Rebecca's 'Turning Forty' Triathlon: Open Water Swim in Lost Lake

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Open Water Swim in Lost Lake

We drove today from our cabin across the Hood River bridge and up to Lost Lake so that I could get into some open water since I am missing the team swim today. Lost lake is perfect because its pretty cold being at the base of Mt. Hood and there are no motor boats allowed on the lake. Charles and the boys rented a canoe and paddled along side me. I had a pretty primitive map with sketchy distances so I basically swam 15 minutes out and 15 minutes back to the boat ramp. The lake was so clear I could see all the way to the bottom! I was half expecting to be able to watch a trout get hooked and drug to the shore by one of the many fisher people along the banks.

The best part of this swim was on the way back, whenever I turned my head to the right for some air I got a breathtaking glimpse of the sunshine soaked Mt. Hood. I felt great during the swim, and felt like I paced myself well (could have pushed it a bit harder in fact) and got into a good rhythm. The sighting is still a bit challenging...I find myself literally stopping while I look ahead. The boys were laughing because apparently at one point I was swimming totally sideways ....hmmm, gonna have to work on that a bit!

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WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON THIS BLOG

This is a diary (complete with photos) of my experience training with Team in Training for the Pacific Grove Triathlon on Sept. 12, 2009. I am participating to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and to get my ass in shape! There is nothing that says turning forty shouldn't herald the best damn decade of your life.

I hope you will visit often. If you do, you might just catch a glimpse of my team running with pringles between our fingers, or on the pool deck doing plank in our speedos!

Although this triathlon is a personal fitness journey, it is more importantly an opportunity to give back to the community by raising money for an incredible organization, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS is helping children, families, and individuals fight the battle against blood cancer; all of us at one time or another have known someone who has struggled against Leukemia, Lymphoma, or Myeloma. In my life, its been my grandmother Virginia, a little boy who goes to school with my kids, Zachary, a grandson of a co-worker, Ethan, a sister of a dear friend, Cindy, and the brother-in-law of a colleague, Tom. Now it is also our team's honored teammate, Dean who is in remission, but is struggling to surmount the side effects of his treatment. You can help out too. Please donate to my fundraising campaign by following this link: http://pages.teamintraining.org/or/pactri09/rramsay . All the money goes directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and then to children, adults and families who need all the support we can give them.

I am participating in memory of my grandmother, Virgina Wrigley, who died of Leukemia.

Tri.ath.lon

A triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.The demanding nature of the sport focuses primarily on persistent and often periodized training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning to ensure the highest levels of endurance, strength, and power possible come race day. Proficiency in swimming, cycling, and running alone is often not sufficient for success in triathlon.....truth be told, what is really needed is an almost unnatural capacity for denial and an unruly belief that anything is possible...(a good masseuse, buckets of himalayan bath salts, and an iron stomach capable of tolerating extremely high doses of Ibuprofen are the other critical prerequisites).