I'm A Triathlete!!!

Oh My Gosh! I have so many thoughts and memories that I don't know where to start. I guess I should say I finished strong, with a smile and a big thumbs up. I have no idea what my time was officially but unofficially I finished in the 1:40 range, well ahead of my 1:50 projected time. They will have the official results posted sometime next week. It doesn't matter. I WON!

My transition area.

I woke up early and tried not to rush through my breakfast. But when you don't have to worry about your hair or really how you look it doesn't take long to get ready and I found myself twiddling my thumbs for a little while. I was a little disappointed because my husband was not going to be able to see the race. It's been extremely hot and dry and he had to get a few irrigation systems up and running to keep the crops alive. That's the life of a farmer.

I was the second person there and they were not quite ready for check in but soon enough the parking lot filled up and more and more bikes started rolling to the transition area. Since I was early getting there I picked what I thought was a good location at the end of the rack and set up my area.

After the finish, smiling with a big thumbs up!

Then I had to wait. I talked to my neighbors who formed a team and a few other people I knew. As start time got near I really felt calm. Whatever happened, happened. I had trained the best I could and knew I could finish. I just wanted to finish with a smile, not a mask of agony.

The weather was beautiful! All this week the temperature has been in the 105 range and the wind has been blowing 20-30 mph but not today. It was calm and cool with a thin layer of clouds in the sky. But they may not have been clouds. It might have been a layer of smoke from the wild fires in Colorado but either way it kept the sun from beating down and heating things up too soon.

The swim was ready to start and it turned out that I was to start next to Casey A. and another friend, Amber. It was nice to have people to share my nerves as we waited our turn in the pool. They did a serpentine swim where you switch lanes every length. I hit the water and all the training took over. I tried to keep my breathing even and relaxed but it was hard to do. I was passed by a few swimmers but they were late entrants that didn't turn in swim times. Over all I held my own and didn't have to side stroke or back stroke at all.

Transition went smooth and I was on my bike and headed for the hills. The directions for the bike ride went something like this. "Ride south until you get to the tree. Then turn around and ride back." We don't have many trees around here so that made perfect sense. I felt good and was peddling easy, taking the hills in stride and even passing some people! I kept an eye on my speed and knew I was doing well. But the ride ended too soon and it was time for the run. Yuck.

Casey and I after the race.

As I passed through the transition area each time I could hear my friends shouting encouragement and telling me to keep up the good work. That was so uplifting! I had no idea there would be so many spectators. What a rush!

Out of the shoot I went and started on my run. I knew I would be running intervals but how long the intervals would be was yet to be determined. I walked for a minute and started to run. After about 30 seconds I felt the start of a calf cramp so I stopped, rubbed my legs for a few seconds and then took off again. This time it felt better and I was able to run/walk my way through the first lap around the zoo. At that point I started to really smile to myself. I was going to make it. I was going to finish. And I was going to have a decent time too. I was able to maintain a 12 min/ml pace which is all I could hope for. When I turned the last corner and headed toward the finish line I was so proud that I didn't even care if my hips and knees were throbbing and my heart was pounding.

Kate, are you ready for your tri?

Crossing the finish line felt so good. And seeing my husband standing there was the best part of all. He had managed to fix the problem on the farm and make it back to see the finish. What a great guy! Gina was there, Kate and Dan too. Casey had finished long before me and was on hand to give me a hug. I was winded and tired, but felt pretty good considering what I had just been through. I am now a triathlete. I finished in style with a smile and a big thumbs up.

They won't have the results for a while but I don't need an official time to tell me how I did. My run and ride were faster then my projected time so I know I did well time wise. The most important results won't be in any official records but in my heart, in the support of my friends and family, and in my own mind. It feels so good to set a goal and reach it. I've learned so much about myself these past 11 weeks and I like who I am. I will be doing more triathlons but I won't become a fanatic. A few a year will be plenty. I'll post the results when they have them available but in my heart I WON!!!