Those Motivational Friends...
If it wasn't clear from all my past blog posts that "Coach" Rance was the single motivating factor in me signing up for and training for the Clemson Triathlon, you clearly haven't been paying attention.
With his help, I went from non-athlete, terrible swimmer, never-would-have-considered-a-triathlon to completed-an-open-water-swim-triathlon-with-a-somewhat-respectable-finish-time 3 months later. Amazing.
So what's the trouble with motivational friends like this? Nothing! Well, except just when I thought I could revel in my first triathlon completion for a while, Coach Rance slaps a big one on me for the summer: we're going to train for the Kiawah Olympic Distance Triathlon in September. Oh snap!
I'm signed up...no turning back now.
What's an Olympic Distance Triathlon?
The Clemson Tri was a Sprint distance. The "beginner's tri", as it were. So the next step up is the Olympic Distance...roughly double the distances. So we're looking at a .7 mile swim (in the Atlantic) followed by a 25 mile bike finished off with a 10k run. #gulp
Here is the breakdown...
The swim
The swim is a .7 mile point-to-point in the Atlantic – along the beach in front of the Sanctuary Resort. Here's a picture I found from last year's race. So, you know...at least if I drown it will be beautiful.:
The Bike
Swim & Bike Course (click to enlarge)
The bike is a 25 mile rambling course that covers the entire island so it should make for some nice sight-seeing. At least this course will be flat, unlike the Clemson Tri bike route which was crafted by the devil himself to destroy my legs.
The Run
Run Course
The run course is a 6 mile loop that rambles through some neighborhoods and even has a two mile stretch on the beach itself. With all the change in scenery, that should keep things interesting.
So now what?
Well, a few things:
- I bought myself a fancy new racing bike so I might have a fleeting chance to stay competitive in the bike leg (lesson learned from the Clemson Tri)
- In about two weeks, I'll be starting a new training plan that will have me doing 6-8 hours of training sessions a week to build strength and stamina.
- I'm taking off to the beach for a week 'cause I've only got two weeks left to be lazy!