XTERRA Sport - TriathlonSprint

Water was colder than I had previously swam in and it made it hard for me to keep my rhythm.

Relax and practice in cold water. But this was my first and I couldn't even swim back in July so I am happy.

I just did what I had to do didn't worry about transition times on this race

I FLEW!!!!! Best bike ride ever.

I would not put powerade in my water pack that was nasty and I my mouth felt horribly dry I like my water.

Ok by this point I saw my family and just wanted to cry. Held it together and headed off to the run.

Walked my bike clear down to my car that was parked in BFE


I had to stop at each water station and drink because the powerade in my water pack tasted nasty.


The XTERRA race was AWESOME!!!! Definitely hooked on this triathlon thing. Come January I will be breaking down and buying a road bike (oh noes a skinny tired bike).

I will admit going into this race I was not thrilled as I was when I decided to do it last year after watching Joja race it. I really struggled in the swim (750M) it took me 13 min longer to finish the swim then what I had been doing out at Sand Hollow. The water was cold and no matter how I tried my breathing rhythm sucked more water than air. But hey the start of July I couldn't even swim. I was one of the last 10 to come out of the water. Getting on the bike I was cold and not looking forward to riding the 12 miles of grueling uphill.

You start at the boat dock and ride over to Wheelers up to Art Nord to Green Pond down towards the old road and back up to Maples an on over to Snowbasin. Previously anytime I have ridden this exact route it had taken me 2.5+ hours. I had told several of my Ogden friends who wanted to come cheer me on that I would cross the finish line some time between 1-2PM probably closer to 2PM. I guess all of my training paid off because me and the bike sprouted wings Click here to enlarge I passed one biker after the other many of them walking the uphill rock gardens right before Green Pond TH. I screamed down the downhill section, blew through 4 bikers that fell off their bikes trying to go up a rock section on their way to Maples. My foot never came off the pedal! I passed over 40 bikers until we started uphill again and then I just maintained. I made it down the stairs, over the bridge and up that little hill after the bridge flawlessly! This was my best bike ride EVER!!!! I finished the bike portion in 1:54:12. HOLLY SHIT under 2 hours I told ya I flew. Seriously best ride ever. Granted I still moved like a snail compared to my friend Kyle who came out of the water behind me and rode the bike in 1:32:07.

I was pretty beat by the ride and when I saw my family there to cheer me on from the bike to the run... well being the girl that I am I started to get choked up. I dam near lost it. Stupid emotional females. Click here to enlarge Anyway I bit my lip and started to run......... ok never mind I walked. You start on the left side of the beginner hill and go all the way up to where the upper Green Pond trail comes out on the ski run. BLAH!!! my right thigh wanted to cramp but I powered through that as soon as I hit the trail I was off and running. For the short course (5K) you run over to the fire road that goes, you guessed it, UPHILL. Ok seriously at this point I am pretty tired of uphill. If I would have tried to run this I would have gone slower than molasses in winter time. Walked again and finally finally it was all down hill to the finish. It took me 3:04:49. Had I not stopped at each water station (3) I think I would have been under two hours, oh that cold water was worth it.

I crossed the finish line 1 hour ahead of my self predicted finish time. Not bad for a girl who couldn't swim or run starting the beginning of July. My friends from Ogden missed me crossing but all of my family was there and it was a BRILLIANT finish. I have never felt better! I thought for sure the next day or even the next day I would be too sore to move. My muscles, well I can tell they have been well used but I have not been sore or stiff. I spent the night hanging with good friends, went to see "Easy A". Seriously hilarious movie, highly recommend this one. I laughed so hard thought I was going to fall out of the chair. I think I finally came off the post adrenaline high about 2:30AM. Click here to enlarge This girl is hooked! I will be doing more triathlons. I have plans to work up to an Ironman if I can, the run will be my only problem but if I take it one training session at a time I think I will get there. Click here to enlarge

I finished #230 of 270 participants. Congrats to Janet #213 (Joja) and her husband Jeff #140 they competed as well and she rocked!!! I have decided my friend Kyle needs to be come a serious contender. He is afraid of the water and this was his first open water swim. He was one of the last to exit but in the end finished #132 out of 270.