I’m standing by the pool, watching the first heat of swimmers finishing and thinking “This is it, I’m really doing this. Whatever happens, I want to just do my best.” Then, it was my turn to get into the water. Breathe.
The day of my first Sprint Triathlon was not starting out well. I woke up with GI issues due to making a stupid choice in dinner the night before. A Big Mac with fries. Hello?? I haven’t had a Big Mac in 4 years, why would I have one the night before a race? Bad decision brought on by my evening not going the way I planned. The grease from the burger and fries got things going a little too well in the intestinal area but Immodium fixed it in time. Thank goodness.
The kids, Brett and I pile into the car to drive to the Rec Center that was hosting the Sprint Tri. I’m pretty nervous which happens when I don’t know what to expect. We pull up and there are already a dozen cars and about 2 dozen bikes set up. My IL’s are there, which was great to have them there to support me. My best friend and her daughter and friends came as well. So wonderful to have such great support.
As I get my bike and transition area set up, I notice that most people are wearing flip-flops to walk to the pool, opps, I’ll be making that walk in my barefeet since I only brought my running shoes. Then I realize that I forgot my beach towel. Crap. Three things gone wrong before I even start, I’m doomed. Brett can see that I’m starting to freak so he pulls me aside for a pep talk. Next thing I know, the director is giving us info and it’s time for the first heat to get in the pool. Oh, he mentions that the pool is 69 degrees. Good times.
I’m actually glad that I’m in the second heat because I can check out what others are doing and watch some transitions (when you go from swim to bike then bike to run). There is one guy who looks really good, his mom is there wearing an “Ironmom” shirt, so I’m thinking this isn’t his first Sprint. He’s out of the pool in 6 minutes and on his bike in about 20 seconds. Wow.
After most of the first heaters finished, they had us 2nd heaters get in the water to start. Oh. My. Gosh. It was cold. Take your breathe away, shockingly cold. The girl sharing the lane with my introduced herself, she was really nice. She was wearing a wetsuit so I figured she knew what she was doing. Suddenly, we start. Putting my face into the water was another shock but I just focused on my breathing and swimming. Man, the outdoor pool bottom was much dirtier then my nice warm indoor pool at my gym. Yuck.
I’m feeling really good in the swim. Brett is at one end, counting my laps for me. My cheering section was on the other end of the pool but I didn’t hear them much since my head was in the water. I quickly warmed up, didn’t even notice how cold the water was after a few laps. I feel great swimming and take just a few seconds after every other lap to catch my breath. Soon Brett yelled “10 laps, you’re finished” and I got out of the pool. He tells me my time was 11:30, amazing!! That’s a full minute faster then I’ve ever done before. Woo-hoo!
On to the bike. I hurry to my transition area and dry my feet off, using one of the rec centers towels (Thanks Rec Center!). Got my Garmin on, shades, helmet and shirt. Then I pull the bike off and jump on. I’m excited to be starting the next leg, which is a 12 mile bike ride. Unfortunately, the ride starts with a hill and I get passed right away, darn. But I keep pedaling. I get passed 3 more times but I remind myself that I still have the run to do and I’m pretty new to biking (only have owned mine since March!). The route was hilly but I knew what to expect because I rode it on Thursday. The riders from the first heat are coming back so we wave and yell some encouraging words. The guy who finished the swim first was in the lead on the bike and again, looked like he knew what he was doing, no one was catching him. Most everyone else looked pretty good too. I come up to mile 4 and see my cheering section on the corner, screaming my name. So uplifting to have someone there for you and to have 9 people – even better.
I get to the 6.25 mile turn around and start to head back. I see that there is one lady behind me which is encouraging, I shouldn’t be the last one to finish. I pass the cheering crew again and give them some big waves. They pass me in the car a few minutes later, honking and yelling out the window. So cool! I make the turn to the hilly section and am actually excited since I knew I was finishing up and the hills were good. My legs are sore so I take some Chomps since I still have to run after this. My times are all in the range that I wanted, about 5 minutes a mile. My goal was to finish the ride in under an hour. Suddenly, with about ¼ of a mile left, the lady who was behind me, passes me. Ahh! I wasn’t expecting that! So I get a little serious and push hard to keep up with her. We ride into the parking lot and I’m not smiling for any camera, I’m focused on NOT FINISHING LAST!
The last transition went very quickly, about 40 seconds. I had already stretched my calves on the bike so I switched the Garmin from bike to run and took off. I knew my first mile would be slow, just getting my legs into running form. I see the lady who passed me on the bike and she is obviously hurting so I work to catch her and give her a few words of encouragement as I pass by. Whew, won’t be last.
I get to the 1.5 mile mark and turn around. My legs are loosening up and I pick up my pace. First mile was 8:33, second mile (pause to tie my shoe) was 8:33 and my final mile, once I started feeling normal was 8:20. I see the rec center down the path and start to speed up. I finished the last tenth at a 6:37 pace! My 5k time was 26:00, slowest ever for me but best ever for a Tri!
I’m hurting, sweaty and feeling like crap. But after some water and a bathroom break, I promptly tell my cheering crew thank you for being the best ever and that I’ll be back for another Tri on July 4th!!
I finished in 1:39:08, beating all the goals that I had set for myself. I swam better then I could have expected. Biked 12.45 miles in under 1 hour with only being on a bike a handful of times. And I ran a 5k in a very respectable 26 minutes. And best of all – I’m a Tri-athlete!
No comments:
Post a Comment