Coming Out of Triathlon Retirement?

As you’ve noticed, there hasn’t been much swim/bike talk lately – it’s all run. I announced my semi-retirement from triathlon last September after completing one Sprint triathlon post-Ironman. I was burnt out and the thought of getting back on my bike made me cringe – almost as much as the thought of getting in the pool for any scenario other than sipping a cocktail and sunbathing.

My big goals for this year are to qualify for the Boston Marathon and to complete P90X2. Triathlon doesn’t fit nicely into either of those goals so I went into 2013 with the possibility of not completing any triathlons. Then I got engaged and gave myself 7 months to plan a wedding. Less time for fitness, let alone triathlon. However, as of late (i.e. the last 3 days?) I’ve been kind of missing triathlon. I read quite a few triathlon blogs and follow even more triathletes on Twitter and triathlon seasons is ramping up and I’m reading tweets and race reports and starting to get quite the twinge to get back into it. Watching our friend Stephen (as well as getting to see the pros like Rinny!) at Oceanside 70.3 a few weeks ago also fueled the fire.

In the winter, triathlon reminded me of the February mornings that Team WODS would go to Del Mar and swim in frigid water that caused my face to freeze up and I would slur my words. It reminded me of 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls for Master’s Swimming at the YMCA and all day Saturday bike rides with freezing wind whipping at my neck. it reminded me of the time Mike and I spent 3.5 hours on the trainer and then ran 4 miles in a rain storm with 20+ mph winds.

But now, spring is here. The days are longer, the mornings are warmer (I now only wear 2 layers each morning for my run instead of 3), and people are racing triathlons, not just sitting on their trainers working toward a goal that is months away. I’ve started relating triathlon to weekday morning rides down the coast where there is relatively no traffic and I can ride fast and hard along the gorgeous Pacific. I think about group swims at the Cove or the Shores with friends, old and new. I think about our old Pizza Port loop (45 miles through Rancho Santa Fe to Rancho Bernardo and back) and the Monday night group runs at Moving Shoes. I want in on that!

My mind isn’t made up yet but as long as things go as planned at Eugene, I will likely be racing the Solana Beach Sprint Triathlon at the end of July. This was my first triathlon 2 years ago and I went out and watched Mike, Jeremy and Asia race it last year. It’s a fun, close to home and a super short sprint triathlon and I think it will be the perfect way to get my triathlon fix without overdoing it this year. And, since the swim is only 1/4 a mile, I probably can get away with only swimming 3-4 times before the race. This is a competitive sprint triathlon in San Diego so I don’t expect to podium or anything like that – I just want to go out there and have fun and enjoy the day. Of course when I’m on the course I’ll be working my ass off because that is my nature, but I don’t plan to put a lot of pressure on myself to train well for it. I still want to tone up and strength train with P90X as well as continue to run so I do well at the AFC Half in August so I’ll likely just add 2 bike rides and 1 swim to my routine each week.

Sooo we’ll see. I am already finding myself wondering what is next after Eugene and it’s not even here. I know I need to just put my head down and focus on these next 2.5 weeks of training before Eugene but I also like to think about the future and get excited about things like this. I haven’t ridden my bike in 7 months…. so if anything, at least this will give me an excuse to get it out and dust it off and lube the chain so it doesn’t rust to itself.

What is your favorite part about triathlon training in the summer?