First One Done!

I have tried to remember when I first dreamed of doing a triathlon....I think it goes back to watching the televised finish of Hawaii in 1982, when the women's leader, Julie Moss, finished the race on her hands and knees and was passed by Kathleen McCartney in the final thirty yards of the race. That was what sparked my interest, 30+ years ago.  Always a dream or a bucket-list item, but it wasn't until the last couple of years that I started listening to the nagging voice in my head that said it was time to go for it, if I was ever going to do it. Plus, it helped to have some pretty amazing triathlete friends as inspiration!

The LeMars Triathlon is a sprint distance, which equates to a 300 yard swim (outdoor pool), a 15 mile bike ride, and a 5k run.  After bailing on the Iowa Games Tri in July, I was looking for another possible sprint distance tri that I could complete this season.  The LeMars Tri fit the bill, so to speak.  The real selling point for me was the outdoor pool swim - I panic a lot less when I am able to see what is in the water and if I need to take a break, it's only 25 yards away!  So, I registered myself and my son Steven, thinking it would be pretty cool for him and I to complete our first triathlon together.

Of course, things don't always work out the way you plan....eight days before the tri, Steven came down with a nasty stomach bug/food poisoning that lasted several days.  Once he recovered from that, he developed a head cold/sinus infection that required antibiotics.  Needless to say, a couple of days before the tri, I knew he wouldn't be recovered enough to compete.  The evening before the tri, I planned to get several hours of sleep and leave Ankeny by 4:00 a.m.  Brian planned to drive so I could sleep in the car, arrive in LeMars by 7:15am, packet pickup, transition set-up, and ready for my swim time of 9:42a,m.  Did I mention that things don't always work out the way you plan?? Due to unexpected circumstances, I drove up to LeMars by myself (thank goodness for coffee!) and Brian followed up a couple of hours later. I got to LeMars at about 7:15am, as expected - picked up my packet, got body-marked, checked out the outdoor pool, and went back to my car to drink coffee, warm up, and calm my nerves.

I eventually made my way back to the transition area, got my numbers on my bike and helmet, racked my bike, laid out my gear, and talked to a few other athletes.  Some were seasoned veterans, some were competing in their very first triathlon, like me.  At 8:45am, there was an athlete meeting in the pool area, and by this time Brian had made it to LeMars - it was so reassuring to have him there, as anxiety was starting to set in.  The race director went over all the "rules" such as they were, and at 9:00 am, the first swimmer went in the water.  The swim was a little different....a 300 yard "snake" swim in a six lane pool with swimmers released every thirty seconds.  The first dozen swimmers (apparently those that had submitted the slowest anticipated finish times) went first, followed by the relay teams, then the remaining individuals.

I was one of the last six swimmers....and as feared, panic set in. I'm not really sure why - the stress of the tri, knowing that someone behind me was going to catch up and pass me, Lots of shallow breathing and hyperventilating - I did the crawl stroke, the back stroke, the elementary backstroke....the only thing I didn't do was walk - which was entirely possible to do.  The shallow end of the pool was 3'10", the "deep" end was 5'6".  Not a pool where I felt very buoyant - I think I would have preferred a deeper "deep" end - say, 10-12'.  But, it wasn't open water and for that I was grateful.  I was passed by several swimmers, but I wasn't last out of the water...I was next to last :) lol

Exiting the water and heading toward transition, it was a little disconcerting to see only two bikes left in the racks.  But I did some positive self-talk and told myself that I could make up some time on the bike, even if it was only 15 miles.

So I pulled on my bike jersey, helmet and shoes and headed out of T1.  The bike course was an out and back of rolling hills on a 2-lane highway.  Within the first three miles I passed two other bicyclists, and caught a third before the halfway point.  However, there wasn't much to do after that as the next bicyclist within my line of sight was a solid mile in the distance.

Coming back into LeMars, I entered T2, took off my helmet and jersey, put on my running shirt and started the 5k.  The first half mile was a lovely uphill - not fun when you're trying to get your legs back under you!  But, after that first half mile it leveled out and was a great 5k course - a few hills but nothing horrible. I tried to stay at a consistent pace and focus on the runner in front of me.  I was able to pass five runners on the course - probably due to the fact that they walked/ran and I told myself there was no way I was going to walk.

With about 300 yards left in the run, I saw Brian waiting at the bottom of the hill where I would take my last turn towards the finish line.  So, so happy that he was there for me on this day!  I can say from personal experience that there is nothing quite so anti-climatic as crossing the finish line and having no family or friends there to witness your accomplishment.   Not so today - he was cheering, taking photos, and trying to beat me to the finish line to take a picture of me as I crossed....didn't happen :)  I crossed the line in 1:43.21 -  I had set a targeted goal time of 2 hours or less, so

I was very pleased.  No age group placing though...the first four overall females to finish were in my group (40-49); I finished 9th out of 14.   Don't ever count out the old ladies!

Up next....Brian and I, along with our friend Stacy, are competing in a triathlon relay.  Border Wars, in Alton, IL, is a long course triathlon (half a full ironman distance) - Stacy will swim 1.2 miles, I will bike 56 miles, and Brian will run the 13.1 miles. It will be a challenge but I'm looking forward to a good day with some great friends. After that, my swimming is still a major focus - I hope to be more consistent with my training in the pool and overcome the immediate anxiety that I have whenever I get in the water.  Next spring's triathlons will hopefully include Hickory Grove, Iowa Games, and Bluff Creek.  All are open water swims, so I have a lot of work ahead of me!