On Saturday I ran in my first triathlon. Last year at a friend's wedding was the first time I heard about Sprint Triathlons and I was very intrigued. I have tons of friends that run and I have always hated running. I love to work out and have always been involved in sports, but running has always seemed so boring to me and I've never been very good at it. A triathlon appealed to me because it would be challenging physically, but have more variety than just running.
You can read my previous post about more on my motivation for doing one now.
Before I had Mya worked out consistently and considered myself to be in pretty good shape. However, since my c-section and moving/being displaced for several months, my workouts had been sporadic at best. I developed a training schedule with the help of a triathlon website and started on my journey! The first run was only 10 minutes, I ran less than a mile and it was tough to run the whole time! Pathetic I know, but with every workout, I felt like I was making progress. For the most part I was on my own as far as swimming, biking and running race knowledge and completely clueless about the ins and outs of triathlons.
Over the course of the next five months I did the best I could to stick to the workout schedule. There were busy days we didn't make it to the gym, days when someone in the house was sick so we had to stay home and as the weather warmed and my workouts moved outside, there were lots of days childcare was impossible to come by. With a deployed husband and two little kids that can't come along for 10 mile bike rides and crazy pool/childcare schedules at the gym, I was frustrated many times. One bright ray of sunshine in my training was meeting K.I. LaClair at the Y. She was wearing a Ironman Triathlon shirt and I struck up a conversation with her. She watched my swim workouts, talked me through the basics of the race, helped me decide on a triathlon suit and most importantly encouraged me in this new adventure! I am so thankful for her willingness to share her knowledge with me! (She has multiple triathlons under her belt - including several ironman competitions!)
On June 1st I finished my last workout and we headed to Georgia the next day.
I went to pick up my registration packet Friday night and was less than impressed with the helpfulness of the staff and race packet. This race is called "My First Triathlon" and very little help was given for first time racers. When I showed up bright and early Saturday morning, I was scared to death. Running a 5K had been pretty easy - show up, go to the starting line, run with the crowd, cross the finish line. A triathlon is a whole different ball game. I hate walking into a situation where I don't know what's going on. I told Chad I had never felt so intimidated in my life. The most intimidating thing was the bikes. I was expecting a few more "normal" bikes like the one I had borrowed for the race, but the vast majority of people had serious road bikes. I felt like I was missing my bell and basket on my bike! I was trying to relax and have fun, but it was tough when it seemed like everyone else knew what they were doing except me.
By watching other people I finally got all my numbers attached, my bike racked, all my gear laid out and swim gear on. I headed down to the beach for swim start. I kept looking around for a familiar face to calm my nerves, but because of the long distance to the start, none of my family made it by the time I started. I did talk to a few people while we were waiting. One guy said this was his 15th triathlon - no wonder some of these people looked so experienced! I did meet a really nice couple who took a couple pictures for me. (As soon as he sends those, I'll post them.)
And here they are... Thanks Tyler!
Talking to my fellow racer Kate, whose fiance took the pictures for me.
First feeling the ick under my feet! I was wishing for a pool!!
"Am I really going to swim that far in this muddy water??" :)
Ready, Set, Go!
I was in the 5th wave of people to start. I knew training in a pool would be different than swimming in a lake, but nothing could have totally prepared me for the difference. As soon as I stepped I started to get even more nervous. One of my biggest problems in training was starting the swim too fast and running out of steam. My last swim workout had been great and I had held my form well and posted my best time. I was hoping for a repeat performance...however as soon as we started my body panicked. The swimmers around me, the current of the water and the waves on the surface were tough to overcome. The toughest part though was putting my head in the water and not being able to see anything. For a moment I got claustrophobic and lost of my rhythm completely. Twice I turned on my back and stroked to try to calm down and talk some sense into myself. Of course at that moment it became a mental battle because I thought I had just blown five months of training in the first 5 minutes. I finally settled into a rhythm (not a great one, but at least a little better) and finished the swim. Definitely the longest 1/4 mile of my life!
Just fyi on the pictures - don't worry, I know how badly I need a tan!
Running to the transition area after the swim.
After the swim, I had a 1/4 mile run (barefoot) uphill (one extremely steep hill) to get back to the transition area. When I got there the clock said 32 mins. I was devastated. My best swim time had been 11 minutes and while I knew the run back added to my time, I thought I had completely lost it. While I never expected to win or even place, to be so far off my goal time was discouraging. It wasn't until later that I remembered that the clock started when the first group of racers started the swim - about 15 minutes ahead of me.
I made a clean transition to the bike and headed out for the 12 mile ride. While I am very thankful for the bike I had to ride, it couldn't compare to a lot of the bikes around me in performance. I'm extremely new to cycling and I have so much to learn. All I knew to do was pedal fast and do the best I could with the gears I had! I lost count of the number of people that passed me. I was pedaling faster than they were and they were cruising by me. The hardest part of the race was the hills on the bike course. I completely underestimated the amount of hills and degree of difficulty. The website said the course only had 1 hill and I guess I was naive to believe them! There were times I didn't think I could physically push my legs any harder going up the hills. There was one long steep hill that basically everyone I was with got off and pushed their bikes up. Again, probably sounds crazy to experience cyclists, but the hill was really tough! I knew throughout training that my bike time was too long, and while I was happy with how I did on the bike, my time turned out to do the most damage to my overall standings.
I love these next pictures. This was the first time Addison had seen her cousin Lilly since we had been in town.
So Cute!
A big thanks to my parents, my brother Chris and his wife Brooke for coming out to support me even with four kids! It was a very early morning, a hot day and during a triathlon there isn't a lot of action to see! They only got to see me for short bits of time in between events.
Lilly and Addison holding my motivation sign, waiting for me to come back from the bike portion.
Few things compare to rolling a bike in after a 12 mile ride (and swim) and knowing you have to run 3.1 miles! By this time, it was starting to get hot and my legs felt like jello. Worse than the heat and the physical strain though was not having my iPod to run!! I knew I couldn't have it on race day and should have trained without it, but nothing motivates me to run like my running playlist on my iPod. I tried to sing the songs in my head, but it wasn't the same. :)
Heading out for the run. Note to self - get cooler sunglasses before the next race! ;)
Maybe your vision of the run during a triathlon was like mine - everyone sprinting to the finish with Chariots of Fire blaring. Turns out it wasn't nearly that dramatic. 99% of the people on the course with me were walking most of the time. I started off in a jog, but quickly developed a terrible side cramp. I had been running a solid 10 min mile pace during training and had run several 5ks leading up to the race (with a best time of 31:08) and had never experience a cramp like that! I tried to run and block out the pain, but I was quickly running out of steam and motivation. (what could kill motivation more than no one manning the water tables anymore by the time you passed! ha!) At the 2nd mile marker I tried to give it all I had to the finish. At that point it was a slow jog, but it was all I had left to give considering the hills!
Just after the 3rd mile mark.
Crossing the long awaited finish line! (The clock started with the first group of racers.)
When I set out to do this race, my goal was to finish before everyone went home. I am proud that I accomplished my goal and that I crossed the finish line standing strong! Crossing the finish line was pretty emotional. I had imagined I might collapse in a heap of tears, but thankfully that wasn't the case. I did shed a few tears though over such a big goal accomplished and what I know it meant to Chad for me to do it.
Here are my times and standings: Overall time: 2:09:35 Age group rank - 31 out of 32 (at least I beat one person, right??)Overall rank - 592 out of about 750 racersSwim: age group rank - 27 time, including run back 16:43 1st Transition time - 3:49 Bike: age group rank - 30 time - 1:06:33 2nd Transition time - 1:33 Run: age group rank - 29 time - 40:59
I am definitely proud of finishing my first triathlon. I hope it is not my last! There is plenty of room for improvement, but overall I did it and that's all that matters. I borrowed this phrase from a friend and it was my motto throughout training - "Running for him until I can run to him." I have run for him and in just a few weeks, I will be able to run to him!
I pray that everything I do I do to the honor of the Lord and do my very best. I ran as a way to remember the sacrifices Chad and the rest of the men and women in uniform make for our freedom.
Running didn't bring Chad home faster or make his job any safer or easier. It did make me feel like it was a small tangible measurement of my unmeasurable support for him.
Love you Babe - Mission Accomplished!
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