It's been nearly 4 years since I completed my first triathlon. I remember every step of it, from my "training" , to purchasing my first pair of tri shorts, and the race itself. I was only doing the triathlon via a dare from a friend. I had never even ran in a 5k race before, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.
For "training" back then, I would swim a few laps at the pool at USF then go for maybe a mile run. Or I would ride my mountain bike with a friend through Flatwoods Park. That was it. Man, did I suffer for it race day. As for getting ready, Tampa has an awesome Tri shop called "The Ironman Store". It's pretty nifty. Full bike shop, swim section, and running shoes/apparel. It was sweet. I tried on probably 10 different pairs of tri shorts trying to figure out which were "cutest" haha. I also got a race belt, sunglasses, new goggles, and a tri check list. I was really excited now.
 |
| Suncoast Triathlon 2010 |
Come race day, I set up my transition as I saw from photos on line. I was chill, not warming up, and just hanging out. Finally, we all headed out to the water. I was in the last wave. The swim wasn't too bad, that's always been an area I've felt very comfortable in. I spent way too long in transition, I think I even sat down. I then took off on my mountain bike, well took off as much as you can on a mountain bike. Oh, I also used a camel back to stay hydrated. That was a long bike ride. But I was having fun. Then came the run, I passed maybe two people. The run was awful, I was in so much pain for lack of training that I walked most of it. But then sure enough, I turned a corner and there was the finish line. My goal was 2 hours for my first tri (even though it was a sprint) and I finished it in 1:46:19. I was excited, even though I was last in my age group and probably for almost the entire race.
 |
| My step father and myself at my high school graduation |
I didn't race in a tri or anything for that matter for a while. My, now ex, spouse had become my priority for he was military going through lots of training. But then one day my whole world changed. My step Father (who I truly considered my Dad just as much as my biological Father) had died. He was my biggest fan. He took care of me as if I was his own daughter. I was so upset, borderline depressed, and just lost. I didn't know what to do. So instead of just sitting in my house crying, I decided to start running. So I started running again and made it a goal to race at least once each month that year. All having to do with the number 12 (I'll explain in the next blog). My race for July I decided to make a triathlon. I chose one in Huntsville, AL so that I could also get away and visit a good friend of mine.
 |
| Huntsville Sprint Triathlon 2013 |
For Huntsville, I had a hybrid bike, knew slightly what to expect, and was really excited. The swim took place in a pool which SUCKED. It was crowded and people were cheating and being annoying. The bike wasn't as terrible as my first, still slow but not as bad. Then my run, I jogged all of it which was my goal. Slowly, yes, but I never walked. I crossed the finish line and it was like being born again. The feeling I had was beyond words. I knew then that triathlon was my sport. So, two months later I do the most outrageous thing possible. I sign up for an Ironman.
So here I am. I've completed three tri's so far this season and I feel good. I feel great. I've come a long way since my first tri and I have results below to prove it. With my half Ironman in 29 days I'm anxious, excited, nervous, and terrified for my race. But its one more step I'm taking towards this journey of becoming an Ironman, and hopefully down the road, a professional triathlete.
Results from my Sprint Tri's so far:
Tri: Swim: T1: Bike: MPH: T2: Run: Total:
Suncoast 10/11 13:21 5:22 49:24 12.1 1:12 37:01 1:46:19
Hunstville 08/13 9:08 2:06 28:11 14.9 0:49 30:49 1:11:02
PB 05/14 4:19 2:22 29:14 20.5 0:45 26:19 1:02:59
No comments:
Post a Comment