I am a Triathlete

Jordanelle Sprint Triathlon, August 23, 2008

Training miles spent on the bike since April: 324
Training hours spent in the pool since February: about 42
Days spent sick directly preceding race day: 7
Doses of Zicam taken in a desperate attempt to get well: at least 30
Large fleshy things encountered in the water determined not to be human: 1
Kicks perpetrated upon my person in the water: about 10
Kicks to the ribs sufficient to knock the air out: 1
Proportion of the swim that I actually swam front crawl: ½
Change in confidence while swimming in a wetsuit versus without: +50%
Lifeboats dispatched for my assistance: 0
Number of serious bike wipeouts witnessed firsthand: 2
Increase in mph pace during bike race versus training sessions: 2
Decrease in mph pace during foot race versus training sessions: 0.85
Ounces of water I drank after race with no pee to show for it: 136
Hours spent in the pool since race day: 0

I have, of course, been meaning to write about the event for which so much of my time and energy have been sucked away. I decided that writing a blog is similar to keeping a scrapbook. I get so behind in documenting things that I avoid doing it because of the pile of things left unsaid and the escalating guilt. But I really do want to talk about my race so here I am.

The night before the race Ava slept over at Grandma’s and I cried at the thought of spending my first night ever away from her. Jon and I drove up into the mountains just east of Jordanelle and slept in the back of the VW bus. Well actually I just lay in my sleeping bag in the back of the bus all night. But at least I got to the race on time, leisurely set up my gear, and had plenty of time to sit and enjoy the effects of my stomach turning flips.

Race day was beautiful, sunny, and not too hot. The water temp was around 60 degrees and the swim felt like one big collective thrashing. After exiting the water and feeling like I was just beaten with a club, getting on the bike was like relaxing in a lazy boy. The bike route was absolutely beautiful and I breezed through the 14 miles. By the time I started running, I had nothing left to give due to being sick all week but shuffled through and finished in a respectable timeframe. I know if I had been feeling strong and well at the start I could’ve raced much faster but honestly I was just happy to be there taking part. This race was only the beginning.

Thanks to Jon, Mom, and my sisters for willingly taking Ava for many of my training sessions. Thanks to Ava for making a simple bargain with me: enduring training runs in the stroller and yelling out “faster, mama!” in exchange for a simple cup of M&Ms. And thanks to you who simply cared and supported my goal; for your phone calls, emails, and shouts from the sidelines.