On May 7th I participated in my first Sprint Triathlon. I can not express adequately, how much I loved this more than anything I have ever done.
There is so much to say around this race and all of it adds to why I loved it so much. Bear with me as my thoughts jump from place to place.
Training:
I started training for this in March. Here is what went through my head when I signed up:
Running is second nature to me. Even when I'm out of shape and in pain, I can find a way to keep running.
Biking- anyone can ride a bike right? (WRONG!!! PS)
Swimming- That's hard. That is what I can not do. That is where I need to work the hardest
Doing all three in a row- That will be exhausting. I need to practice that too.
So for a few weeks I started doing one of the three every day. Swimming was really REALLY hard for me, but my friends started going to the pool with me and gave me a few tips and slowly but surely I started getting it. At first I could swim two 25 m lengths, then it turned into 6, then it turned into 8, and before I knew it, over the course of 2 months I was swimming double the distance. I still would stop at the wall, catch my breath and then go, but I stopped putting my feet down. I even swam a mile once!! A whole mile!! Ethan filed me and it wasn't pretty, but I was so excited that I could do it. Swimming is so so hard!!
I borrowed Aunt Kay's bike and although I still think anyone can jump on a bike, it took practice to get used to the distance. 12 miles is not forever, but it certainly is not just a stroll around the neighborhood.
The key with running was making sure that I kept doing it. That was supposed to be my saving grace at the end of the race.
As I got 4 weeks out, I started putting things together. I would bike 15 miles, and then run 1 or swim 400 m and bike 6, always just doing some sort of combo. The first time I went from biking to running was weird because my legs wanted me to go faster than my body could, but after a few times I got used to it and started using that momentum to my advantage.
One time Callie and I went to the gym and put all three things together and all though we didn't race through transitions and only biked half, it gave me a boost of confidence that I could actually do this!
Race Day:
The day of the race, Callie picked me up at 5 and we headed to the YMCA to set up our gear. I was incredibly nervous because thats what I do.
This was the first year of this tri and its focus was to encourage any mom/woman to try a triathlon. Their emphasis was beginners and even novice athletes. It was perfect for me. They wanted anyone to come and boy did they get the turn out they were hoping for. People showed up with baskets on their bikes, adults tricycles, beach bikes, and more. It was such a fun and perfect atmosphere. People were cheering and encouraging. There just was no sense of competition. I stayed in my nervous state because I didn't know if I was going to be able to maintain my energy level for the whole race. I tired so hard to remind myself that this was just for fun and to have fun.
As we got closer to start time, we all line up along the pool in order of our swim time. Before we raced, they asked us to get an estimate of our 400 m. We got wristband colors according to our time and stood in line according to wristband. One person entered the pool at a time every 10 seconds. The idea was that we would be by people of our own pace so there wouldn't be too much passing. They really thought of everything. The pool was exactly 400 meters so it really worked out perfectly. We would swim down one lane, cross under the rope, swim up the next. Cross the rope, swim down, cross the rope, swim up. We all just snaked the pool until we got to the stairs, climbed up and ran to our bikes.
I was super nervous about the transitions: how would my clothes stick, what tights should I wear,
what about wet shoes, what about my hair! but in the moment, everything just worked out and wasn't a big deal. I changed real quick, jumped on my bike, and headed to the 4 mile loop that we completed 3 times. The only down fall with the bike, is since it was a loop, you got passed by people who were faster than you, who were already biking, and then you had to slow down for people who were slower than you who were joining the loop on your 2nd or 3rd time around. There really isn't anyway around this and I'd say over all it worked out perfectly, but it would have been nice to just bike and not think about anyone else.
From our bikes, we rode into the same transition zone, dropped out stuff and took off running on a different 3 mile loop.
Accomplishments:
The swim couldn't have been any better. I literally did the best that I knew how. I never had to stop, just kept swimming, never put my feet down, and was able to freestyle the whole time.
The bike was slightly disappointing only becasue I didn't have the best handle bars so I wasn't able to gear down when I wanted to. I pushed but found myself "strolling" a lot more that I wanted to.
The run was awesome. I love running negative and that served me well here. Since people were a head of me, it was easy to pick a target, catch em, and then pick a new target. I had someone in front of me to pick off the whole race. Can I just say how much I LOVE timing chips!! They have changed racing for the better. No longer do we have to wait and loose time at the starting line becasue we are in the back pack. We can know from start to finish what our true time is. Its perfect for me too because I love negative splits. I don't do it on purpose but I love them. Maybe that's why I never did well high school? Maybe I didn't know how to run? Huh, makes you wonder
Since this was put on by moms (who we think were Mormon but don't know that) they didn't for a second forget that since moms were competing, there probably would be a bunch of kids spectating. They had all sorts of vendors and many of them geared towards children. Chik-fa-la, a bounce house, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn etc all for free. It was set up so conveniently for families.
Swag:
When we crossed the finish line, we literally ran into a buffet of cupcakes and fruits! It was beautiful and amazing. every finisher got an adorable shirt that I still wear, and a necklace that says tri on it. They really want this race to stay noncompetitive so they announced the winners over the loud speakers but they didn't even make it a big deal. Every age winner got a rose and was allowed to stand on a podium for your own purposes, but they didn't make it a big deal. I was so impressed. They gave just enough attention to those who wanted it but gave even more to those who were there just to be doing something hard with a whole lot of women. It was perfect.
I am so glad that I have friends that make me do this kind of stuff. There is no way that I would have signed up for this on my own because I hate swimming that much, but I am so glad that Callie made me sign up. It was the funnest thing I have ever did, such an accomplishment, and just an overall reward to see how well I could do in a new environment doing new and hard things.
For my first tri I was so excited for how well I did. I won my age group, got in the top 20, got 4th over all in the running, and didn't drown. Lets repeat that, I didn't drown!! It was so much fun!!!
I wish I could've have biked faster, but I think I need to get over that.
I've been thinking about this race over and over and I think I loved it so much because it was completely individual and it was HARD! No one cared how I did except me. There was no pressure to run a certain time. Since I've never done a tri, I had nothing to compare it to so I was competing with a new slate. I love that feeling.
I also loved this becasue I completed something that I never thought I could. I hate swimming. HATE IT!!! I have always been so bad at swimming that I just kind of ruled out triathlons. With a lot of nudging and prodding from my friends, I decided that it would be a challenge but something that I could try. I don't know why I'm just now realizing how powerful it is for myself worth to try and complete something new and hard. It was completely out of my comfort zone but I did it! I stepped out of the pool and had the biggest cheesiest smile on my face. I couldn't help it. I had finished and knew I did the best I could have.
The whole race was hard, but once I got to the running part I couldn't help but feel giddy. I knew no matter how I felt running would take me to the finish line and I could do that. Once I started running I knew that everything would be totally fine. And boy was it fine. Once I started running, I just let my legs carry me. It was the best feeling in the world. It was one of the few times that I didn't have control over my speed. My excitement just took me to my cheering family at the end.
This is so AWESOME Cami!!! You inspire me :)
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