I Came, I Saw, I Finished!

May 24, 2010. My first triathlon. 17 months in the making, DONE and in the books. 

It was one of the most challenging, frightening, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding things I have ever done. What an incredible learning experience! Getting here, as I have tried to chronicle in this blog, was an extraordinary exercise in self-discipline, time management, trust, conquering fears, and pushing limits. I learned so much about myself, and more importantly, the value of having a support system -- awesome friends who cheered me on and lived vicariously through my journey, as well as experienced athletes who offered encouragement and advice -- thank you, all!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BIG DAY

I was a nervous wreck the week prior to the event - nervous to the point of wanting to get sick so I wouldn't have to get through it. At the same time, there was tremendous excitement -it was finally here!

Setting up at transition

The organized chaos that is the transition area really does nothing to calm a nervous racer down. The speakers are blaring, gear and people all jumbled together. I wanted to run away. But then I thought, "I'm here. There is no turning back now. I just need to get this done."

Body Marking

I had no time goals. None. This being my first event, I tried not to put any extra pressure on myself. Having all my friends know I was doing it was pressure enough. My only goals were to experience it, finish, and learn from it so I know what to do better next time. (Yes, there will be a next time because I'm just that crazy.) I had calculated, based on my training, that I could reasonably complete it in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Anything less than that would be icing on the cake.

Nice form, right?

I was in the last wave of swimmers - because all the slow swimmers must start last. I was especially nervous about the swim and the interminable wait just made it worse.  I just wanted to get through it without struggling or having to stop. Basically, I wanted to survive it without becoming an embarrassment.  Surprisingly, the swim went very well. Better than I expected. For all my nervousness, my training just took over once I got in the water. I kept a very even pace, and felt good. It was over before I knew it. 

Then it was on to the bike.  You want to know something? I also suck on the bike. Well, I can ride a bike, but the bike I got for racing is very fast and I am very scared on the downhills (a common problem I learned). And because I am afraid of said bike, I have spent very little time on the roads with this bike. Race day, I was very nervous about looking like a fool who couldn't get on and off the bike fast enough, or worse, falling off and looking like an even bigger fool. (Looking like a fool is a very real fear of mine, as you can probably tell.) I had my pedals changed into one of those combination-types so I could opt not to use the clipless pedals. My only goal: stay ON bike and don't fall off. Needless to say, I was very slow and cautious. BUT, I did not fall off and managed to stay cool the entire time, even when the elites started to catch up to me and were yelling for me to keep right so they could pass. Whew!

Trying to look cool...and upright

What a relief it was to finally get on the run! Running, I can do. I have come to love running. The irony is when I first started training, running was the one thing I could not do. I had to learn how to run, but thought I had the bike and swim licked. See the pattern here? I basically had to start from scratch in EVERY component. Those of you who grew up in sports and are natural athletes are probably thinking I am the biggest dork for struggling through all 3 sports. But I did. 

The run course was mostly uphill. I remember thinking, "WTH?" I was so worried about the swim and bike that I put no thought into checking how the run course was set up. The uphills were painful, but 5k is such a short distance, after having run 21k only 3 weeks prior. I had enough left in the tank and felt really good on the run. I would later find out that my 5k time was my best ever. I must have been really pushing. 

The Finish Line

Crossing the finish line strong was the best feeling. I was among the last to finish but I didn't care. I finished in 2:02:32 - well below my projected 2:15 finish time. Here's the official time breakdown (including transition times):

SWIM (750m) 25:54

BIKE (20km) 1:06:35

RUN (5km) 30:05

Total 2:02:32

In the end, all the training I put in made it easy to get through the physical challenge required of me. The real difficulty was getting past the mental obstacles. And that is something I will have to contend with as I move forward. I need to believe in myself, trust the training, and not let my fears paralyze me.

What an amazing journey. Setting the goal, doing the work, getting it done, crossing that off the bucket list. I feel like a different person. I have been transformed. This non-athlete became a TRI-ATHLETE! 

What's next (some changes since last post):

Scotiabank Half Marathon - June 27

Point Grey Sprint Triathlon - July 25

Kelowna Apple Triathlon (Open Water) - August 21

Turkey Trot 10k - October 11