I Did It!!!

I have successfully completed my first triathlon!!

The festivities began Friday night at the Carb Loading Dinner. It was sponsored by one of the area hospitals and "Tri it for Life". We were loaded down with all sorts of wonderful cakes and pastas. All this in an effort to give us energy for our race on Sunday. There were several athletes that got up to speak and their speeches were very inspirational! We mingled and met other athletes ... some who had done triathlons before and others who had not. It was a wonderful night.

Sunday started really early ... like 4:30 AM!!! I had to be at the Aquatic Center by 6 in order to set up my transition area and the Aquatic Center is a 45 minute drive from my house. My cousin was up from Charleston so we got our kids up at 5:00 so that we could be out the door by 5:15. I fixed myself a slice of peanut butter toast and had some yogurt before we left.

When we arrived at the Aquatic Center, there were people everywhere. The transition area was set up in the parking lot and Ruth & I took our bikes over to get them on the rack. We figured out very quickly that the earlier you're there, the better your rack position!!! Then we were off to get "body marked". I found this especially fun because growing up, my mother had been adamant about us kids not writing on ourselves. Now I had no other choice but to write all over my body!!! My race number was written on both arms and legs and my age was written on the back of one leg. I think they mark you up so much so that in case you die during the course of the race, you can be identified easily (how's that for morbid?).

I decided that I needed to swim a few warm up laps before things got crazy. I put on my swim cap and goggles and hopped in the water. Thankfully, the water was super warm!!!! Then it was time for a pre-race meeting. Everybody gathered around outside and listened to instructions on what to do and when. Finally, it was time to get lined up and start the race.

We lined up in numerical order (I was number 383) and waited patiently for our turn to swim. It was nice being able to watch all of the people in front of me and it gave me a chance to meet new people who were seeded around me too. The lady in front of me didn't train at all and was shocked when I told her I'd been working at it for 4 1/2 months. Am I obsessive? Nonetheless, I wished her luck.

I got in the water when it was my turn and waited for the countdown to push off. 5-4-3-2-1 ... Off I went!!! I had to remind myself to keep it slow and steady so that I wouldn't tire out too early. I passed several people and got passed by several people. I just wanted to get through the swim and I did ... in 5:56. When I was training, it usually took me anywhere from 6 1/2 to 7 minutes to swim 250 meters.

I ran out of the pool area and out to the transition area. As I got outside I realized how cold it was. I ran to my bike and tried to get my socks on while my feet were still wet. That didn't work too well. I got my feet dried off and slipped on my shoes and socks. I waited around for Ruth and as she came running down the parking lot she yelled at me and wanted to know why I was waiting. Picture the end of Titanic when Rose & Jack are clinging to the board and Jack is ready to let go ... remember the emotion there? Well, that's what happened in the transition area. I told Ruth that I was waiting on her because we started it together and we were going to finish it together. She yelled at me to go because she was just going to hold me up. So, I jumped on my bike and headed out. I saw my family standing there cheering me on and that helped push me!

The bike wasn't too bad and I warmed up rather quickly. There were a few challenging hills but I made it in 28 minutes!! I dismounted my bike and I thought my legs were going to fall out from under me. I walked my bike over to the rack and tried to start jogging out of the transition area but my legs wouldn't move. I ended up walking through the transition area in an effort to give my legs a chance to catch up and by the time I got to the timing mat, I was good to go. I started jogging and when I came around one of the curves, there was a volunteer there encouraging everybody to "finish strong". Who was he kidding? At that point, I just wanted to finish!

I paced myself rather well on my run and I finished in 19:38! When I came around the corner and saw the finish line, I started crying. I had worked so hard for that very moment and it was just emotionally overwhelming! I heard my name called and that clinched it for me. It was the best feeling!!! Out of 568 participants, I finished in 212th place. I'm very pleased with that ...

Now, I'm gearing up for my next triathlon coming up on the 18th! I guess you could say I'm hooked!!