not at a 6:20/min pace.

The situation is serious.  What if the Angry Runners of the world unite and officially boot me from the sport?

Just in case, I’ve been considering my alternatives. As usual, in exchange for a little ‘harmless private information’ Google threw up some viable alternatives, which I encourage you to check out: I thought championship aerobics was it, until I came upon chess boxing – but then thumb wrestling makes a good case, oh, and what proud Canadian could ignore synchronized swimming?

Ultimately though, I’ve decided to supplement my training with something easier–Triathlon.

I mean, I’ve seen tons of people finish an Iron Man, and boy, do they ever run slowly! I’ll fit right in.  What’s more, cross training can only help me to shed the excess pounds and the idea of mixing things up at the moment is very appealing.

Honestly, the idea of trying a triathlon has been floating in my head for a few years, but I’ve been avoiding it for two reasons: 1. Biking around people scares me.  2.  Running/cycling in a bathing suit scares me (no one needs to see that). With that in mind last Sunday, I went to a triathlon 101 clinic held by Dr. Stevil and uber-traithlete Jen Amaral.

It did nothing to calm my fears.

Steve’s tips on how to put your shoes on while riding a bike were somewhat advanced for yours truly – whose last bike had streamers, while Jen’s form fitting tri-suit induced a mild panic attack for this body-conscious blogger. Moreover, the amount of gear you need to own and understand how to use in order to complete a triathlon is intimidating.

That said, it lit a fire under me.   I feel like I did in 2002 when I set out to conquer my first half-marathon – scared spitless, but excited by the idea that this former fat-kid is going to even give it a try.

So, while I will always be a runner at heart (no matter what the Angrys of the world say), and this blog will remain mainly about running, a triathlon is now officially in my diary: July 8, Peterborough Sprint – No time goal, just want to finish with minimal road rash.

Let’s see how it goes…

If you like my blog,  drop me a line and I’ll add you to my mailing list to let you know when updates are on the site. Don’t worry, your e-mail address will be safe with me and my best Nigerian banker friends.