My First Triathlon (Part 2): Race Day

The alarm went off at 5:15am, and I slowly rolled out of bed to get ready for the triathlon.  I signed up for this triathlon for four main reasons: 1) It was on my "to do list" for 2013, 2) I wanted to prove to myself that I could finish, 3) I wanted to show and teach my kids that they can reach a goal if they work hard for it, and 4) the swim portion was last, and it was in a warm pool.

I arrived in the dark and the cold (relatively speaking to the rest of the country), parked the truck, opened my door, and next to me was another athlete.  While I unloaded my heavy mountain bike from college, I glanced over to see his sleek, shiny racing bike; my bike looked like a donkey next to his racehorse, but I just had to laugh!  My goal was not to win or even try to finish near the top; that would have been my goal over ten years ago when this race would have been just-another-day, but not now.  Somehow, though, the competitiveness inside of me has never died; I just had to turn the switch to "off" in my brain for the day in order to make it back home!  

My Sturdy Donkey

I wheeled my bike up to its rack, hung it there, and next to me was a girl, a decade my junior, who was also having a rookie experience.  We quickly realized that we were no longer strangers and found camaraderie in the unknown before us.  I also ran into a sweet friend from church, Diane, who was doing her 37th triathlon; she was helpful and a comfort.  I got tattooed in black sharpie with my number on my left arm, and my age on my left calf.  My new friend and I lined up with masses, one last wave to Matt in the crowd, the horn blew, and we were off.  

THE RUN

The run started off with a 5% grade uphill, but fortunately we were encouraged by hearing each other pant as we all climbed.  The rest of the run was mild, downhill, and felt really good...until the last 1/2 mile which was another accent to the 1st transition.  A lady was passing me from behind about 200 yards from the finish and told me, "Come on, let's

200 Yards To Go

go as hard as we can." Not to miss her challenge, of course, I adhered and drove all the way through the end.

THE BIKE

I mounted my bike, and hit my first daunting hill...there were three in all, and they were brutal beasts.  The good thing about uphills is that there are downhills that follow, and I felt like a bird flying down those hills; I couldn't stop smiling.  The bike portion, albeit painful on the quadriceps, was by far my favorite part, invigorating and freeing.  

THE SWIM

The moment I got off of my bike, my legs wobbled a bit and became very undependable, but I tore off my shoes and my leggings and headed to the pool (almost forgetting to take my helmet off...those were the only instructions Matt gave me to not forget!).  Jumping in feet first, the warm pool tingled on my sweaty skin and was refreshing against the cool air.  I could see the finish line, and I just kept telling myself: "Dig!"  It reminded me of track days and more specifically skating days when I was in the last 30 seconds of a four minute long program with one more triple to land.  "Dig!"  I would tell myself then, and it was all coming back to me now.  

I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, and was so proud of what this meant, because for the past decade life has shifted to carrying and raising those children that make it more meaningful now to chase my dreams and goals.  Those offspring remain tenderly in our care but they give me more reason than ever to accomplish the top three reasons I wanted to enter this race today.  

I received my medal for finishing and a hug from Diane, loaded up my bike, and headed to a Little League game to watch my son pitch.  

Life continues, and I smile.