Triathlon!!!!!!

Well, I completed my first triathlon!

It was, above everything else, a complete and total blast! I had SO much fun and was smiling the whole time. I got up super early (I actually woke up on my own at 3:15 am!). Luckily I slept pretty well thanks to massive amounts of tea, a hot epsom salt bath, and plenty of homeopathic sleeping pills.

I was the first athlete to the race at 4:40 am...I think I was a little over excited! The transition area opened at 5, and I wanted to get a good parking spot and spot in the transition area. The wind was howling and the waves were kind of gnarly! I was pretty nervous.

First it was time to set up the transition area.

 Here we are trying to act calm. We were not calm. We were nervous and excited and full of emotion!

Then we walked down to the beach for a practice swim. I was SO happy we did this. It seems the first 100 yards are the hardest, so we got them out of the way. The wind died down and the waves died down...although there were definitely still waves and the water was pretty choppy.

Then we had to wait for about 40 minutes. My feet were FROZEN by the time we got in the water. In fact, for about 75% of the swim, my feet were numb! I was in the 5th wave of people starting. They do it by sex and age group. The anticipation was building while we were waiting to go! But, we finally went in. The water was 63 degrees, so it was just as warm if not warmer than the air, so that certainly helped. I tried to stay calm and did a pretty good job of it! I swam for what seemed like an eternity. But I finally finished and wasn't even really out of breath! Wahoo! 1st step done.

Then I had to run up this awful hill to the transition area. Not fun. I walked. Quick change and jump on the bike. I did not train on my bike enough. Not that the ride was too hard, but I could have gone faster with more training. I was so worried about the running and swimming...I just didn't focus on the bike. Next time!

The bike ride was pretty and fairly uneventful.

Next came the hardest part...changing from biking 12 miles to running for 3 miles. HOLYCOW BATMAN! My legs felt like jello. I thought they were going to give out on me and I was going to topple over! But, after I got into a rhythm, it was fine. There were not very many spectators. The ones that were there sure did help! It was very encouraging to have people cheer for you.  It was also great to see my tri training buddies along the course! And whenever someone older or heavier than me would pass me, I would be very motivated to go faster. Overall it was just such a cool feeling! I seriously was smiling ear to ear the whole time. It was just so much fun!

 I ended up sprinting at the end (who am I?) and passed that guy in the black...by a lot!

 Who-hoo! I finished! They even called out my name over the loud speaker!!!! It was SO FREAKING AWESOME!!! And if I do say so myself...I think my arms are looking very toned in this picture! That's probably thanks to yoga. :)

We did it! Look! I got a medal!

My awesome friends Missy, Gil and Aaron got up early to come and support me. They were so nice to do that! I needed moral support. Afterwards we walked to Captain Keno's which is my favorite dive bar and greasy spoon for a big breakfast and drinks. Can you tell I am happy to be getting food in this picture??? And who are we kidding...that was the best beer of my life!

 These ladies are awesome. We already signed up for another race in July and are going to train together for the next couple of months. Yahoo!

Overall, I highly recommend doing a triathlon. The training was time consuming and sometimes pushed me outside of my comfort zone (umm...swimming in the ocean at 6 am? WTF?) but it was doable. And I have never considered myself to be an athlete before. If I can do it...so can you! The actual event was so much fun and I felt a great sense of accomplishment afterwards. Plus...I lost 15 pounds while training...if that isn't motivating, I don't know what is! I also made some great new friends which is just an added bonus. 

I also finished the race in 1:53...I thought it would be a least two hours, so I am really proud of that time. All in all a great experience....and now I think I am hooked!