Last-Minute Triathlon Training...and a Hobbit

The half-marathon is over and my Monday of rest is also, sadly, behind me.

Back on the saddle I climb.

We are down to a handful of days until this Saturday's triathlon. My first of the season and my first since 2013.

Last summer, for a variety of reasons that are not worth revisiting here, I did not do one single triathlon. I did continue to train in all three sports but not once did I slap down my credit card, clip on my race bib and do all three together in front of a loud and supportive audience.

All that changes on Saturday.

Including today, I have four mornings left before race day. Not enough time to get better or stronger at any particular sport but long enough that I need to keep my body moving so that it doesn't go into rest and recovery mode after last weekend's race.

I was supposed to swim this morning but it turns out that the pool will be closed for the next 2 1/2 weeks. So that plan quickly got changed to a leisurely bike ride to get the legs moving.

I'm going for an easy run on Wednesday morning. Nothing hard and nothing long. Under 30 minutes for sure. Just enough to get my legs turning over and to let them know that it isn't rest time quite yet.

Thursday morning I'm not sure if I'm going to hop on my bike for another easy ride but I know I'll do something.

Friday? I don't know. Does it make sense to run again the day before the race or should I take a rest day? I guess I'll decide that based on how Tuesday to Thursday go.

And then, before I can say "Omigod the canal water is freezing. Maybe I should have listened to Jeff and bought a wetsuit" I will be lined up along the canal bank on Saturday morning thinking "only 2 1/2 more hours until I get chocolate milk and some pretzels".

Game on!

Oh, and for something completely different, guess who ran the Niagara Falls Women's Half on Sunday?

Samwise Gamgee! 

Also known as Sean Astin.

I had no idea that he was running but apparently he was in town for Comic Con and decided to run. And, of course, I had to check his finishing time. 

I finished the race in 2:33:52 and crossed with the clock reading 2:36:55. 

Samwise finished the race in 2:34:07 and crossed with the clock reading 2:35:19. 

So we basically hung out together for 2 1/2 hours and I had no idea. I'm hoping that, once the official race photos are sorted, there is one with me running beside a hobbit.