About a year ago, my then husband, James got me into running. He bought me a pair of running shoes and convinced me to run a 5k with him. At first, I absolutely hated running, but I had been told that if I just kept at it, I would like it more and more. Well, I kept at it, and after my divorce last fall i needed a distraction. I needed something to focus my attention on...to help take away the lonliness and pain. So, last December, I registered for the Women of Steel Sprint Triathlon. I also got my sisters to sign up with me. I spent the winter months at the gym running and training on a stationary bike, with occasional visits to the pool. The running did seem to be getting easier and easier, and the biking was okay too, but I found that I am definitely not a swimmer. I asked David to help me figure out how to breath better in the water, but to no avail. I gave up trying to learn to crawl, and decided I would backstroke/sidestroke the 300m for the race. Well, I trained and trained at the gym and as the weather started to warm up I decided I better buy a bike...since I didn't have one and hadn't ridden a real one since I was about 12. I couldn't believe how expensive road bikes are, and about 3 weeks before the race I ended up getting a bike that weighed a little more but cost a little less than the others. After my first time out on the bike I realized that I hadn't been putting nearly enough resistance on the stationary bike at the gym, so I got a little nervous that maybe I wouldn't do so well come race day. I wanted to get out and ride as much as possible, but due to the weather i only ended up riding my bike about 5 times before the actual triathlon.
Well, race day arrived and I hardly slept at all the night before. I was excited and nervous! I woke up early, and Tara, Angie and I made our way to the venue. When we arrived it was 39 degrees outside and raining, and we thought they might cancel the event. We soon found out that the triathlon was being modified. They were canceling the swim, but adding a mile run to the beginning of the race. So it became a run/bike/run event. That was somewhat of a relief, since swimming was my weakest leg, but at the same time, I kinda felt jipped...because then it didn't seem like a real triathlon. Well at 8:00 the race started. I wanted to pace myself and not exert too much energy up front, so I went at a decent pace for the first mile. I had a very quick transition (the fastest transition time in my age group) and started the bike portion. Near the beginning and halfway through the bike there was a large hill and it was tough. I had to dig deep and just keep on peddling, but I made it through. It was also freezing on the bike. By the time I got off, I couldn't feel my fingers. As I made my way into the transition area and tried to take off my helmet, my hands wouldn't function. After tugging and pulling trying to get it off on my own, I finally asked another girl to help me undo the strap. Then I was on to the final leg, the 5k run. I was feeling good. Again we had to run the same hill from the bike leg of the race, and the going was slow, but I was able to make up for it on the downhill side. I finished in 1:24:24, which was just 13 minutes behind the winner in my age group. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment! I was also so excited for Tara and Angie. Hopefully we will all be able to do another one next year, but this time with Jenny and Julie too!!!
The sad part though, was that I didn't have anyone to share my accomplishment with. It seemed like everyone there had someone to cheer them on...but I felt so alone. Hopefully in the future there will be someone waiting for me at the finish line to share in my excitement.
