Reflections on the Tri

I finished my first triathlon two weeks ago. It was a Sprint Triathlon, which means we swam (in a pool) for 275 yards, biked 12 miles, and then ran a 5K.

I had a BLAST.

Well, honestly, during the biking part I was ready to throw in the towel because it was so damn hilly and there was a terrible headwind. But, I persevered. I finished!

I was more nervous testing for my yellow belt than I was for this race. I knew that if I could perform in front of strangers for my yellow belt, swimming, biking, and running would be easy.

And it was easier than I thought (except for the biking part).

I started in the back of the pack due to my lackluster swim time, so I had plenty of time to watch the better swimmers. I chatted with the men and women around me as we waited our turn in the pool. There were people of all ages and all fitness levels there.

I had been the most nervous about the swim leg of the race, but it went so much better than I thought. A few people passed me; I passed a few people. Never once did I have to stop and walk or hang on to the side of the pool. I was so thankful when I got out that I walked to the transition area to get my bike. I WALKED (note to self, in next race, RUN to the transition area).

Managed to get my socks, shoes, helmet, sunglasses, shirt on. Walked to the mounting area, got on the bike, and I was off! I was on a friend's bike and hadn't spent enough time getting familiar with it, so that slowed me down a bit.

Like I said earlier, the bike leg was my worst. I was not prepared for the hills. And I was paranoid about crashing my friend's expensive bike. Don't even think I passed one person on this leg of the race. There wasn't much scenery to look at, and honestly, I was so focused on the road because I didn't want to hit any potholes. Those bike seats are NOT comfortable, and hitting holes in the road hurts.

Dismounted at the transition area, and my legs nearly collapsed under me. And I was just walking the bike back to the rack! I still had a 5K to run. Yikes! Took my time here, again, as my legs were recovering. Switched shoes, took off the helmet, put on my running hat, and was off!

I rounded the first corner and saw my sweet, sweet girls and husband, cheering me on. That gave me a boost of energy and made me smile throughout the run. It was such a good feeling to have someone cheering me on. The 5K was a circular course that we looped twice, so I got to see the girlies again on my second loop. This course was hilly, too, but wound through a neighborhood, so it was a nice distraction to look at the houses as I ran by.

As I approached the finish line, my girls jumped off the curb and grabbed my hands. I ran with them across the finish line and it was the best feeling EVER. Yes, even better than getting my yellow belt. I did it! I finished my first triathlon, and my girls helped me finish it.

The next day my quads were sore, but that was it. So I signed up for another sprint triathlon at the end of May. Can't wait!!