I have been running for almost two years now and have really enjoyed getting fitter :)! But it was time to bump up the training and try a triathlon! My friend Camille signed up for an all women tri in Tempe and invited me and a few others to join her. I decided to give it a try (no pun intended). The first thing you have to know about a Triathlon is that everyone...and I mean EVERYONE looks goofy in the swim cap!
I figured that I had already been training for the running portion, and on the days that I don't run I have been riding my bike around a bit. However, the swimming was really stumping me. I don't really have access to a pool and outside pools were cold (not anymore, but you have remember I started training in March). I kept trying to figure out how to get the swimming in without spending any money, but not getting too cold. I finally broke down about a month before the race and I joined a gym for 30 days...just so I could get some swimming in! I was glad that they were willing to work with me!
Camille was really good at getting us all organized and getting some group training sessions going. We went on several long bike rides together (including a little running after riding...practical since that is exactly what you do in the race). We also went out to Saguaro Lake (had to practice swimming in the open water) a couple of times.
The were 5 of us that ended up being in the race. That morning we all drove over to Tempe and got set up. I wasn't sure where to put my stuff or how to set up the bike or anything. So I just asked a lot of questions and observed a lot! Jamie (one of the gals that was in our group) brought some nail polish and we all did up our toes while we were waiting for the start of the race. Silly, but I think it helped calm the nerves a bit!
They started the swim in "waves" according to age group. So I guess I really know that I am getting older because I was in the 5th wave. I don't remember how many waves after me there were, but not as many as there were before and some of those were the ones that were doing the tri in teams.
They wrote our number on each arm and then our age on our calf. I was wondering why they wrote the age on our calf, but in the bike and run I was glad because I could tell who was in my age group. It helped me mentally to know so that I knew if I cared if they passed me or not!
I ended up renting a road bike because my bike has virtually no brakes and I did something to Dave's bike a couple of days before the race that took it out of contention. I was really glad to have a nice bike to ride...it made all the difference in the world!
The run was a KILLER! I think it must have been over 90 degrees by the time we started running and it was tough even though it was only 3.1 miles. I kicked it in at the finish and came in just before the gal that you can see in the picture. She was ahead of me the last mile, but she had a 42 (in my age group) on her calf and I was determined to cross before she did!
Here we are having accomplished our GOAL!!! Jamie, me, Yvette, Camille and Sara! It was such an awesome feeling to have finished and had our families there to support us! Later that night we checked the race results on the computer and I was thrilled with my times and place. I could hardly believe it! I came in 12th out 65 women in my age group. That is the highest finish I have ever had in any race that I have run. I was 74th out nearly 400 women total who did the race. I was so happy to have completed the race and done so well too!
