Actually I did better than just trying a Triathlon. I did pretty good.
June 9th, I swam, biked and ran a Sprint Triathlon in Clermont. A Sprint Triathlon includes a 1/4 mile swim, a 10 mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run.
There were over 350 participants ranging from 11 to 74.
There I am, black and pink, center with a lavender swim cap on. Lavender was the color for the Novice group. I thought it appropriate to change my category to Novice after hearing that most of the women in my age group take it pretty seriously.
There I am chatting it up with my fellow Novice-ers in the most unflattering pose I am capable of.
382 was my number. It was pretty close to 'representin' the hood. Would rather have had 352. You know me and numbers. That's me with my ankle chip timer also. Coolest thing ever invented for racing, in my opinion.
All of the other racers have taken off, we're the last wave, my adrenaline is starting to flow, I'm stretching, and I've managed to squeak out the 2nd most unflattering pose I am capable of.
Off we go.
I'm not sure if the 1/4 mile is measured from where the actual water starts or the depth of water where it's deep enough to swim in. There was quite a bit of running in the water before the swimming could begin.
I did a pretty good job preparing for this. Mentally, physically, equipment needed, etc. The one area I was not prepared for, and couldn't have been unless I had a mentor, was pacing myself in the swimming. I busted out of there like a bull out of the chute-gate and it didn't take long into my swimming until I felt 'winded.' But, thankfully they don't count you off for strange strokes.
About here was where I felt the need to incorporate the Elementary Backstroke, which I'm sure looked ridiculous to anybody who actually does these regularly, but it gave me a chance to catch my breath and still move in the right direction.
Yes, there's a reason you don't see any of us sprinting out of the water. We're EXHAUSTED already!
About this time I was soooo glad to be done swimming, then I look up and see nothing but sugar sand, uphill, for 23 miles. Well maybe not quite 23. It might as well have been.
What I was blissfully unaware of also, was that the transitions were being timed and ranked also. You see, I kind of treated my transition as my rest time. I used the opportunity to chat it up with my fellow Novice-ers, take a breather and yes, take my time. Oh well, I managed to transition from swimming to biking successfully.
So, off I go on my 10 mile bike. It started out great, some slight weaving in and out of the local neighborhood, chatting it up with the Policemen directing the traffic, and somehow I ended up alone. There was about an 8-mile stretch where there was no one in front of me and no one behind me. It was a beautiful scenic ride around the lake and I found myself sightseeing more than I was concentrating on the race. I noticed the beautiful homes, their landscaping, their driveways, the views and lake access in their backyards, nice boats parked in their driveways and lawn care crews beautifying. I'm not exactly sure when I snapped out of it, but sometime I realized I should be racing rather than sightseeing.
It was also this time when I passed a young lady that obviously didn't know how to operate her gears. Her little legs were spinning as fast as they could and she was barely moving. But I wasn't a nice enough person to actually slow down to help her. Bad, Kelle, bad. I was passed soon after by a 70-year-old man with Incredible Hulk legs. Now mind you, when riding a bicycle, quads and hamstrings are kicked into overdrive anyway, but this man's legs were ENORMOUS and he was covered in gray hair and wrinkles!
The last couple of miles were the hardest because of the hills. But, for every uphill there was a downhill. So it worked out and I only had to walk my bike the last 100 feet on one of the hills. The lady in front of me actually fell off her bike and when I turned around to ask her if she was okay, I lost my balance also. It was a calculated fall with no injuries and a quick mount, but I had lost my momentum so it was just easier to walk the rest of the way. Good news was for the entire bike ride I passed 4 people and Mr. Incredible Hulk legs was the only one to pass me.
Here I am returning from the bike ride and thinking, "Seriously? Now I have 3.1 miles to run? I HATE running! AHHHHHHHHH!
Not the most flattering face I've had in a picture, but the real deal. I must document accurately.
Ok, so let's get this party started! Last leg. Ha, what a great pun!
I'm still managing some good spirits. Must be the delirium has set in.
Since running is my weakest area, I consider passing 3 people during the run a huge success and only walked about half a mile total.
I finished it. Alive. In one piece. Without a heart attack and only a moderately pink face. One of the things I've completed in my life that I am very proud of.
Some interesting statistics (thanks to the FABULOUS ankle timing chips):
I placed first out of all the novice-ers.
Out of 104 total women, I finished in 93rd place.
My swim time was 52nd place. [5:44]
My first transition time was 99th place. [4:40]
My biking time was 90th place. [47:14 = 4.7-minute mile]
My second transition time was 97th place. [3:05]
My run time was 96th place. [39:35 = 12.45-minute mile]
My cumulative time was 1hr 40min 16sec.
What I noticed after obsessing over the numbers was if I actually tried to transition fast, I could have cut off a couple of minutes which would have, in this race, moved me up 3 places.
I'd love to do another one, but I'd like someone to do it with me, keep me focused you know? The next 2 are August 11th and September 8th in Clermont. I'm not kidding.
Wanna race?
