My first TRI!

ok no longer a multisport athlete virgin. In May I did the Galena duathlon (run, bike, run) and today was my very first triathlon. I'm ready for the next one in two weeks and then another 2 weeks after that... talk about going balls to the wall when I get into something.

The day started at 4:10 with some oatmeal, thought that the best thing to be on my tummy. I didn't feel nervous at all, odd, but I'll take it. I had got my bag ready the night before so all we had to do was put bikes on the rack that was already on the car. Was looking like it might rain but weather wasn't calling for it, but it was overcast and gloomy looking, temps in the mid 60's.

Got to the event area, got our packets, then took bikes to transition area. Laid out my towel then got my bike stuff together as well as my run stuff. Never done a tri before but having friends that do sure the hell helps. Had things all laid out perfectly, then some butthead wants to SQUEEZE into the hardly any space between me and another athlete - oh well whatcha gonna do?

Still not feeling any nerves at all and I'm still thinking this is very odd, but I really just entered this event as a practice run for the Danskin tri in 2 weeks, then Harbor Lights after that. Robin and Rich found us, then Lori and Kristin, said our hello's and Kevin, Robin and I took a quick swim before they cut it off. Director or someone of the sort gave the instructions, then the first wave of swimmers were off. No chip timing on this race :o( but I think the times posted are pretty darn close to what my HRM said I finished in.

My wave went off at 6:34-ish. I'm sure Kevin overstated my swim ability when he signed me up, but I got toward the side with the marker and toward the back of my wave. Then the count down began... I'm still wondering WHY I'm not feeling any nervousness at all. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, swimmers take the water... And off the yellow caps go, 60 something of us. I didn't get freaked out that I couldn't touch bottom, didn't get freaked that I had others swimming around me. When I got bumped I just looked up to see where I was, got my head back down and continued to swim. The water was warm and surely warm enough to go without wetsuit but #1 I know now how that ole rubber suit holds up my non swimming ass and #2 I wanted the practice getting out of it in this situation since I might be in an upcoming tri where a wetsuit is really needed for the warmth as well as the buoyancy factor. Murky and mucky water at this venue but not so bad I couldn't see feet in front of me before I got kicked in the face, so I was able to move and avoid that issue, cept once, this gal I got behind at one point was breaststroking and I guess on the part of the stroke where her feet were pulled in is where I came in behind her and then bonk.... she got me... but again didn't freak out, pulled my head up, sighted and got back to business.

The entire time I swim I count, one, two three, breath left, one, two, three, breath right so that along with the words C A L M kept going thru my head and I never panicked in the water, never felt nervous. When I felt I was getting a bit winded I just told myself C A L M! Odd but it worked. So finally the swim ended, now its off to try and get out of this suit. I did as Kevin suggested and unzipped it on the way out, off with goggles and cap, then down to waist then on the ground till that thing was off.... dare I say, it was pretty easy, more so than I thought it would be... dried feet as best I could, on with socks and bike shoes, helmet, eat a block and a few jelly beans, then off I went on the bike leg.

I think the bike leg is my favorite by far. One time and sport my big legs come in handy. Had not seen Erin up to this point and I went to make my first turn and saw her car, then looked to the left and saw Erin.... I said 'hey you made it, woo hoo' and smiled, it was SO cool to see her there! The bike leg wasn't bad, a few more turns then I care for. I have NOT learned to take them sharp yet so lots of turns are an issue for me. Not much eventful on the bike. I could have hammered it a bit more but I knew I had a 4.9 mile run and I hate the run part.... so I knew I had to leave something in my legs. So get to the bike finish, off the bike run into transition, change into run shoes, eat another block and some jelly beans, grab the hat and run, well shuffle is more like it.

I hate the run, hate it hate it hate it... did I say I hate the run part? and this was an odd distance run for a sprint tri, it was 4.9 miles, most sprints are a 5K. I could not keep my heart rate down on the run, it was in the upper 170's. No matter how much I would have liked to run the entire thing, my body and my slug time prior to this said otherwise. I have a feeling I walked more than I ran. Hell my bike time for 14+ miles was faster then my run for 4.9.... I kept getting passed by on the run and kept saying in my head 'oh please don't let me be DFL'. Not really an eventful run. Lots of well wishers on the route as well as volunteers cheering you on so that was nice... finally the finish was in site... got back into the park area and just knew I could not walk at this point - then I see the finish, see and hear Lori as I went by she cheered me on and then as usual I found enough in my tired legs to sprint to the finish...

THE FINISH OF MY FIRST TRIATHLON! Once I caught my breath I was fine. Kevin came to give me hugs, Erin, Robin and Rich, Kristin and Lori too! It was pretty darn cool.

Then true to his word, Kevin was ready to give up his accenture technical shirt to me. He got it last year when he did that race and I really took a liking to it so he said when you finish your first triathlon, you can have it. It was the first triathlon I had ever seen first hand and it was a really nice shirt. But when he handed it to me after a little speech, I told him NOPE, I have to earn it by doing that race first! I guess once you've done it, getting someone else's shirt that they earned, even though its not been worn, is just not the same... I highly doubt I'll ever do Accenture, the smell from the boats diesel fuel was enough to gag me and I wasn't even in the water.

Kevin biked back with Lori and I drove home, taking a wrong turn as usual for my directionally challenged self, but was able to catch my mistake and get home just fine in spite of it all. Smiling the entire way I might add. WHY cause I finished my first, very first, triathlon!

Oh yeah time was 2:11:03 and I'm cool with that.. This year is getting my feet wet, next year can be worried with cutting times and getting faster, for now I just want to have fun with it.. and probably could have more if they could cut off the run part :o)