August 4, 2007 Sprint tri!

I DID IT! I completed my first sprint distance triathlon in Louisville on August 4, 2007. This means a 1/2 mile swim, 14 mile bike, and 3 mile run. The picture from left to right includes: me, coach Susan, John, Treacy, and Anna after the race was over. The other picture is a self-portrait of my race number.

Friday the 3rd, my friends Anna and John and I all met in Louisville. After getting checked in to the hotel, we met our coach to review the bike course. I knew but didn't want to think about how dangerous cycling is! The entire course was on public roadways, which meant we had to be very careful regarding traffic. Driving the course the night before was very helpful. Our coach was able to point out dangerous spots in the road as well as turns to watch out for.

That night, we all had a few butterflies, and didn't sleep right away! I can't tell you how many times I went over in my head what I needed to take with me Saturday morning. Shoes, socks, cycling shoes, towel, sunglasses, sunscreen, backpack, race belt, ID... The list goes on and on!

Saturday morning we got up just before 6:00 since we needed to be at the park no later than 7 AM. I was full of nerves, but managed to pull it together enough to collect everything I needed! After a short drive, we arrived at the park to register and get branded. You have to have your race number drawn on your right shoulder and left-outer calf. I was lucky number 325. No turning back!

Next stop was to set up the transition area. We didn't get to set up transition areas together and had to take what we could get since the other 397 participants were already set up! No problem though, it actually worked out well. I managed not to forget anything, which meant I was able to start the race with one less thing on my mind.

We got set up and then headed to the pool. Since it was a pool swim instead of an open-water swim, all participants went in order by number every 20 seconds. So we had a while to wait before it was our turn! This was great though, because we got to watch the others to see how it should be done.

Time was up. My turn to jump in the pool. I got in and was off! As I've stated before, I'm most comfortable in the pool. The swim Saturday was great! The only problem was having to pass people in the pool. All in all, I passed 10 people and didn't get passed at all. Towards the end, it was too congested to pass, so I suppose my time could have been a little bit faster. Wishful thinking probably!

After getting out of the pool, I had an adrenaline rush that made it hard to focus. The transition was not as quick as I was hoping. But I did finally get it together and started the bike course. The bike was alot easier than I expected. There was only one problem... I lost a water bottle along the way. I've got to practice putting it back on the bike. When we train, it's usually on an area with hills, or at least one long steady hill. The ride Saturday was a couple of hills, but for the most part it was flat. Thank goodness!

The transition from bike to run was much better. I started out on the run in a slow jog, but quickly realized that my knees were throbbing. I ended up walking all but the last 1/2 mile. Crossing that finish line was nothing short of amazing! I can't believe I made it.

We saw our results not too long after the race was over, but didn't write it down. They should have it posted online soon. The only part I know for sure is my swim time! I finished the swim in 18 minutes/41 seconds. All in all I finished in just over two hours. So that's approximately 40 minutes on the bike and 40 minutes on the run. Obviously no land speed records were broken, but I'm completely thrilled that I finished! I actually feel like the Disney triathlon isn't such a stretch anymore.

I'M A TRIATHLETE!