I have always been active and fit. In my 20s and early 30s I ran marathons, commuter biked with 2 young kids and taught fitness classes. I even did a biathlon on a tandem bike with a friend. Hilariously funny and maybe the scariest fitness event I ever did. Going up hill on a tandem bike is a bit slower than up on a standard bike. However, going down hill is a whole different story. Something I was not prepared for. If you love biking and have not had the opportunity to tandem, I highly recommend adding it to your FTA list. Cautionary note; Practice before attempting hills, you’ll be surprised by the speed 2 people can pick up!
One thing I always wanted to try was a Triathlon. I would even watch the Hawaii Ironman triathlons on whichever of the 3 local TV stations aired it. The one thing holding me back was the swimming. Not only did I not like swimming but I was terrified of the water. And not just opened water, swimming pools were just as bad as far as I was concerned. Once a fear sets in, it almost becomes irrational to me….. There be sharks and big fishys in them waters!
I’ve never been a New Year resolution setter, but this year I decided it was time to conquer my fear of water and finally try what I have always wanted to try. A TRIATHALON! Without even going and checking out our local YMCA, I joined - internet is awesome that way! Nine months later I still have only seen the lobby, the childcare, the changing room and the pool. I hear the rest of the Y is great! I’ve just never seen it.
My first day of swimming I know the lifeguard there was sure I was going to drown. Her name is Marrissa, and she was awesome. She gave me pointers and kept a close eye on me the whole time I was there. My guess is she was silently chuckling as I crawled, doggy paddled and floated for 20 min. I went home from my first day and crashed for close to 2 hrs. It was exhausting. I went back 2 days a week for 6 months, and it only took 6 weeks for me to get to a point where I could swim for 20 min and not crash when I got home. By June I could crawl for 25 meters, elementary backstroke for 10 and then crawl again for 500 meters without stopping. Big accomplishment for me.
June came and it was time for open water. I bought neoprene swim trunks that were too big, a swim shirt that was too big and a wet suit that was also to big. FTA hint: Don’t swim in either when they are too big. They will fill with water and you will sink! If anyone is interested in either of these items, I have extra! After getting the right size and trying them out at the Y it was time for me to try our locale lake.
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It was not pretty, and I only stayed in the water for maybe 12 min.
The week I did Horseshoe Lake I swam for 20 min, and the last two time before the Lucky Festival Triathlon I swam for 30 min. Yes! I continually looked for fish bigger than me, no I never saw any!
If you are wondering how I prepared for the biking and running portion of my first Triathlon, the answer is I didn’t. I continued to take my dog on his 2-3 week runs and I think I got on my bike twice leading up to Lucky. For this Triathlon, swimming was my focus!
Race Day
My Dad is a College Coach (retired) he has coached everything from team sports to individual sports, including swimming at one time. He and my Mom drove up to watch me. He had been my over the phone swim coach and swim support for the past 6 months, and I think he secretly was curious if I would drown. He was aware of my irrational fear. It was great having him there and meant the world to me.
Scott, my husband and Mandy my daughter were also doing their first triathlon, we loaded our bikes into the back of my truck at 6 am on a Sunday morning and head to Horseshoe late. Going thru the process of checking in and getting our gear to our stations was great for me, it kept my nerves at bay for at least the first hour. After that, the nerves did take over and the wait dang near put me over the edge. Walking away and going home did become a real option.
My group was the last to enter the water. By this time both Scott and Mandy had already gone, and I had to force myself to walk down the boat ramp to the starting area. Fortunately, there were 2 other ladies moving as slow and cautious as me, we kind of pulled each other in. The start went off and so did we. I was close to the last in and close to the last out, but after 30 min. I had swum 800 meters in open water, and I had completed the swimming portion of a Triathlon. Success!!!
The biking portion was great. I met a seasoned Triathlon competitor named Marc (Black Hill Triathlon) who was helping his nephew do his first triathlon. I crashed their little group and road the bike sections with them. The one thing I’ve always enjoyed about doing organized events is meeting people along the way. Years ago, I did events competitively, but for the past 20 years I have done them more for enjoyment. When you are having fun meeting people is easy, when your competing not so much! I finished the biking section averaging 17.7 miles per hr. which put me as the #3 biker in my age group. Much better than #9 out of 9 for swimming. The Biking was great!
The run was interesting. I only had to run a 5K which is something I can under normal circumstances do without much effort or thought. I had been told the transitions from bike to run was hard, and it was! By the time my rubber legs started to feel normal I was halfway thru my 3 miles and then everything started to hurt for the next half mile. After mentally checking all my aches and pains and determining it was just my mind playing it’s Stop Game, I was able to run the last 1.5 miles and almost enjoy them. The finish line approached, I crossed it, I got my complementary water, Gatorade and metal and I could stop. My goal was to finish in 2 hours. I finished in 2 hr. 33 sec. If it weren’t for my slow transition times and my mandatory blue potty stops. I would have been under my set goal. I declare my first Triathlon a Great Success!!
I am planning on doing another one. I will continue working on my swimming and getting my bike to run transition down. I will be going up to Black Hills next summer for Marc’s triathlon. If a triathlon is something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t had the time, now is that time. Come join me, it is our FTA time, and adventure waits for all of us.
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