Biking is my "okay" sport.

True story. I think triathletes must have at least one sport that they feel only "okay" at. Biking is mine.

See, running is my "good" sport. I am good at running. It comes easy to me. I practice the hardest at this, because it is easier than the other sports. I can do it anywhere. I can put on my clothes, my shoes, and go. I feel the best after I get done running. I have seen the biggest improvement. I started out walking. A mile. And it took over 20 minutes. Now running at 10 minute mile for up to 7 miles is doable. I mean, I have run a marathon for goodness sake. Running is my "good" sport.

Most people know swimming is my "bad" sport. I have this crazy fear of drowning. I HATE putting my face in the water. I freak when people swim around me. I can't get my breathing under control, not to mention my heart rate goes beserk. But I know swimming is my "bad" sport, so I work at it. I listen intently to my swim coach. I try everything they suggest. I listen closely to others talking, and take a lot of advice when it comes to my form, breathing, stroking, and which races to do because of the swim. The swim portion normally determines the tri for me. I practice hard at this "bad" sport. I want to get better. I have seen some improvement. Not as much as I would like, but some. Swimming is still my "bad" sport.

That leaves biking. Biking is my "okay" sport. I can bike. I don't fall over. I have a road bike. I even named her, Alice. In my head, I have two other sports to be worried about. I run a lot because it is my favorite. I swim a lot, because I might seriously not make it through the swim. So when you do those two a lot, that leaves a tired body, and a little time left for biking. I could be a lot better at biking. I mean there are gears on my bike. I don't even know the numbers, or what they are really called. I think I know when to switch gears, but really, I am sure I could be much better at it. Then there is changing a flat tire. I don't know how. This is a must in the tri world. But the motivation is not what it should be. Like I said I can bike. I don't fall over. I can go for a while. I need to be better. I need to get on this.

The last two weeks I have been very aware of this "okay" world. I have gotten in at least 4 bike rides in the past two weeks. Today I did my first 20 miles. I went an average of 15 miles per hour. I am not even sure if that is good, but it is good to me. Even a little better than okay. But as I was pedaling, I was thinking about my form, my pedal control, my switching of the gears, my everything. It would be really easy to make biking a "good" sport. I need to make this a goal this year.

Oh and my other goal, to survive the 1500 meter swim down the Chatanooga River......