Triathlon Training with a Bum Shoulder

This weekend I took the first step toward triathlon training and participated in a 3-hour swimming workshop focusing on technique and drills that should be the cornerstone of how I am to prepare for a half-mile swim. To sum it up: I'm a decent freestyle swimmer, but my breaststroke is so bad that I look like I need a lifeguard to blow a whistle and tell me I'm cut off. Until I took this workshop, I thought I was proficient enough in all four strokes. Nope. Not even close.

Actual photo of me trying not to drown after three hours of
swimming.

I have a shoulder injury that has been bugging me for nine years and counting, and I was relieved that the swimming neither bothered it nor did I feel any increased shoulder pain when I woke up this morning. My physical therapist friend took a look at it recently and confirmed it's in pretty bad shape, but unfortunately, there's not much I can do other than maintain flexibility and mobility until I'm ready to make peace with the idea of a surgeon cutting into one of the most important joints in my body. Surgery poses its own risks, though, so that is absolutely a last resort for me. For now, on the bad days I just live with chronic pain and take Ibuprofen when it flares up to the point where I can't sleep. On the good days, I barely notice it.

Extended Forearm Stand
Mother of Pearl Cami and Rockstar Shorts by INKnBURN

I'm sure it doesn't help that I spend a disproportionate amount of time practicing circus tricks like the pose above, but the yoga really helps keep my shoulder strong and flexible with careful, controlled movement. As long as my arm moves up toward my ear, I don't feel pain. I have to be careful with certain movements when opening my arm out wide and rotating it around from the joint. This might be part of the reason I find breaststroke particularly miserable. 

Two swimming sessions per week for the next few months was my coach's recommendation to be ready for my targeted triathlon. It's going to take some schedule-wrestling for me to work this into my weekly workout plan. Don't even get me started on the fact that I still have to 1) get a bike; and 2) actually ride it. 

The last time I rode a bike I was in Germany for the summer sometime in college. I may or may not have fallen off the bike in front of a ton of people while trying to navigate my way off a ferry, and there may have been more than one person laughing at me. This was before smart phones, thank goodness; otherwise, I'm fairly certain I would have ended up an internet meme sensation. 

(Hyper) Active Family

I am far from being a perfect mother, but one thing I feel I have done well is pass on my love of being active and eating healthy. My oldest daughter is a dancer and distance runner, my youngest is a dancer and competitive gymnast who busts out an occasional 5K like it's no big deal. Both took years of swimming lessons and are very strong swimmers, and we often take them hiking, on walks, or on bike rides.

It's a bird... it's a plane... nope, it's my gymnast kid!

Both James and I are a little... er... hyperactive, to put it lightly. Honestly, I'm not certain that my kids know that it's not the norm to always be running or doing yoga, dance, hockey, or going to CrossFit (those last two are James' weekly hobbies, not mine). In a world where it is so easy to sit on one's rump in front of screen, I am relieved that my girls are always excited to do something active.

As I continue to ponder the decision to do a triathlon this year, I continually remind myself that what I chose to do sets an example for my kids. If I face my fears of swimming in (cold) open waters and training for something I consider extremely challenging, they will see that I am neither afraid to push myself to the limits nor of trying something out of my comfort zone. I like that idea, so I'm just going to keep telling myself that I need to do it until I commit.

When I asked my little one below if she would do a triathlon if she were me, she narrowed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders and said, "Yeah, sure." You know, as if it were no big deal.

My little dimpled sunshine!
Healing Mandala shirt by INKnBURN

Pondering: Triathlon Training

A running buddy of mine is a triathlon coach and has asked me if I was serious when I mentioned last year that I might be interested in doing one this year.

When I think about jumping into a cold Washington lake and swimming, then biking, then running after swimming and biking, my reaction is something like this:

Just kill me already.

Last year I decided 2017 is going to be the year I do a triathlon, and it has finally occurred to me that WE ARE ALREADY IN THE MIDDLE OF MARCH 2017. If I'm going to do this, I have to commit and start training now.

I'm not a bad swimmer, but I have difficulty making time to do laps at the nearby pool, which is only open for lap swimming after 9:00 p.m. during the week. And to be completely transparent, I haven't been on a bike since college... so yeah, there's that minor detail.

As I mull the decision over in my head, I have this sneaky suspicion I'll end up taking the bait and doing it.

Have you ever trained for a triathlon? What tips and advice do you have for a potential runner considering doing one?