On Sunday, I completed an indoor triathlon at my New Jersey gym, Lifetime Fitness. It was such a fun morning! Going off in waves all morning were different groups, all completing the same timed events:
- 10 minute swim
- 30 minute bike
- 20 minute run
The goal was to go as fast and as far as you could during each timed interval.
I signed up a month or two ago, on a sad little Friday night when I was stuck at home alone icing my foot and watching Say Yes to the Dress. I was confident my foot would be totally healed and I’d be able to bang out the run, but going into it this morning, I wasn’t so sure. I knew I would definitely need to take it easy, and was praying I’d be smart enough to actually do so.
31 seems like a good number…
My friend Lauren came over bright and early and we headed over together. After checking in and getting a hat and some other goodies, we went to the pool to get started. Thankfully we each had our own lane because I get grumpy when I have to share. Each person had a lap counter (as in a person counting their laps), which I was grateful for because I can never ever keep track when I’m swimming continuous laps. I get lost after “one”. The support staff was super supportive and cheered for us as we were swimming. I felt pretty strong on the swim and had no pain in my shoulder, woohoo! When I finished, the woman told me I completed 19 lengths (25 meters/length) and was in the lead for the girls! I was in the 5th out of 10 waves, but regardless, I was super excited. ME. In the lead in SWIMMING. I think we all know swimming is NOT my thing.
So, I swam about 475 meters in 10 minutes. For reference, my first tri last August included a 400 meter swim and it took me about 12 or 13 minutes. At least I’m improving, right? +1 for swimming.
We had a 10 minute transition period to get changed and head upstairs to hop on the bike. They had set up a ton of bikes in the aerobics studio, and as soon as we were ready, we hopped onto a bike. Each bike had a computer to track our time and mileage. They had towels and water for everyone, and there was a spin instructor at the front of the room playing fun music, cheering everyone on, and telling hilarious stories. He made the 30 minutes go by really fast – there was a lot of energy in the room! I biked a little over 9 miles…meh. Although I did bike for 3.5 hours and run for 20 minutes the day before sooo…is that an excuse?
Next, we walked right out of the studio and over to the treadmills for a 20 minute run. We were technically allowed a 5 minute transition, and had the option to warm up by walking and stretching if we wanted. Lauren and I just went straight to it. I started off really slow to test out the foot. As I continued to run without any inkling of pain, I slowly increased my speed. I was still super conservative (and was ridiculously annoyed that I had to be) but am glad I stayed smart – I only finished with 2.14 miles but was SO glad I had no pain! I iced twice on Sunday as a precautionary measure, and so far so good!
Sweaty fun!
I ended up finishing in 10th place for the women…I’ll take it! I love that my gym offers fun opportunities like this. It’s seriously amazing that I can swim, bike, run, take yoga classes, strength train, dance, and basically do any kind of physical activity you could ever think of all in one place. (Not to mention the hot tub, sauna, and spa…not that I have time for those or anything.) Fab.
After a celebratory Starbucks run with Lauren, I finished off the afternoon with some quality time with Brendan. This is the best way to celebrate a tri, by the way:
Post-Race Perfection.
Has anyone else ever done an indoor tri?
That sounds like so much fun! Keep up the good work!!
It was – thanks!!
I’d love to do an indoor tri since open water swimming kind of scares me. I think it’s be the perfect introduction to the sport!
Definitely a GREAT option for your first triathlon. I’ll let you know if I hear of any others!