Ever think what it would be like to swim in a washing machine.....

Well after the hour and a half I spent in the pool this morning I can tell you EXACTLY what your cloths go through, and I LOVED it!

I have done triathlons in the past, and the swim, specifically the swim start, has always terrified me. I'm not a strong swimmer so when I felt someone hit me, someone's hands during my kick, or if my hands hit someone else's feet I would panic and lose my stroke rhythm. I also tended to go out too fast, exhaust myself and end up doing the back stroke, or breast stroke just to finish the swim portion. After spending Friday night and the majority of Saturday with three professional triathletes, and 20 to 30 other "novice" triathletes, I believe I have conquered my fear.

Our day started in the pool at All Star Fitness, learning to sight while breathing (not as easy as it sounds), how to draft, and finally getting used to swimming close to your fellow racers. I happily spent an hour and a half getting kicked, hit, having my goggles ripped off, and being crawled over. Everything that I experience during a swim start. Having it in the safety of a clinic experience made it easy to be come "comfortable" with it, and learn how not to panic. Not to mention that we probably swam over a mile with all the 50's and 100's that we repeated to get used to each new technique they were giving us. Had the clinic ended here I could have easily walked away very happy, thinking money well spent. Instead it continued on to the bike, just like a typical triathlon.....

So off to the spin room we go. Some people changed gear, but since you don't change during a race I stayed in my wet tri shorts and top. As a some what experienced racer, and someone who's ridden a bicycle more than I few times; I know the importance of using body glide, or chamois butter..... I still trying to figure out how I "forgot" to apply any before I left the house this morning. I stuck it out, and managed the spin portion, in a nice and "warm" room. Since many races in the PNW happen in the summer months (if we get a summer) they pro's wanted us to experience the heat we might encounter. By the end of the bike training I couldn't tell if I was still wet from the swim, or wet from sweat . Either way, due to fantastic fueling advice I headed out to the run portion, with energy and excitement.

Sadly a foot injury I've been nursing for a few weeks, decided the run wasn't in the books for me today. However, I was on the go from 9am until 2pm; longer than a typical sprint distance triathlon, and hopefully longer than my upcoming marathon. I feel ready to tackle a mock tri in less than two weeks, and am looking forward to increasing my training in the upcoming months, not to mention the open water swim practices that will surely be around the corner also.

So a big huge Thank You to Athlete's Lounge, and the Athlete's Lounge Pro Team for putting on such an amazing clinic this weekend.