My Fourth and Fifth Triathlons

I did my fourth triathlon on September 26. I was excited because it would be my first one with my road bike. I couldn't convince anyone to do it with me so I went on my own. Lloyd was kind enough to take all the kids to their soccer games. This triathlon was held at Woodward Reservoir which is only about 25 minute from my home so it was so convenient. When I started setting up, I realized this triathlon would be a lot less crowded than the previous ones I had done. There were actually only around 130 participants while my other triathlons had 500-900 participants. It was kind of nice having it be so small. It was a sprint distance: 500 yard swim, 16 miles on the bike, and a 3.1 mile run. The swim was a mass start so it was pretty crowded. It also wasn't measured very accurately. I think it was closer to 800 yards instead of 500. The bike had a lot of hills, but I loved the challenge. I was so glad I had my road bike. The bike was also a little long, around 17 miles. Even though running is my strongest leg, it was the hardest for me on this race. It was hot and I was tired. I really had to push myself and I started feeling like,"I hate this. Why did I sign up for this?" I was so glad when I finally reached the finish line. My time was 1:47:56. There was a barbecue after the race. There I found out that I got third place in my age group and I got a medal. I was so excited. So what if there were only 6 people in my age group. I actually came in 9th out of the 30 women in the race. I was thrilled to have a medal. Lloyd took these pictures of me after I got home.

My fifth triathlon and last of the season was on October 17. This one was also held at Woodward Reservoir, but it was a longer distance: .9 mile swim, 25 miles on the bike, and a 6.2 mile run. I was a little nervous about the longer distances, but I knew I could do it. I gave myself permission to just complete the race and not to push myself too hard. I was also nervous about the water being too cold. It can actually be pretty cool in October. I decided I better wear a wetsuit. I bought one online and it came a few days before the race. This time I actually had my friend, Cindy Decker, come with me. It was a very foggy day, but thankfully not too cold or windy. Because of the fog, they delayed the start of the race by about 15 minutes. When I got into the water, I was so glad I had the wetsuit. The water was pretty cold! However,when I started swimming, I ended up hating the wetsuit. We had to go three laps for the swim and I stripped out of my wetsuit after the first lap. I felt like it was restricting me and weighing me down. I felt so much better without it. I think I had the wrong type of wetsuit or the wrong size. It was a little embarrassing taking it off in front of all the spectators, but I didn't care. A nice lady took it to the check in area so I could pick it up after the race. The swim took me around 40 minutes. I think taking off the wetsuit slowed me down. I was one of the last persons out of the water, but at least, I wasn't the very last. The bike was pretty lonely and I hardly passed anyone, but I still really liked it. There was a miscommunication between the race officials and the bike route ended up about 3-4 miles short. I didn't push myself too much on the 6.2 mile run. I just enjoyed it and ended up running a 9:11 average mile, not too bad after the swim and bike. I think the gu I had on the bike really helped me on the run. I loved it all! I finished in 3:01:41. I didn't get a medal this time, but that was okay. I came in 15th out of 24 women. It wasn't great, but I was still pleased I had completed my first Olympic (International) distance triathlon. Cindy and I enjoyed the barbecue after the race. I am now looking forward to next season. I am going to do a Half Ironman on September 11, 2010. I have a lot of training ahead of me, but I am looking forward to the challenge.