Bricks

Apparently in the triathlon world a brick workout is one where you bike and then run. This past month I've discovered why. Sunday I biked 14 miles on a hill program at the gym and then hopped on the treadmill for a quick run - or what turned out to be a slow and painful run.  After biking for an hour my legs definitely felt like   bricks on the treadmill.  It was another one of those, "oh I definitely will not be able to do this in a race" moments.  Self doubt is a very close friend of mine.  I gave up after a mile and a half and hit the pool to do laps.  If only these races were done in the correct order.  Why swim first?  It makes no sense to get all wet in the pool and then go for a bike ride.  It is much nicer to cool off in the pool after a hard run.  I am glad that I have until May to try and build my endurance because I have a really hard time running a 5k right now, and I know it is not going to be easier after swimming 700 meters and biking 13 miles.

My triathlon buddy and I have tentatively agreed to sign up for the Tri For Joe event at Coney Island at the end of May.  The great part about this race is that it is in a pool (chlorinated water without fish!) and the course is supposed to be really flat (hills are not my friend).  The bad part is the water is on average around 65 degrees.  This raises the question of a triathlon wetsuit.  Since I am not a real triathlete, evidenced by the fact that I do not currently own a bike, I do not own a wetsuit.  Apparently you can rent them for around $40 a race.  Looking at the size chart I'm sure many of these rental places would love to inform me that I a) am not in good enough shape for a triathlon b) am definitely too large to be considered a female triathlete or c) that I should try finding a nice moo moo made out of neoprene.  Purchasing one for the fair market value of $200-$300 seems insane.  Who knew this sport could be so expensive!  I've already shelled out for the fancy gear shown below:

My super amazing cycling shoes that will someday clip in to the road bike I do not currently own, but in the meantime serve me well in spin class.

My Polar watch that works with a chest strap to record my heart rate and calorie burn during workouts!  This is necessary for extremely nerdy tracking of workout minutes and speeds.