The Triathlon

The big day was this weekend!  The event I trained all summer for was finally here. The Sandman Triathlon! This was a big deal for me.  I had someone say to me recently “don’t stress it, I know people who do these things all the time and don’t train for them”.  Good for them! And so do I… but just because it’s not a half Ironman or an Ironman or even an Olympic triathlon, doesn’t make it a big deal when it’s your first one.  Especially because I know a lot of people who wouldn’t even take this challenge on, especially with this tri being an ocean swim. So I was very proud of myself for reaching this point. I was so stressed out and nervous all week about the ocean swim. After a swim clinic I went to last week in prep for Sunday, I was taken back at how difficult and different it was to swim in the ocean, than any other open water I have swam in.  So this made me very nervous.  I wasn’t alone though. At the swim clinic I spoke to a girl who was clearly younger than me and a 3 time Ironman finisher.  She told me that she still gets nervous swimming in the ocean, that made me, and my girlfriends, feel better that we were not alone.

Race morning.  I got up at 4:30, as I planned on meeting my girlfriends down at the oceanfront at 6AM to get into transition early and get all of our ducks in a row since we were newbies. My morning did not go as planned. As I am leaving my house to go to my car I opened the front door (very carefully) and the new addition of our family darted out the door! Our new doggie Maiya took off and was on the loose. This is a whole other story, and we did wind up finding her thanks to our family who helped. I cried the whole way to the triathlon because she was still not found yet when I left.  So I pull up in the parking lot to meet my girlfriends in tears. I was so upset our new doggie was gone and it was all my fault. Not intentionally, but I was still the one who opened the door and she snuck out, so my guilt level was fairly high. I had to get my mind right for this triathlon though. Thanks to my friends and the help of their hugs and talk of the tri, I got myself together.

We had all taken full advantage of bike inspection at packet pick-up the day before, so it was smooth sailing into transition area where we got body marked and assigned to where our own personal transition area and our bikes would be.  The weather was crappy. It was cool and very, very windy and kind of drizzly and damp. I could hear the ocean, but the sound just did not sound friendly. We heard talk of the swim possibly being cancelled…ten minutes later we found out that the swim had been cancelled due to dangerous undertows, rip tides and strong currents. I actually hadn’t seen the ocean yet at this point, as we were still in transition area getting our stuff together when they made the announcement. I will be honest; I was disappointed the swim was cancelled. I mean the swim is what I put most of my energy into this summer and I trained for a triathlon, so I wanted to do a triathlon. After I actually saw the ocean yesterday morning, my opinion changed drastically. The water was angry and intense. There is NO WAY I would of made it swimming in that water and if I had I would of never had the energy for a 14.2 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run. So I was very happy the race officials and lifeguarding unit called the swim off. These photos really don’t do the water much justice, but those who were there, saw how rough the water really was and could vouch for it.

So the event turned into a run/bike/run.  Right before the race I found out that Maiya had been found and was safe at home. I felt so much better and was ready to get my game face on and kick some ass. We started out the race with the run. It was VERY windy and the whole first half of the 5K was running into wind, not fun.  I felt awesome the whole run though and somehow I managed a PR (Personal Record) for the 5K! I was stoked for a 26 minute 5K, which is great for me since my best 5K to date has been just shy of 28 minutes. Thank you Kim and “Speed Work Wednesdays”!  I felt awesome after the run, was stoked to do the bike, until I actually got on the bike. I was one of the very few people at the triathlon who did not have a road bike. I used a mountain bike, with large tires. I never really thought it would make that much of a difference. I was so wrong. Not only were you riding into 30 mph winds and gusts, but girls I had passed on the run, were passing me on their road or triathlon bikes. The competitor in me was pissed and forced all my energy into the bike, but my body was fighting it. I cursed myself out the whole bike ride and also made a Christmas list and added road bike to it… I did get through the bike, eventually. The last half mile was probably my strongest mile because I saw my family at the end and when Nicholas yelled my name “Mommy!!” it was like the wind pushed me the last half mile. I finally finished the bike in an hour and 14 minutes. Horrible time and I’m still beating myself up about it. In my defense, my bike sucks. It is definitely not meant for bike races, tris or anything of that nature and the wind was intense. I even heard the elite riders complaining about the wind, but the competitor in me was pissed.

After the bike there was a short sprint to the finish, easy, I love sprinting although your legs feel super weird after biking and trying to run. So I finally crossed the finish line. The end. I was happy it was over and looking back on it today it really was a good time. Seeing my family and friends at the end is always motivating and I am really excited about how great I did for myself on the run. 

I will definitely do a REAL triathlon though. Tri season is just about over, so there is always next year, BUT there is the Richmond Triathlon in October I am eyeing up! So we’ll see. In the meantime, I am going to have some fun and focus on smaller race distances at faster speeds, which is just fun and less stressful. I have Wicked 10K at the end of October and hope to get a sub 55 10K.


One thing that hasn’t changed is, I love racing and competing. It really is so much fun and the way I feel when I cross that finish line is such an awesome feeling.  So although my triathlon was “the little triathlon that wasn’t”, I trained for a triathlon and know I could do it if I had been able to. It was just out of my control, but in Mother Nature’s hands yesterday and apparently she sucks.

Thanks to Kris, Darlene and Jennifer for doing this with me, we rock. Thank you to Kim for being such an awesome friend, “trainer” and running partner. Thanks to Matt for all the tri tips you have given me the past few months.  But most of all thanks to my family for being there for me and putting up with my crazy schedule the past couple months, and dealing with all my spur of the moment shenanigans. Until next time…
Here's just a couple pics.

me and Hubby.

Here's me after the race probably cursing off the ocean.

 

boo and pop pop.

me and K. I've done a countless number of races with this girl. She did my 1st race, my 1st half marathon and almost my 1st triathlon with me. Great friend, great motivater.

aw yes, the post race look like death pic, BUT who cares we worked our butts off this summer. So glad I got to train and get to know these two great ladies. i see quite a few more races in our future.

C. loves Boo!

me, dad, hubby and my mil.

Pictures.

I plan to post about our NJ trip soon...hopefully before our next one (could I be anymore behind on my blog?). It really was such an awesome trip and one of my highlights were being able to take pictures of one of my best friend's kiddies! J just turned 4 in May and E just turned 1. Although, E wasn't having a good morning since he had too much partying the night before at his first birthday party, I was still able to snap a few shots of him that are just adorable and full of personality. With permission of mom, I am sharing some of the photos of two of the most adorable little people I know. I love these kids. Thanks Deloons for letting me get more practice! Click here to view the pictures!