Anne's Training Journal

Anne is a good friend of mine who lives in Missoula, Montana and loves the great outdoors. She's told me a lot of stories about her trips and wilderness adventures over the years but last week she told me she was entering a triathlon (running, biking and swimming). I thought her training and competition would be an interesting addition to AWB so I've asked Anne to share her "Training Journal" with all of us. Here is her first entry:

I’m training for the Grizzly Triathlon. It’s a sprint triathlon in Missoula, Montana on April 11th. I’m not your typical tri-athlete—I’m short, 49, and overweight, and not particularly a good runner or swimmer. But, I’ve always dreamed of completing a triathlon. This Grizzly won’t be my first. I finished last year, but it was exactly two months after surgery to remove a diseased kidney. Last year, I figured I was just lucky to complete the race and not come in last. I think there were at least 5 people slower than me. This year I have no excuses.

I’m training with a group at The Women’s Club, the gym I belong to in Missoula. It’s a great way to meet new people and have a supportive environment for training. Our group meets every Sunday morning for a workout with two trainers from the club.

This week we were supposed to take two spinning classes, run on a treadmill 3x, swim twice, do a weight routine twice, and take a yoga class. I think I’m doing pretty well—I’ve done everything except one of the weight routines and the yoga class. I’ve had trouble fitting the yoga class into my schedule although I realize how important stretching is at my age.

I’m trying to eat well, and I have been hungry a lot. I’m sleeping more and better. If I miss a day exercising, I’m restless. Today is Saturday, and my big goal is to get my dogs out for a good walk—my house will have to stay dirty. I also find myself trying to decide which race I’m going to sign up for next. Triathlons are addictive.

Anne