The Finish Line!

On Saturday morning at approximately 9:30, I crossed the finish line at the Women of Steel Triathlon! I saw my Mom first as I rounded the corner on 400 North and approached the finish line, then I saw my Dad and my husband…and long before I actually saw Rachael and Stephanie I heard them screaming for me. Having my friends and family at the finish line meant a lot to me – seeing my Mom, in particular as I rounded that corner…well, it got my weak little legs the rest of the distance.

Doing this race was an amazing experience (notice I didn’t say “competing in this race” I’m SO not a competitor yet) I was very surprised at how good I felt during the swim and bike. I wondered if this race would be torture from start to finish, but it wasn’t…it was just torture at the end! 

The swim went well – we were able to position ourselves according to our swim time, Rachael and I sought out the 7 minute group and parked our lycra-clad selves among them. Lucky for us the “traffic jam” that occurred early in the pool had worked itself out by the time we jumped in. The swim felt great – Dave’s coaching kicked in and it was a piece of cake.

This is where I must admit being a bit naïve. I foolishly thought that because this was a women’s event I would be able to run in my wet lycra from the pool to the transition area in relative comfort. What I failed to realize is that where the women go – men follow. So as I exit the pool building in my totally hot outfit I’m greeted by camcorders and cameras being held by supportive husbands and boyfriends. Uh...I didn’t sign up for THAT. But I told myself that these men were no different from my wonderful husband and I got over it.

In my haste to transition from the swim to the bike, I forgot my granola bar.  I also forgot how to shift my bike, which led to me riding in the lowest gear for…oh…3 miles or so. See, my Mom decided (the day before the race) that I needed a better bike then my vintage Peugeot. So she loaned me her Trek – when I picked it up and my Dad asked, “Do you know how to shift that bike?”, like all impatient children that believe their parents underestimate their brilliance I said, “Yes”. Well, it turns out that I didn’t. So at mile 3 I waved down the Flying Wrenches van and a very nice young man showed me how to shift my bike. Needless to say the remaining 7 miles went MUCH BETTER.

When I got off the bike to do the run, I crammed 2 Clif Shot Bloks in my mouth and took off running. I felt like I was back in the pool – my legs were heavy and it felt like I was running underwater. I walked for about half of the run. I feel no shame. I ran as much as I could as often as I could. I, like many, were surprised to learn at the walk-through on Friday night that we wouldn’t be permitted to run with headphones. WHAT? Yes, running to angry music has been my running crutch…without my crutch I was forced to listen to my own pathetic breathing. Now I know. And now I’ll train for my next Tri without headphones!

This Triathlon was a big deal for me – it’s given me a different perspective on my “Athena” body and made me stretch my idea of what I’m personally capable of. I’m now obsessed with swimming and biking…my Mom is helping me look for a used touring bike. But I’m not giving up on running; I’ve seen what I can do with swimming and biking so I there might just be a runner hiding inside me somewhere.