Pacific Grove Triathlon--September 11,2010
Wow, I can't believe I'm already writing this blog post! 2 months ago I never thought this day would be done! This weekend, I finished something that is my biggest accomplishment, to date. It was also the hardest thing I have ever done. Today, it was hard to get out of bed. Every inch of my body hurt, but it was also a great reminder of what I accomplished! Last November, I decided I was going to make some goals and lose some weight. As of today, I've lost 50 lbs and have competed in 2 triathlons. I never thought I'd be at this point, and I praise God for the health and the opportunity to do it. I couldn't have done it without Him or the rest of my supportive family and friends. Here's all the details....
The night before, we stayed at my friend's house in Pebble Beach. We checked in for the tri and I had a minor panic attack after seeing the swim buoys. It was FAR! Even thought I had gone to the swim clinic the week before, it still freaked me out. (Here's me on the news, incase you missed it.haha) We loaded up on carbs and then We were up at 5 am to eat and head to Lover's Point. My roommate Heather and her brother, Jeremy were racing, also. Jeremy's wave was at 7:30, so we had to be there early. Heather and I didn't take off until 9 am. We got our transition areas set up, and posed for pictures. :) At this point, I wasn't really nervous anymore. I just really wanted to be out of the water and onto my bike, where I knew I could catch up.
The Swim: 0.9 mile, 51 min:33 sec....So around 8:15, Heather and I got our wetsuits and purple swim caps on to get ready to become Olympic triathletes. She took off pretty quickly, because she was more confident in the swim. I hung out in the back, and just worked on getting into a breathing rhythm. By the time I hit the first buoy, I was breathing and swimming well, but I was already tired! I noticed I started to use my legs a little more. Eventually, I got back to shore, got out, ran around the rock and jumped back in for the second lap. After getting my stroke and breathing back on track, the 2nd lap was much easier. On my last leg, my legs cramped. They went away quickly, but I have trained without using my legs much, so they just weren't used to that. I jumped out of the water, ripped off my swim cap, ran up the ramp and got to my bike...(51 minutes was a SUPER good time for the swim, for me.)
Some of my awesome supporters(Caleb and Bobby)
The Bike: 24.8 miles, 1 hr:42 min: 37 sec : about 5 minutes later, I jumped on my bike and started lap 1. I was SO excited to finally be on the bike. It's my strongest leg, and I was looking forward to catching up on some time. However, I was SO exhausted after the swim. It took me a long time to recover. It's so different than the sprint triathlon. We did 4 laps on the bike, each about 6 miles. It was awesome to do the laps near the ocean, and it was nice to see my awesome friends at the turn around, everytime! By the second lap, I was ready to go. The headwind was really bad on the way to the turn around, but the way back was downhill and easy! About halfway through the bike I thought, how in the world am I going to make it 6 miles running? This is crazy, who do I blame for this??(bobby? ;) But I made it through the bike. I couldn't believe I had already been working out for 2.5 hrs. Who does that? :) 2 minutes later, I changed from my bike shoes to my running shoes and I was off and running...literally.
Love this video, because it shows how awesome my friends are, and how cute Caleb is when he's cheering for me. :)
2 of my biggest supporters in triathlons and in life!This triathlon wasn't the same without them!
The Run: 6.2 miles, 1 hr:23 min:37 sec: I wasn't dreading the run as much as I thought I would. I have actually come to enjoy running. It gives me time to think and give myself a pep talk. I wish I could have recorded the amazing pep talks that I gave myself. They were entertaining. :) After getting off the bike, I saw my principal, Ulli. She had come to cheer me on, as well. She was waiting with Rachel and Bobby as I came out of the transition area. It was that encouragement that got me through the first lap. It took my legs awhile to recover, but I was feeling ok. After the first lap, my right foot, the one the usually goes numb, was shooting pain through my toes. It was numb, but I ignored it, but it was hard to ignore the pain. I had to walk a few times, but I did it! When I did Wharf to Wharf, I did 6.2 in 1 hr and 15. So adding 7 min to that time after biking and swimming isn't too shabby. I'm hoping to get my foot checked out this week!
My patient supporters, can you believe these amazing kids made it through 4 hours?!
I finished my first Olympic Triathlon in 4 hours, 5 minutes and 33 seconds. My goal was around 4 hours, so it wasn't too bad! Next time, I just need to trim down my transition times, and I'll be good to go! Oh and maybe train a little harder, since I'll have Rachel and Bobby to train with next year! I am really proud of my accomplishment and everything I've done to get to this point!
I know I have already said it about 5 times, but if I didn't have people there to cheer me on, it wouldn't have been the same experience! All of the athletes were amazing and encouraging. Bobby and Rachel-Thanks for talking me into this crazyness, and for the constant encouragement. I missed seeing you both out there, but this accomplishment was definitely dedicated to the memory of your amazing mom.
Ulli-Thanks for being there to support me in all things, even when it doesn't have to do with teaching. It means more than I can express!
And to all my friends and family that couldn't be there, you are all amazing. Couldn't have done it without you!
*Next stop: Silver Strand Half Marathon (13.2 miles?!?!) November 14, 2010 with my mom. Can't wait! Ok, maybe I can. That's a lot of running. :)
