Redemption is Made (a triathlon gets completed!)

This post is totally NOT about sewing... sorry. :)

REDEMPTION IS MADE!!! I mean, I am sure you all remember THIS EPIC FAIL, right?

So, last Saturday, I participated in the 2012 Kokopelli Olympic Distance Triathlon. It's the exact course as the Epic Fail, but in the Fall rather than the Spring.

Anyway, the Olympic Distance Triathlon goes like this:

1500 meter - Swim
20.4 mile - Bike
10 K (6.2 mile) - Run

Obviously, I had trained a lot harder and a lot smarter for this one. It was fun, and I was so happy to have my family and my parents there to cheer me on!

Let me break it down for you...

The Swim

I'm not going to lie. I was just North of totally petrified before the swim. I even used some colorful words to describe how I was feeling to my hubby. I almost cried. I almost bailed. But, redemption had to be made, right? So, I swallowed the near paralyzing fear and got in the water.

It was a wonderfully warm temperature. And I had the right wet suit on. ;)

The swim went okay. It certainly wasn't the best swim of my career, and I found it very difficult to "spot" the buoys. I should say - to spot the right buoys. There were many in the water that didn't apply to us... but, the important thing was - I finished. I was pretty grumpy when I got out of the water, though. After reflection, I think it was the anxiety that I was feeling beforehand that really caused me to not enjoy the swim. I also need to practice in the lake more than I did. And for longer distances. Oh, well... live and learn. BUT - I finished! It took me 39 minutes, which was about average.

The Bike

The bike portion went well. I felt good the whole time and finished it in about 1 hr and 27 min, which is pretty good for me. I repeat, FOR ME. I learned quickly that I am a s.l.o.w. biker. I did pass exactly 3 people while riding, and all three of them were while we were going up "The Hill." Yea me. Uphill passing feels great! However, the rest of the time, I was passed by everyone else. lol! But, FOR ME, it was a good ride.

The Run

I felt like I was the last Olympic Distance athlete to pull in on the bike. I don't know for sure, but it really did feel that way. So, onto the run. It was great. I ran the 10 K in 1 hr and 5 minutes, or a 10:30 min/mile pace. That's a decent pace for me anyway, but at the tail end of a triathlon - it was great!!

It did start to get a little hot, and I was in the back of the pack, so it was a little tiny bit lonely. I tried to make jokes with those around me. I hope I wasn't just obnoxious...

As I was coming toward the finish, it seemed as though everyone was leaving. Finished, awarded, and heading home. Didn't help the ego. But, I did feel a great sense of pride as I (finally) crossed the finish line! My total time was 3 hr 17 min. Not last place. In fact, I came in 9th in my age group... out of 11. :)

I am very happy to have conquered this one. The Hubby says he might do it with me next year! That would be cool! I'll have to start biking faster, though...