Tri #2, take 2

This should have been my third triathlon, but life (and death) got in the way...

Overheard on the first day of the triathlon clinic way back in June... by a repeat attendee who was already a triathlete: "you'll see the expressions of those around you change when you tell them you're a triathlete, you're respected as an athlete that little bit extra." I didn't believe him until I was over at the in-laws for dinner Saturday night after the race. When asked why I was so quiet, I yawned, had to apologize for getting a few others started with the 'contagious yawns' then explained that we were up at 5:30a... It was Jay's daughter Taylor (she captured all the race day pics for me!) who finished my sentence letting them know I had done a triathlon earlier in the day. The reaction was great, and even Jay commented on the conversation after the fact. :)

Approximately 2 hours in the car, we finally arrived to the race site... the air was cold, but the sun was shining... so far so good. Time to get this started!!

Admittedly, I did get a bit worried when I saw the swim course sign... ummm, was the water that cold that they weren't posting the temp?! Eeek!

Bodymarked... still love this part!

Nothing graceful about putting on a wetsuit. I'm sure it provided a bit of comic relief...

Thankfully I did a warm up in the water with an easy swim, which by the way, was warmer than the air. The water is extremely shallow for about the first few hundred meters, so we'd be starting in the water, about waist-deep. I've never been fond of weedy water. In fact, I hate it. OMFG, the weeds came nearly to the top!! My hands scooped into the weeds with every stroke, feet brushing over them, even got one strung on my face which just seemed to hang there. I also noticed that the lake bottom was very slippery in some spots, almost feeling like being on ice in the water... bizarre. Thankfully I got all the anxiety out before the race start and knew what to expect. I got out of the water, found Jay and Taylor on the beach, and whispered my discoveries to Jay... who of course laughed. Time to get back in to start!

Green swim caps were first to go, then our blue swim caps which included Men 30-39 & Women 30-34. I was a little apprehensive being with this age group of men, so I positioned myself near the back of the pack. I quickly found a bit of a groove without getting trampled. Whether all the weeds had now been mowed down or my mind was just at ease, I didn't even notice them anymore! Check it out! The pic shows proof that I passed at least one swimmer of the previous wave! As with my first tri, my swim was my strongest!

600m 13:01 (in my try-a-tri, the 375m swim took 10:06!?!?! Still trying to figure this one out...) 132/265 2:37/100m

T1 was pretty smooth, wetsuit off, dried my feet, socks on, race belt, sunglasses, Garmin, t-shirt and helmet... 2:32

The bike ride was a 20k out 'n back, with a few gently rolling hills. I played cat 'n mouse with one girl for most of the ride. I know I have room for improvement on the bike, as I'm still pretty tentative. I don't seem to get past my comfortable pace, both during group rides and triathlon.

If pictures could speak, you'd have heard me saying "ok, swim and bike done, no crashes. I've got this... oh sh!t, I have to run!" T2 was 1:13, quick shoe change, race belt with bib from back to front, hat on (lesson learned from the Try-a-Tri after the awful hair in the race pics!)

It still amazes me that without running, I never would have gotten to this point. Running is what provoked this blog, running became a new 'addiction' when I quit smoking. Running became a lot of things, including difficult. My run sucked. I had to stop to adjust the elastic laces already within the first minutes of the run as they were too loose. Within the first kilometre, my shins were on fire... and it wasn't because of speed. haha Had to take short walk breaks often... but even that was uncomfortable. (I have been having some great runs lately, not increasing mileage, or speed... so it's not a matter of 'too much too soon' that I've already learned about the hard way). I haven't been doing many bricks, and think that this was my biggest downfall. **More on this in another post later in the week.**

Finally seeing the finish line... of course I'd smile nearing the end after a run like that!

Overall, I'm very pleased, and thankful that I'm not competitive. I enjoy every minute of it without the pressure. I finished in 1:31:52 13/27 in AG. Sunday morning I woke up feeling great; no soreness, no pain, no air cast, no crutches. Considering my track history with races (running only events) and injuries, there is no better feeling :)

As we were leaving, I saw one of Terron's friends from school who was relaxing before his Kids of Steel triathlon, so I went over to wish him luck!

I would definitely do this event again next year, and wish I lived in a different climate so I could continue training outdoors year round. Anyone looking to adopt my son and I? We come as a package only. ;)