Amit Bhai just signed us both up for a Couple's tri!!....
The couples Triathlon is a pretty new race. Teams of two, whether they be friends, spouses, or family members combine their ages and sign up in the appropriate category. Each person on the team does the entire triathlon, and then their times are combined for the overall results.
Should be fun.....only thing is ..the race is in just two weeks from now and I haven't biked or swam ever since I completed Danskin!! Need to get back on track!!
Meanwhile...I will be running 14 miles this weekend for my Marathon training...I'm pretty worried about this one.....I mean the last time I did a half-marathon, I trained for close to 5 months!! Now in just 6 weeks, they are making us do 14 miles!!! YIKES....And pretty much every weekend from now, I will be running at least this distance or more...
The madness officially begins....
My involvement with Triathlons began in late July 2005….my friend Amit, an avid cyclist, got bit by the Triathlon bug - BUT unfortunately couldn't swim and had to find someone to cover that portion of the race….he remembered me mentioning to him that I'd been swimming since I was a kid (mandatory for ALL kids in Singapore!) and asked if I'd be interested in doing a relay….I was absolutely intrigued by the idea of triathlons…I didn't know "normal" people did it…figured it was something that only happened @ the Olympic level! I did some research after that and found out that Texas was home to tons of awesome triathlons…some of the best in the country….and Austin itself hosted several every year….Most of these races do have an Elite segment…for the serious contenders…but for the large part, these races were open to really anyone…no prior Tri experience needed…
So Amit Ashwin and I formed a relay team and signed for the Dilloman Triathlon in September that year - Sprint distance... I swam (800m)…Amit cycled (12 miles) and Ash ran (5K)….and we had an absolute blast!!...And had a decent ranking as well - quite impressive for 3 absolute rookies to the Tri-world…Following this race, we did another relay in April 2006 - the Cactus Challenge, and came in SECOND!!...We even got a sweet little plaque to take home! After these 2 relay events, both Amit and I were eager to do more than just one leg of a relay...as much as fun that was! I mean we weren't really TRUE Triathletes...in order to be that...I had to get more comfy with a bike and Amit had to get more comfy with the water....I wouldn't say I was a good runner then....but somehow, that didn't scare me as much as the bike did!....
To ensure that we didn't chicken out from this new goal of ours, we signed up for the Rookie Triathlon that was to happen in New Braunfels in mid-May that year right after the Cactus Challenge...The Rookie Triathlon is an awesome race for newbies to the sport - it is a mini-Triathlon with a reduced distance compared to the Sprint distance - 300m swim, 12mile bike, 2mile run!...Amit signed up with Clay Madeson to learn swimming...and I bought one of his friend's old bikes and started biking....I also signed up for this accelerated Triathlon training course offered at the Dell gym! We probably trained for a grand total of 4 weeks....and next thing we new, the race day had arrived....
To cut a long story short...let's just say that it was an interesting experience! :)...I'd been part of Triathlons, but it was a whole new world doing the whole race on my own...there were several challenges along the way which I had not anticipated or been prepared for....but I guess what really mattered was that I got through them and reached the finish line with a big smile on my face! And that really was my main goal...
I just recently completed my 1st ever Sprint Triathlon - the Danskin Triathlon....an all-women event raising funds for the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation... it was one of the most amazing experiences that I've everbeen part of...it really garners a whole post of its own though....
There's a Tri- quote that goes:
"If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have take Him by complete surprise." - P.Z. Pearce
I have to disagree though! Entering the world of Triathlons was one of the smartest decisions I ever made! It's made me fitter, stronger, and taught me how to appreciate my body and all that it is capable of ! It has also taught me a lot about sportsmanship and teamwork! (I did sign up for a Marathon recently though...haha...I'm still debating if THAT could be considered as stupidity!! :)....just j/k!!)
I got a new laptop @ work recently and have been transferring all the data from my old laptop - today I was moving all my old bookmarks and found the bookmark to my BLOG that I kinda started a year ago…yes…ME…I tried my hand at a blog…Round 1 was not too much of a success…I added about 4 entries...and then my laziness took precedence over my creative literary juices…. :)….
BUT…..I am going to try to give this a 2nd shot….and I am going to start with listing some of the key events in my life since October 2006 - my last post - (LISTS!! - I did mention that I was lazy didn't I?? :) )……
So…..here's presenting…..Charanya's Life - Oct'06 - June'07……..
1. AT&T Half-Marathon Training with Rogue - Sept 06: My 1st step into becoming a Fitter Charanya and it didn't hurt that this was gonna raise $$ for Asha for Education!
2. Om-Kara's 1st Mega Show in Austin - Oct 06: One of the most successful shows I've ever planned!
3. EOY Vacation in Espana - Dec 06: 10 full days of sheer fun!
4. 3M Half-Marathon - Jan 07 - My 1st ever-half marathon which I finished strong along with my fab running partner G3!!
5. AT&T Half-Marathon - Feb 07: My Asha Training Target race....although I wasn't a half-marathon Rookie anymore...still felt like the 1st time!! Unbelievable spectator support!!
6. Shaaaaaaaaaadi.com entrance - Feb 07: LOL..of course I had to include this one!! No success till date….BUT definitely tons of amusement! :)
7. Iron Chicks Training with Rogue - Mar 07: Apparently JUST running is not enough for me!!
8. "Vetti" Trip to San Diego - Mar 07: Gorgeous gorgeous city…You gotta love the ocean!!
9. Thyagaraja Aradhana Mar 07: Back on stage after many many many years belting Carnatic tunes!
10. Houston Drama - April 07: Bit role 1!
11. Eeyore's Birthday - April 07: My first attempt at vandalising random strangers!! haha...okok...actually I set up a Mehendi Stall with a friend!
12. Tamil Comedy Mazhai - Austin Drama - May 07: Bit roles 2 and 3 (After this I have officially become know as Bit Role Gujili)!
13. Trip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas - May 07: The GC was absolutely breathtaking and one of my best friends got propsed to at Hopi Point! YAY!!!
14. DC Marathon Training with Rogue - May 07: Yes - I think I was quite mad when I signed up for this one. But my running inspiration Anusha convinced me!!
15. Memorial Weekend - Trip to California - May 07: Wholesome Family Fun!! :)
16. A R Rahman Show - Jun 07: Fabulous show….fabulous music….some porikki actions from the stands!
17. Danskin Triathlon - Jun 07: One of the most fantastic races I've ever done - extremely inspiring and was all about GIRL POWER!!!
18. SIVAJI Release - Jun 07 - I can't believe I've watched this THREE times!!! :) This is officially known as "height of vettiness"!!
Hmm…not too bad me thinks…you might notice that you could probably lump all my activities into 4 categories - FITNESS - TRAVEL - THEATRE - Pure VETTINESS….and well…that's really what the past 9 months have been about….of course with some excellent accompaniment by my wonderful family and friends....
Life is Good!
Wonder what is in store for me for the rest of the year??
