and there was beer at the finish...

before i get into the race, thanks to all who sent good thoughts my way. and thanks especially to carrie, who not only sent most of the well-wishers in my direction, but also brought her beautiful kids (with encouraging signs in hand) to the race and made it a morning all the more memorable for me...

so today was my first triathlon. well, sprint triathlon. but c'mon - seven months ago, i hadn't really considered doing a race like this. i mean, greenfish and i had talked about it last summer, but i never really expected to do one. then my sister convinced me to give it a go. and i'm thrilled that she did...

i hadn't been feeling well for several days leading up to the race. allergies and a sinus cold conspired against me at the same time mid-week, and i've been a ball of phlegm ever since. i woke up this morning (at 5:00!) feeling better than i had in days, though, which was a welcome sign. and feeling rested, i headed to boulder. to the same reservoir i'd been on hundreds of times when i rowed crew in college - but had never been in, ready for a challenge that i was about to undertake...

the day was perfect. no wind, not too hot. i headed out with the fifth wave, swimming directly into the sun. i'm not sure the swim portion is something a first-time triathlete can adequately prepare for. the bodies, the flailing arms and legs, the opacity of the water. add to all that the invisiblity of the buoys due to the blinding sun, and the out leg of the swim was daunting. stroke, stroke, breath - crap another leg. stroke, stroke, breath - who's climbing up my ass? stroke, stroke, breath - where's the frickin' buoy?!

i managed to finish the swim (exhausted - was there really more?!) and ran to the transition to get on the bike. after taking my time in t1 (3:30ish), i mounted the bike and headed out for what i knew was a steady climb for the first 5 or 6 miles (thankfully, i had driven the course the day before). the good news, though, was that the rest of the bike course was some great declines with only a few small inclines along the way. and while i felt strong on the bike, due to the fact that the race was in boulder (and boulderites are, well, bikers by nature) i was getting passed left and right. thankfully, i didn't care. i felt good and that was what mattered...

t2 was another slow transition, and i could have used more time... because the run was tough. maybe it was because i couldn't manage my pace very well, but i had to stop and walk several times during the course of the run. still, i managed an 8:30 pace, and a sprint to the finish. overall, my time of 1 hour, 45 minutes was exactly where i thought i'd be. and i made it through. i am now a triathlete...
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my next race is in august, a race i'm doing with stronger. i learned today what i need to work on for that race. more open water swims (i had none under my belt before today) and more distance swim training. transitioning from bike to run in real conditions - not indoors. and hopefully staying cold- and phlegm-free the week of the race. but i also learned today that i can do it, that i don't have to fear the triathlon, and that taking your body to the next level is worth all the effort...