I did it!!!
My first triathlon was a huge success! I did better than I imagined, but still have room for improvement. I was pretty nervous but I had an amazing time. Everyone there was friendly and supportive, and the race was so remarkably organized.
Packet Pickup:
Packets had to be picked up before the race. There was no race-day pickup. I found this a little annoying because I live an hour away from Webster, but not unheard of (The Hartford Marathon does the same thing- but that is a much shorter drive and larger expo). Saturday pick-up was at the Expo and it was in the gym of the local high school. Michy and I took the bean, while the guys stayed home. Pickup itself was really smooth and not too crowded. You went to the first table to show your id and get your number, then headed to the back of the room where you got your packet and tshirt. The Expo itself was pretty small, we did a little browsing then headed out. I picked up a spibelt since I had been looking at them online. After leaving the expo we drove the bike course. I wanted to see it again, so I wasn't surprised by anything.
We got home and I went for an easy bike ride to calm my nerves. It helped a lot. Then we went out for a yummy dinner. Once home, I packed my bag, checking and double checking that I had everything. I over-packed- I didn't actually need any of the larabars. The coconut water was plenty. Once the bag was packed I got everything into the van so we could just wake up and leave. I headed to bed early, but had a very hard time falling asleep.
Transition opened at 5:00AM so my alarm rang at 3:30. So early! I ate a banana, a larabar, and made a green smoothie to sip in the car. We waited until the last possible moment to get the kids into the car. The bean stayed asleep, but the munchkin woke and was very confused. "But its still nighttime and I don't have on shoes!" He fell back asleep once we got going. Dunkin Donuts for coffee and off to Webster!
We got to the Lake around 5:30. I went through body marking and found the rack for my bib number. It wasn't very crowded yet, so I had plenty of space to setup. Setting up my spot didn't take very long so I had plenty of time to wander around and be nervous. I must have used the porta-potty 5 times before my wave took off!
Soon enough they were playing the national anthem and the first wave was taking off! My wave wasn't until 7:30, so I had a little time to wait.
Swim: 11:46
I stood sort of near the back of the swim wave, not really knowing what to expect and not having a good idea of how I would compare to the other swimmers. When the horn blasted I held back a moment and walked a bit before taking off. I felt trapped in bodies and had a hard time figuring out where I could swim. I did some breaststroke so I could see where I was going but couldn't really kick because I didn't want to kick anyone. I felt pretty trapped until the first turn, going back and forth between freestyle and breaststroke so I could see who was around me. After the first turn I started to get into a better groove. I caught up to some of the previous wave and by the final turn it was crowded again. I accidentally kicked someone in the chest and felt pretty bad about it. Next time I'll start closer to the front. I never really felt like I got in a good groove.
There was a little run up the beach to the transition area. It was a bit rocky, so I had stashed some flipflops near the swim exit. I almost forgot them and had to double back a bit. I think next year I'll skip it and take my chances with the rocks. I had a water bottle and a small towel to wash the sand off my feet. I decided to skip socks and just coat my feet in bodyglide and slide them into my cycling shoes. I put on a headband, sunglasses, helmet, grabbed the bike and then I was off! I just need more practice to shave off some time.
Bike: 49:23
Biking is the sport I have the least experience with. I have always liked to swim and I've been running for years. Until this summer I had only really biked for fun, not for exercise. I still have alot of learning to do, especially technique for when to shift gears. I found a few times I was spinning along at 13 or 14 mph and would shift and pop up to 17 or 18 mpg instantly. This course had a couple really tough hills. I didn't have to get off the bike (which was good because I was scared of getting clipped out without falling over) but I did have to really work at it and stand up out of the saddle. But big hills up meant big hills down... which was really fun. I felt like I was flying. I got passed a lot on the bike, but passed some people as well. I think for the bike I just need more practice. I also need to do a better job of putting on my helmet. In a lot of pictures it looks like it is just perched on my head. Oops.
T2: 2:11
I felt really awkward getting off the bike. I need to make my dismount smoother. It is also really awkward to run in cycling shoes. I may try keeping the shoes clipped to the bike and slipping my feet out, but I don't know if I am that coordinated. I run in vibram five fingers (love my Seeyas!) so it took my a moment to wiggle my wet feet into all the toes evenly. I grabbed a quick drink of water and was off.
Run: 28:42
I took off on the run course which ran across some grass, back out to the main road, looped around a cute little neighborhood, headed back on the main road, and finished back at the lake. I wasn't wearing a watch or anything to give me a sense of time or pace. I walked the water stops because I'm not coordinated enough to drink and run at the same time. Other than that I just tried to keep moving. I really thought I was doing a slow jog, maybe 11 or 12 minute miles. I was shocked to find out I did a 28:42! That is a 9:34 pace. I never run that fast. I still felt like I had some energy in the tank so I probably can push it even more.
Coming into the finish line was awesome. The announcer was calling out names as people crossed the finish line. I waved as I heard my name. I got my medal and met back up with the guys and the kids. They told me it was only about 9 o'clock so I knew I had done better than I thought! I made my way to the breakfast tent, but with doing Whole 30 there wasn't much I could eat (it was mostly Luna bars yogurts and bread stuff) The munchkin was able to charm his way into a few treats though. We waited near the results area and enjoyed the festivities until they opened transition back up. I grabbed my stuff and we headed home. What an awesome morning!
Total: 1:36:01
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