Times Four Plus Some

Today I finally completed in my first Olympic triathlon.  Considering the Olympic tri I did as "training" back in February took me 5 hours, I set a realistic goal for 4:15 and an ideal goal for 4:00.  After arriving, I found Carl, who had been talking to me about signing up for my first tri for the past three years!

I hate waiting for it to begin.  I had a lot of nervous energy.

The swim was a deep water start, which is the same as Arizona.  So this was good practice for getting hit and kicked, getting stuck between two swimmers and trying to find my way out of it, etc.  Before the start, I turned to my right and recognized Molly, the author of one of the blogs I am following, standing next to me.

Somewhere in the middle of the pack

Because it was two loops, we were getting caught up with the boys on their second loop, which was just more good practice for me in fighting my way through it.  But, I got out in close to 18 min so at that point, I knew I was going to reach my swim goal. The short little run on the beach was extremely disorienting coming out of the swim since all the blood rushes around.  

It took me awhile to find my rhythm again after I jumped back in.  So I don't know what happened on the second half of that swim, but my sighting was super off.  Or maybe it's just my eyesight is going bad.  I was sighting, but on the wrong thing!  I was so off course, it's not even funny.  I know people joke, "just follow the person in front of you," and I distinctly remember seeing someone far away from me and thinking, "wow, they are really off course."  But, as Jim Carrey says in Liar Liar, "It was me!"  Needless to say, I did not have a negative split and was out of the water and across the transition in :39.  

Still uncomfortable running barefoot

I wanted to get through T1 in less than 5 min, which I did.  I figure I have to get faster at everything else before I nail down fast transition times.


So then I was off on the bike.  

It's a fairly flat course with one climb and a few tiny rollers.  I gave myself 15 minutes for the climb and made it up to the top in 10 minutes.  And, throwing in the Sun Devil connection, at mile 20, I turned in to the neighborhood where Pat Tillman grew up.  A few minutes after that I saw a girl out for a run wearing a Pat's Run shirt.  And, then a few minutes later, I was passing his high school.  Anyway, my goal for the bike was 1:45 and I made it in 1:37.  


I was hoping for a 3 min T2, but I ended up taking 4.  I have no idea what the heck I was doing.  I swear half that time was in walking my bike as I cannot run in my bike shoes.  From there, I was on to the run.  

I knew it would be the challenge for the day.  My run has SOOOO much room for improvement.  I didn't really get my run legs until around the 2.5 miles in to it.  I was hoping for 80 minutes and it took me almost 88!  Pathetic.  My left heel was really bothering me so I just went within my limits, and by that point, I knew I was going to get under four hours so I was ok with it.  
I crossed the finish line in 3:53.  

And, after crossing it, all I could think about was that in five months I have go do that again times four and then some!  It was a good day; it gave me the notch under my belt that I was looking for; and, it boosted my confidence on my biking abilities, but it also reminded me of how much work I have left to do!