IronGirl Registration in Maryland Now Open

[HillSlugger]

I've posted this in the triathlon section, but also wanted to let everyone know that the registration for the 2009 IronGirl in Columbia, MD, is now open. I volunteered this past year, and it looked like a blast, and just registered for 2009.
Here's the registration link:
https://www.tricolumbia.org/IronGirl/

I raced in 2007. It's a great event. 2008 had a conflict with our vacation plans. Unfortunately, it looks like 2009 will also be a problem.

Have fun!

[sfa]

I registered for 2009--this'll be my first triathlon and I'm already wondering if I made a huge mistake!

Sarah

[HillSlugger]

I registered for it to be my first triathlon but then got psyched out and did a shorter sprint triathlon first. It's a great event, and there will be lots of beginners and first-timers, but I wouldn't recommend it as a first triathlon.

Do you live near enough to practice on the course?

PM me if you want to talk.

Nicole

[sfa]

I registered for it to be my first triathlon but then got psyched out and did a shorter sprint triathlon first. It's a great event, and there will be lots of beginners and first-timers, but I wouldn't recommend it as a first triathlon.

Do you live near enough to practice on the course?

PM me if you want to talk.

Nicole

I work in Columbia, so getting to the course is no problem. I know a lot of people who participate in this event, and they've been trying to talk me into signing up for the last two years (of course, I think they try to get everyone to sign up: "you have two legs? Great! You should do the Iron Girl!"). The original plan was that I would do the CAN triathlon in Bethesda first with my son's teacher--it's a pool swim and much shorter distances than a sprint triathlon, but it looks like they've stopped doing that one. But my son's teacher convinced me to try the Iron Girl; she's not a super-athletic competitive type--she has a form of lupus and various health problems related to that, and she was so enthusiastic about her experiences that I figured if she could do it, I could too. She's offered to help me with training. Right now I'm at the point where I can do any of the parts of the triathlon on its own without too much problem--I just need to put them all together without actually dying of a heart attack!

The thing that has me wondering if I've made a huge mistake is that I've never been able to sustain regular workouts over long periods of time--something always gets in the way so I stop working out for four or five weeks, and at this point in my life when that happens I start back at square one. With ten months until this event, I don't want that to happen, so I'm looking at the next ten months and thinking geez, when do I get to be lazy?

Sarah

[HillSlugger]

You're way ahead of where I was when I signed up for IronGirl. I had just started running but didn't yet know how poorly I swam. Even with a 10 month training period I was barely able to swim 1000m straight in the pool when the IronGirl came.

My first triathlon was down in Richmond and included a pool swim. If you are looking for something like that closer to home, take a look at the sprint triathlon in Hagerstown. I just did their duathlon and the course was good and the organization was also good.

[sfa]

You're way ahead of where I was when I signed up for IronGirl. I had just started running but didn't yet know how poorly I swam. Even with a 10 month training period I was barely able to swim 1000m straight in the pool when the IronGirl came.

My first triathlon was down in Richmond and included a pool swim. If you are looking for something like that closer to home, take a look at the sprint triathlon in Hagerstown. I just did their duathlon and the course was good and the organization was also good.

Thanks for the advice! That Hagerstown triathlon sounds like a good one--I'll have to look into that. I'm not good or even remotely competitive at any of the events, and swimming is my worst. I hadn't attempted anything more than just splashing around in a pool since about 1989 until this August, when I discovered that I couldn't really swim so much as I could not-drown my way across the pool. I've improved enough since then (it was less about lack of fitness and more about just learning to coordinate my arms and legs and breathing) that I can make it through 1000 meters, but it involves stopping every 25 meters since I haven't figured out a flip turn yet. I need to just suck it up and try it--I'm embarassed to attempt it with people watching, but those lifeguards just won't go away!

[HillSlugger]

You don't need to do a flip turn! Just hit the wall with your hand, turn around, and push off. Try a web search on "open turns".