For the last 16 weeks I have been training for the Mesa Sprint Triathlon. The race includes a 400 yard swim, an 11 mile bike ride and a 5k run. Although I had spent quite a bit of time training for the event, I still had a case of anxiety on Saturday morning when I arrived at the event.
Brent and I arrived at ASU Polytechnic Campus around 6:15am on Saturday, October 15th. The weather was a little bit breezy and somewhat cool. I took my bike to the "transition area" and got my gear set for when I got out of the pool. I have a timer bracelet on my left ankle, both of my arms have the #129 written on them (my bib #) and my left leg had my age written on the back of my calf. It was easy to tell how old everyone was in the competition.
Despite the slightly chilly weather and the very wet grass, I was ready for the swimming event. Everyone lined up around the pool according to their swim speed. Since this was the first time I had ever done this, I lined up in the 10 minute section. The time for my race starts when I jump into the water. Once in the water, I had to swim up and down each lane for a total of 16 lanes or 400 yards. If I needed to pass someone, I could only pass them at the wall. Unfortunately, I needed to pass several people, but I had to wait until I got to the wall to do it. This slowed me down significantly. My swim time ended up being 10 minutes and 35 seconds.
Once I climbed out of the pool, I ran to the transition area to get my bike. I slipped into some shorts, put on my helmet, socks, shoes, and camel pack. We weren't allowed to listen to headphones on the bike ride or at any time during the race. Bummer! After gearing up, I grabbed my bike and ran it to the street where we were allowed to get on our bikes and start the 11 mile bike race.
This ended up being my strongest event. I was quickly able to get into a zone and just pedal. There was a slight uphill part of the ride where I had to use lower gears but the rest of the time, I maxed out the gears on my little bike. While I was biking, I would focus on a rider that was ahead of me with the intent of passing them. It was great to gain on them and then pass them. It kept me motivated. I finished the 11 miles in 43 minutes and 14 seconds (this includes the time of running from the pool to my bike and from my bike to start the 5k).
The hardest part of the race was jumping off of my bike and running it back to the transition area. My legs were like jello! They didn't feel like my legs. After taking my helmet off, I had to readjust my ponytail.
Next, I had to pin my bib onto the front of my shirt. I took a swig of Gatorade and started to jog to the 5k course. My legs still felt weird.
The running course was partially on pavement and partially on a desert trail which was rather rocky. There was no water on the course until about the 3 mile mark. That was very discouraging. I needed some water. I could feel the sun on my face, I felt hot, I felt somewhat nauseous and I wanted some water. Needless to say, this is where I could have used some positive encouragement to keep going. I did the 5k in a respectable amount of time 30 minutes and 31 seconds.
Here I am running toward the finish line.
And here I am passing the finish line.
Brent, Grant, Mitchell and Perry were all at the race to cheer for me. I didn't know when Mitchell, Perry and Grant got to the event. I heard them cheering for me when I climbed out of the pool. It made me smile to know they were there; especially, since it was early on a Saturday morning.
Once I consumed a large bottle of Gatorade after my run, I felt better. I actually felt pretty good that I had finished the race despite my anxiety that morning. I ended up placing 27th out of all of the women (there were 84 women in the race and a total of 250 participants) and I placed 5th for my age group. I have a print out of everyones times for the race. Now I know what a "normal" time is for an event like this. This will help me focus my training as I prepare for another sprint triathlon. I don't have an exact event lined up yet, but I'm pretty sure I want to do this again.
Grant loves Perry almost as much as Mitchell. Perry has her hands full with these crazy boys!
Mitchell arranged a special surprise for Perry. She hates surprises and to be the center of attention. Everyone else enjoyed hearing the Chili restaurant workers sing Happy Birthday to her and give her this luscious lava cake. Mitchell and Grant helped her devour it.
Perry requested a special birthday present from me. She wanted a dolphin cake. So later that week, the two of us made the cake. Perry did all of the decorating. I was responsible for putting the dolphin together. We think it turned out pretty realistic, plus, it was YUMMY!
