Transition Workout

We did a mini-triathlon for the transition workout! The transition area was in the lobby of the Presidio Y Sports Basement, just before the exit doors. I'm surprised they let us do that but I think it's because Shannon knows the people there very well. Afterall, she runs events for them (e.g., boot camp) and they are a sponsor of the Embarcadero Y Women's Tri Club.

I was excited to wear my wetsuit for the first time. It was surprisingly easly to put on, but I think it was because I took Jessica's advice and put Bodyglide on my legs first. Jessica said that the key is to pull the suit all the way up so it's comfortable in the crotch, otherwise it will restrict arm movement.

We walked down to the beach forwas with us because she had just finished her 12 mile run to Pacbell Park and back that morning. She bravely volunteered to do a test swim for us without a wetsuit and reported back on swimming conditions. Based on her feedback, Shannon advised us to sight and breathe on our left and to pull hard on our right to make sure we weren't swimming further and further away from shore. Ariel also did the swim with us, and we kept to her left. Shannon was willing to pull us out in an emergency but advised us to come back to shore if we became very nervous (i.e., before we became too panicked to come in on our own).

The swim was much better than I expected even though the water was cold and I wasn't used to the waves. I certainly can't imagine doing something like Sharkfest or Escape from Alcatraz, both of which theoretically contain a 1.5 mile swim if you can swim in a straight line. It helped that I swam close to the beach and knew the water was shallow enough so that I could stand up at any point if necessary. I was also fascinated and thrilled that my wetsuit kept my legs up. They floated all on their own! Although a wetsuit really does help a ton, I'm still going to try to swim without one where possible (e.g., Tri for Fun, Tri for Real) for practice.

I started swaying as soon as I stood up out of the water. I ran back to Sports Basement dreading the bike ride. We were supposed to ride towards Fort Point for a bit, turn around, and then cycle to Fort Mason and back.

Cycling on the road along Marina Blvd. is dangerous because the cars go too fast. Cycling on the sidewalk is marginally better but it's still difficult because of all the pedestrians. I rode slowly to make sure I could dodge people. At one point, I suddenly came to the edge of a curb with a 4" drop. Because D had helped me switch out my clipless pedals for regular ones two days before, I was able to swerve and put my foot on the ground as I leaned to the left. Excellent.

After a slow but safe ride back to Sports Basement, I ran to Fort Mason and back. The run seemed really slow even though I tried pushing myself. I think it may have been the heat. My legs just wouldn't go any faster. I hope to get to track again soon to regain that spring in my step.

I was slow but I finished: my motto for all triathlons this season.