Triathlon: The First Steps

Yes, I did: triathlon! I did mention in on my blog 40 things before 40, but I guess it still may surprise many. And yes, that is true. As of last Sunday, I am officially crawling my way to a triathlon. It is an ambitious plan so I am giving myself enough time to get prepared. It is more than getting ready physically. There are some mental blocks I have to overcome first. 

One of these blocks is the bike…

Triathlon: The First Steps

Brazil is not a country with a bike culture. I only learned how to ride a bicycle at the age of 12 and sincerely, I never used it that much. It was only after years living in Belgium that I got myself one. It was on sale and they had it in XS. Yuppy!!! I used it sometimes. I (even) went to work with it 2 or 3 times, but it has spent the past years all alone in the garage.

The thing is that I have been reading so many inspiring blogs about triathlon that I thought: why not? It could be a great change of environment before I decide to go back on stage again. 

Running is not a problem for me. I love it! However, there is also the swimming and the biking. These are both hard ones.

Well, it is better to take one step at a time, so last Sunday, after a lot of thinking (and a sleepless night) I took Buddy, my bike, outside and tested my legs. For this first ride, the idea was a 30-minute ride. 

Beginner’s Equipment

I had a route in mind, but soon I realized that I had to adapt it because the road was closed. Even though I have been living here for so many years, there is very little I know outside downtown. Because being on a bike was already enough adventure to me, I kept it safe by riding back and taking the other side of the river.

The weather was great and I ended up doing a little more than 11km in about 45 minutes. The best part about it is that I survived it and ended up loving the experience. It was fun to see how easily other cyclists could see I was a newbie. I must look really odd in addition to the basic equipment.

I am really glad I overcome this block. I was so close to giving up. In fact, I was first going to give a try on July 21st, national holiday here, but I did not make it. I could have cancelled it this time as well, but I didn’t. Kudos for me!

In spite of being an accident-free route, I still managed to hurt my leg. My front light felt on the floor and when I stopped the bike, it happened. I am not sure how I got hurt. It was when I restarted with the riding that I felt my left knee itchy. Once I got home, I did some damage control. 

Intra- and post-workout and damage

I had my Regatta backpack with me, but I did not have much in it. For such a short ride, I just needed my Bobble with water. Once I got home though, I made some Egg Protein shake with water and ate 2 rice cakes with cottage cheese.

There are a lot of things that I have to learn about biking. This was just a very humble step towards losing my fear of riding a bike on the streets. You can surely count with more blogs about the theory of cycling. My geek side has a lot of research to do.

Have you already participated in a triathlon? How was it? What got you interested in it? What is your favorite discipline? And your least favorite?

And for the first time (of many, hopefully), I am joining the linkup of You Signed Up For WHAT?!, The Cupcake Triathlete, and The TriGirl Chronicles for TriTalk Tuesdays! Make sure you stop by one these pages too to have a look at all the great triathlon-related blogs linked there.

Have a great time!

#DebbieinShape

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