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| The Philly Escape Triathlon |
So far so good! I’m 7 months through my 10 month plan to complete my first half Ironman. In the TriDot Preseason project, my training focused on increasing my functional threshold in each sport, and I’m happy to say it’s been working. It’s a thrill at age 50 to achieve PRs and demonstrate we’re never too old to improve. PRs make us feel good, but I continue to love this sport for the impact it has on people’s lives.
In May I raced my fastest 5K ever (25:55), at the American Heart Association (the AHA) Wall Street run, supporting a charity that has made a big impact in peoples’ lives. The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, the number 1 and 2 killers globally. They are working toward improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent, and reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent, all by the year 2020.
In early June, thanks to my Tridot training and my new tri bike, I cut 7 minutes off my fastest time at the Seaside Sprint in Bridgeport. Perhaps I was inspired by the movie about P.T Barnum, entrepreneur founder of the circus and former mayor of the city who helped to establish Seaside Park, who once said, “Be cautious and bold”, a good motto for we triathletes.
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| I was "cautious and bold" on my first tri bike race |
Last weekend, we joined our good tri friends Diane and Erik for the Philadelphia triathlon, making it our 5thannual event. It was the second time I did an Olympic distance race and again cut 7 minutes off my previous time. Decked out in my Philadelphia Tri Club kit, I benefited from the cheers and encouragement of my fellow racers and spectators. Barb and Diane inspired us all with their 3rdand 2ndage group wins, Barb’s first ever podium placement!
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| Professional looking transition! |
The older athletes continue to amaze me. With my milestone birthday, I happily entered a new age group, which usually gives you a competitive advantage, but I was surprised to find that not so! The women in my new age group are doing something right, pushing themselves to new levels of athletic achievement. It’s been inspiring and fun to follow my fellow 50 year olds (and older) on the Women for Tri community site also training for their first half Ironman or Ironman races. Recently a pair of 78 year old women announced, to rousing fanfare, they are training for their first sprint triathlon. We all have a lot of work to do to match Sister Madonna Buder, the Iron Nun, who is the oldest person (not just woman!) to successfully complete a full distance Ironman at age 82. Her book, “The Grace to Race,” was my favorite springtime read.
For the next 3 months, I’m increasing my distances and weekly workouts to 10-12 hours at peak periods through my TriDot plan. This is the first time I’ve gotten to comfortably and regularly running 10K without an injury. I now feel comfortable on my new tri bike and have a heart rate monitoring tri watch, but more importantly, I increased my confidence and mental fortitude in the first half of the season so I’m ready for the new challenges that lie ahead!
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| Barb and I race together again |
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| Our annual Philly tri picture |
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