SPRINT TRIATHLON RESULTS!

Okay, Okay, I have kept you all in suspense long enough. But I finally have compiled all the video and pics to put together a blog post worthy of your attention. So without further ado, I will try and immerse you in the triathlon experience through a magical journey of multimedia heaven. The day began at 4:30am, when I just happened to wake up. It was a miracle I slept even one second that night, but Heavenly Father was watching out for me on that one and I got in a solid 5 hours. I then went to pick up Susie so we could caravan with Michelle to the park.


First you have to find a place on the giant bike racks to put your bike for "transition". You get your stuff all laid out on the grass next to it so when you come back from the swim or the bike you are ready for the next leg. I found a sweet spot next to some other Cannondale bikes and got set up.

Next is the body marking. Volunteers take a somewhat permanent magic marker and write your race number on both arms, then your age on the back of your calf. Hence, my sweet 251 on the arms and big fat (gulp!) 29 on my leg. Still have the 29 on there, not coming off so well yet, but this is the closest I will ever get to a tattoo, so I am enjoying releasing my inner rebel for a few days. Is everyone still with me? Okay good- down to the water.... The first glimpse of the lake actually brought me some relief because it looked pretty tame. There was no sign of disgusting seaweed or any mystery floaties, no gators anywhere and it felt great! Better than the pool! (tasted better too, I might add) I could tell as all of us gathered on the shore that some people were a little intimidated looking out where we had to swim, because it did look a little far, but I felt so confident about the swim. I had done it so many times in the pool, honestly, I could not wait to get in there and do it. So after each wave (based on age divisions, mainly) the next group would wade down into the water and wait for theit start. So we waved goodbye and finally! We were off! All 70 something first-timers, men and women. If you look closely you can see the triangle bouy out in the water. We had to swim out and around those.

My strategy was definitely to stay to the back of the pack and side and not mix it up with anyone. And that paid off pretty well. I only kicked someone 3 times (their fault, not mine) and I got to hug the buoys nice and tight which made for a good strategic swim. My breatstroke performed amazingly! But seriously, there were people in there doing freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, doggie paddle, sidestroke, manatee impersonation, you name it! This gave me even more confidence and I did great on the swim. I just have to say I beat Michelle on the swim. I have that ONE thing on her and I won't mention it again. Maybe. Now, on to the bike ride with some nice wet shorts! We had a short jog up to the transition area to get our bikes. So off with the swim cap, on with the shoes, helmet and sunglasses and it was time to go. Michelle was right there with me at this point and it was a good ride. My biggest fear was that a tire would pop, because if that happens you are out of luck entirely. But my bike was a champ! The bike route was on the main roads of Winter Haven and included some big hills, but I did it! Michelle totally pulled away from me at that point and I knew she was gone for good. :) But I enjoyed the bike ride, loved coming down the big hills and catching some major speed to carry me up the next one. A ton of fun. Here is a sweet video clip I just made, Hope you like it. The film is a little jumpy, but the camera man was so excited to see me!!


Time for my arch-nemesis: THE RUN.

I planned on taking a solid 5 minutes to transition from bike to run, but even going a little slow feels like an eternity in a race environment. So I did take my time, but felt the pressure to get going again, so after a quick drink, I was off! Let me just say that this portion of the race was really going to define me. I did not want to walk at all during the run. That was my one, big personal goal. (Besides just finishing.) The bad part was that I had never run the route before so I had no idea how far away it would be or where I was going. The first half was great. Beautiful run through the park and botanical gardens. Seriously, this is a gorgeous place. Here is a good story for ya- As I was running, I had my sunglasses on top of my head (because it was overcast) and at one point they popped off and I immediately thought "NO! I can't break the rhythm by having to stop and get them!" So by some totally awesome miracle, my cat-like reflexes kicked in and I managed to catch them behind my back!! I was a little bummed that I was alone right then because I would have gotten a standing ovation for that move. It was so cool. But I digress...

So the run was going smooth, I am not a gazelle, however, so my slower jogging pace was working fine. That is until the last half of the race which was the MEANEST trick in all of racing! So cruel. It was in the parking lot and it was 4 switchbacks that were about 200 yards long apiece. Like a giant, unending line at Disney World. The worst part was that you could see everyone coming out of it as you started in it. Oh, so mean! But, it was what it was and I was there to finish. So you put your head down like a good little soldier and get it done. I did see Michelle coming out of it. I took the time to call her a running "robot", which, totally confused her. :) But finally after making it thru the Parking Lot of Doom, I got back to the park entrance and each race official on the sideline would say "Come on! You are almost there!" To which I replied "You are lying to me!" Because I think the first guy said the same thing. But I really was almost there and turning the corner to finish was awesome. Jacob was up high with the video recorder, I had two of my Young Women at the corner, then all my friends and family at the finish line and even flowers! It was great. Totally an adrenaline rush. Michelle crossed 11 minutes ahead of me (I'll get you, Gadget!) so she had time to eat lunch and get a pedicure in the meantime. But it was over and I DID IT! What a feeling of accomplishment. Here is the video proof, no music this time, I like the sound of cheering....




Okay, story time. I have two things to mention that are somewhat interesting. Just after arriving and racking my bike, they announced on the megaphone that they needed to see "athlete 251- your bike is in violation" That was ME! So apparently if your curly handlebar thingy's (see how professional I am already?) don't have little end caps on them then you can be disqualified. Who knew?? So they told me to jut get some water bottle caps and tape them on and I would be fine. Thus, you can see my lovely jimmy-rigging job. Next, since your age is written on your calf, when someone would pass you on the bike or the run, you could totally see what age person was beating you. This became a source of much frustration to me. I would be happily plugging along on the run and then all of sudden a guy would pass and I would see "68" on his leg and think, "Are you kidding me!!??" But it was fun to walk around afterward and just see who all was doing the race. I think 88 was the oldest there and he may have beat me...


If you have seen the movie "The Saint" with Val Kilmer, he talks about needing 3 miracles to become a Saint. Well, I had 3 Miracles along the way of my own with this Triathlon. They definitely do not make me a Saint, but make me realize Heavenly Father is watching out for me. #1- The fact that I got sleep the night before. Seriously, that was such a blessing. #2- It was totally overcast that whole morning. I told my Dad that if the sun had been out, I would be a dead carcus in that parking lot for sure. It was the best situation. #3- No flat tires or bike trouble. I was SO paranoid about this, but it worked out fine. My final time was 1:34:00- and I won't know the time for each leg of the tri till about Tuesday when they post it online. We had to wear the electronic timing ankle bracelets so we could know all of this fancy information. I am curious to know the breakdown.



Susie perservered and finished like a champ! We all cheered so loud and were so proud of her accomplishment. It is no small feat!


So would I do it again? YOU BET! I definitely want to. I now have a Triathlon time to improve on-so I pretty much am required to do another one. It is now my intention to get even more people to do it with me. So who's in? Just let me know, we can meet at the pool, 5:15am, no problem. And here are my final words on the subject. Maybe....