So I managed to knock over 10 1/2 minutes off my time from the same distance last September. The weather was aweful but that didn't seem to matter much. I was thrilled with my swim time and very pleased with my run time. My bike time was not as good as I thought it could have been so I am focusing more on that for the next 4-weeks until my next race.

And the best part...........I don't even ache today! Now that's progress.

I just received the email confirming my start time and it is early. Race starts at 7:30 and I have to be there an hour before that to check in, get body marking etc. It takes 45 minutes to get from my house to the Navy base so it looks like it will be a 5 am start. That is not a challenge for me at all; however, my husband is not a morning person and yet he will get up and come with me which leads me to the topic of my ramble today.

For me, at least, the support I receive from my family and friends is extremely important. I choose to do this sport because it is multidisciplined which adds variety, but I am not an elite athlete and it is the encouragement of those around me that drives me to the finish line. My Dad last saw me swim in September and it was a challenge for me to finish the 300m to say the least. This time I actually have a time goal that I want to achieve and I know that all the months of practice is really paying off. Tomorrow I want to show my Dad how far I have come since then. If I were a child that might seem a natural statement but I am not and I have children and grandchildren of my own, and yet it is still important to me that I can show my Dad that I have worked hard at something and achieved success.

During this journey I have lost weight, gained in self-confidence, and am healthier than I have been in years. I have made new friends and found something that I really enjoy. I am an athlete! I have a fantastic support crew of family and friends! What a wonderful way to begin the summer season!

Five days to go and feeling pretty good. I haven't done as much running as I would have liked but at the shorter distance that I have entered for my first tri of the season I only have to run 3k and like one of my club mates said "you can always walk."

I am really looking forward to Sunday and comparing the times to the race I did at the same distance back in September. I am confident that my swimming will be better and also my biking and if I can get the whole thing in under 1h 23m then I will be happy. My absolute dream for this race will be to get under 1 hr which may be possible if I can get the run legs working sifficiently well. We shall see.

It's surprising how quickly the goal posts move. Last year when I entered my very first tri my goal was to finish (and I wasn't confident that I could at that point). Now I am looking at times and speed and wearing a watch and keeping track of how I am doing. Never in my wildest dreams would I have seen this in my future.

Swam last night with the club but there were only a very small number (long holiday weekend and 30 degree weather likely kept most people away) so they combined lanes and I found myself working at almost two lanes ahead of my normal group. My goal was to keep up which for the most part I did; however, towards the end Coach looked at me and said "you're sinking" at which point I laughed and said that I was aware of that but even a submarine can keep up with the group!

I have brought my bike to work today with the intent of getting out for an hour at lunch (it's supposed to rain later and I prefer to avoid that if I can) so I will have the evening to myself which will give me some time to plan meals and snacks for this week. I am a new vegitarian so meal planning takes some thought but the good news is that my energy levels are great so it doesn't appear to be hindering my training.

Enjoy your week!

Just returned from a week down South in the Dominican Republic. Hot hot HOT! Still managed to swim 1km per day in the sea ......... unbelievably warm .... and no stopping so even though I wasn't going all out I was at least moving. Managed to get in a couple of hikes through the rainforest which really did work up a sweat.

Now back to the training plan! 2k swim tonight in an hour.......pretty pleased with that!