Training buddies are the Best!

I finally got a training group! This is all thanks to my friend's super outgoing husband. Apparently, he coerced talked all of us into signing up for a triathlon. We registered for the Esprit de She Sprint Triathlon in San Diego. I had the best results that I have ever had. I was confident going into the competition and finished strong. This felt so much better after my DNF at the Encinitas Triathlon this year.

Pre-race happy and dry picture

Every race has its own story, in this one I lost a contact in the swim portion of the race and completed the triathlon with basically one eye.  I am practically blind and can only see blocks of color without glasses.  During the swim, I had to stop at each buoy and sight the next buoy in order to get to the end. Thank goodness the swim was cut to only 400m due to foggy weather.

Post Race Celebration!!!! (notice my mimosa in hand)

So, back to the point. I have three training partners, each with their own skills and talents. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I started working out with them right after Labor Day 2013. We trained together for about 6 weeks. I think that 3 of the 4 of us were nervous to train with other people. I know that I was very nervous. It was the first triathlon for two of the four of us. One of us has had athletic sponsorships in the past. I just work out for fun, but I secretly want to do well. Our schedules coordinated perfectly so that we could work out together a few times a week. We swam in Mission Bay on Fridays and Sundays and we would bike during the week. We would run on our own and cross train with Yoga when we had time. We would also bring our husbands when they were all around. One weekend we did some stand up paddle boarding after the swim instead of biking. It was a lot of fun!

I usually take a break after a big race, so I took about 4 weeks off after the triathlon and enjoyed Thanksgiving, while waiting for a contact lens replacement.  We have been biking sporadically and going to yoga together since then.  We plan to start strength training in late January and start the swimming and biking in earnest in the next few weeks.  We bike on Fridays with the wonderful women at HERevolution. We are registered for the Desert Triathlon in March.

We'll see what 2014 brings.  My goal is to stick to a training plan.

What keeps you from working out with friends?  What suggestions do you have for sticking to a training plan?