Well, my poor husband has already heard me recap every minute detail of the race, so he probably just died a little bit when he realized I was breaking my triathlon story into three parts. But, really, even if nobody reads this but myself, I still want to write about it. It was, after all, my FIRST triathlon. Let me tell you what, I was SO nervous. The heat index on the race was over 100 degrees and there was a heat advisory. Doesn't that just make you want to spend almost three hours racing outdoors?! In mostly zero shade?! With no clouds?! Saturday (the day before the race) my mom and I rode with Mitch and mapped out the bike route, so at least I knew what to expect - few hills, windy flats, and no shade. I was already familiar with the running path - which was (thank God) about 80% shaded.
So, Sunday morning - race day - arrived and I woke up bright and early at 5:00 am. My start time wasn't until 7:09 and thirty seconds (they start swimmers every 15 seconds so people don't get trampled), but I wanted to get up there with plenty of time to get my transition area settled and see my mom's team start at 6:08. Yes, you read that correctly, my mom raced too! She was on a team as the cyclist with a friend of ours (the swimmer) and my younger sister (the runner).
Ellen and I pre-race.
AH! I am wearing the triathlon suit of dooooom. Well - actually I have to admit, it's a LOT less embarassing when you're surrounded by 300 other people wearing something very similar. So, I got the chance to see my mom's team start and cheered her on as she took off on the bike. Then, I waited in the stands with my hubby and my sisters (aka my cheering squad) before it was time to hit the pool deck.
There I am down on the deck waiting for my turn. I was so so so nervous - checking out the people in front of and behind me & trying to determine if I'd need to pass anyone in the first few laps or if they'd need to pass me. I decided I would definitely be getting passed. I was lucky actually, as I had seen quite a few people who were obviously not prepared for the 500 and they were swimming sidestroke, breaststroke, doggy paddling, etc just to get through the swim. Not that I'm judging - they all probably run 4 minute miles, but my point is that it's hard to pass people who are swimming anything other than freestyle.
Only twenty two seconds until it's my turn! At this point I was trying to decide how to best jump into the water without my goggles flying off my head (you weren't allowed to dive in, you had to start in the water).
And... I'm off! The swim was a "serpentine swim" which basically means that you have to duck under the lane rope at each end of the pool. It made me glad I hadn't stressed out about flip turns because they would have been difficult to do and not run into people. It took me a few laps to get the hang of things - I had started out too fast and couldn't get my breathing pace established. But, after a couple of laps (and once I got into the bigger lanes where I didn't have to worry about space quite so much), I really settled into a groove and felt like I could have gone longer.
Before I knew it, it was time to get out of the pool. Can you see how the sun light was shining directly into the sliver of the pool by the ladder? I was blinded & couldn't see a thing! All I could think about was getting into the transition area and getting on my bike!
Very exciting! Can't wait to hear more. How long were you in the water?
Posted by: klutzymama | June 24, 2009 at 05:21 AM
You are sooooooooo funny. Love the story.
Posted by: nancy | June 24, 2009 at 07:35 AM
A few hills? Excuse me - the first and last couple of miles of the bike were nothing but hills! I'm talking hills, mountains, steep terrain - of course this from a person who did no hill training and has 50+ year old knees!
:-) We are all so proud of you! Way to go girl!
Posted by: Deb (aka Mom) | June 24, 2009 at 08:02 AM
Deb - I'm pround of you too, and your 50+ year old knees!
Posted by: ktmikula | June 24, 2009 at 08:11 AM