"Puttin' the Try in Triathlon"

Today, I definitely put the "try" in my triathlon training. In less than one month's time, I am now a duathlete!

When I trained for my first marathon in 2005, I cycled as part of my cross-training but never on the same days I ran. I would do yoga after running but, thus far, yoga doesn't come into consideration when talking about athletic events and overall prowess.

This morning, though, prior to 9 a.m., I did a 9-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run...back-to-back! WOO WOO!

Talk about confidence building, boy, do I feel good. It would be a bunch of b.s. if I said I didn't have concerns or fear over my ability to pull off, this, my second, major, suicide attempt so having accomplished this hurdle toward my goal is definitely a physical as well as mental milestone. And, really, for anyone who thinks what I'm doing is some sort of super human thing, believe me, you too can do it; it's really all about mind over matter AND doing it in such a way as to take care of yourself and know your body and in doing so, know or begin to learn to know more about who you are as a person.

In addition to becoming a duathlete today, yesterday, I was in the water for a half mile. Wasn't forward stroking the entire time, as a matter of fact, I spent more time on my back kicking my legs, but I still covered half a mile!

Form, I'm working on my form. Learning when and how to breathe and whether or not I do that on one side or from side-to-side, after two strokes?, after three strokes? It's all a learning curve. My friend, George, is coaching me and helping me to figure it all out. Methinks I'm a side-to-side breather every three strokes; the problem I had yesterday, though, is that my head wouldn't always come out of the water high enough so I'd take-on water instead of air, and it's salt water...yuck, yuck and double yuck. After talking to George, what I now know is that I need to have more rotation in my shoulder so my head comes up enough, with the least amount of effort on my part, so I won't be suckin' in water.

Oh, and I did my swimming yesterday in my new springsuit, with flippers, goggles, swim cap and nose plugs. I'm quite swimming, fashionable appropriate I gotta say!

A springsuit, by the way, is short-sleeved and comes down to just above the knees, and a whole helluva lot easier to get into than my full suit making for a more positive swimming experience all the way around. Halle-frickin'-u-lah!

Definitely working my way to the nutrition area of my training (always the last thing on my list up until the time I, again, realize it's the most important).

Prior to swimming yesterday morning, I had a banana and a raisin bran muffin. Followed that up with chips and homemade pico de gallo for a snack; later on, a chicken and cheddar and monterey jack cheese burrito with nibbles of fresh strawberries and blueberries throughout the day. A couple of nice, cold Hefeweizen's in the evening and some roast beef for dinner.

This morning, prior to my bike ride and run, I had a banana and a raisin brain muffin. When I transitioned from my bike to the run, I nibbled on a couple of strawberries and a handful of blueberries along with a couple swigs of Propel, and a few bites of another muffin grabbing water at fountains along my route.

Surprisingly enough, one of the key ingredients in my dietary intake, is the chips accompanying the pico de gallo. Salt has never been a favorite of mine. Don't have a problem with it, just never use it so I've come to learn I need to consume it during my training process, especially over the hot,summer months, because it helps retain water and staying hydrated is crucial, and I mean CRUCIAL.

So, there you have it, the July 26 update. Thanks to all who help me along the way and thanks for reading!