Danskin Women's Triathlon - Chicagoland (Pleasant - TriathlonSprint

I don't like to swim in lakes but Lake Andrea was a better option than Lake Michigan! The water was warmer than I expected---I really don't like cold water esp. when I have to get in quickly (we swim in Lake Superior and I get in inch by inch with lots of screams). My daughter, Autumn, had me practice getting bumped but I grew up swimming in a municipal pool so getting bumped wasn't anything new. The women in my wave were very polite, but it was disconcerting swimming near someone who was doing the back stroke. I spent a lot of time doing the breast stroke so I wouldn't bump into anyone. But overall the swim was nice and I was impressed by the bravery of women with flotation noodles and swim angels.

Maybe try to get into the water faster and try to get beyond the crowd so I wasn't spending so much time watching out for other people.

Wow, I could not believe how slow my transitions were! I was at the bottom of my age group! But this was my first outdoor tri (I did one indoor tri a year ago) and I just wanted to finish. So I wasn't in any hurry, obviously. I had a bra and pants on under my suit so just took off the top of my suit and put on a shirt, then took off the rest and put on 2 pairs of shorts--a stretchy nylon/spandex pair so I wouldn't get chaffed, and then a pair of baggy cotton shorts so I wouldn't look grotesque! A woman next to me offered some water to wash my feet so I did and then put on socks and shoes. Then I walked my bike to the bike start. Hey, I just wanted to finish!

Go faster!!! I need to figure out a way to get out of my swimming stuff and into my biking stuff faster. I'm thinking about a tri suit but I'm self conscious about my sturdy 65 year old body! Clearly I need to work on this area.

I really enjoyed reconnecting with my bike. I've had this bike for about 25 years and ridden it lots in the past. My husband and I and a bunch of friends used to do a bike trip to Bayfield Wi each June, 75 miles of headlands near Lake Superior with LOTS of long uphill climbs ("Don't look ahead, just keep your eyes on the road so you don't get discouraged!) and then great flights down the other side only to have to start climbing again. I'd forgotten how much fun biking can be.

Train more, get a better water bottle

Well, I was at the bottom of my age group again! Why should I hurry? I just wanted to finish!!! So I stopped at a porta potty, walked to the run start etc.

Work on making my transitions faster!!! But I don't want to get too competitive with this :-) I want to enjoy myself.

Gee, this was such a nice surface that I walked/ran even though I had just planned to walk. It was hot and really sunny but I felt good and I knew that I was actually going to finish this baby! As I was coming back from the switch back portion of the run, with about 1/2 mile left, I saw my daughter just getting ready to start the switch back. She yelled "Mom!!!" and I yelled "that's my daughter!" That was GREAT! I really wanted to stop and hug her but..... She said she would try to catch up with me but she still had 1 1/2 miles to go. It would have been great to cross the finish line together but I guess I was pumped enough that I didn't want to slow down. But it was SO great to see her. I wouldn't have been doing this without Autumn's encouragement.

I need to work on getting rid of my plantar fasciatis so that I can run more of the course. Once my foot is better I can spend more time doing training runs.

I was so happy crossing the finish line ---the first time I have EVER crossed a finish line--and it was just fun hearing my name as I crossed. Then I got a bottle of water, walked around with a silly grin on my face and waited for Autumn to come in. I was also watching for my little sister and getting a bit worried because I hadn't seen her since our wave went out. I just felt great tho.


This was my first outdoor tri and I just wanted to finish. I told my friends that I was going to "participate" rather than compete. Being FAST wasn't a concern. Maybe it will be the next time. In fact I'm amazed that I'm talking about a "next time." I got home (1300 miles round trip) and 2 days later registered for a local sprint course. Hee Hee


I thought that my sister and I were nuts to be doing this. We were celebrating her 60th birthday which was on race day, and I am 65 1/2 so what in heaven's name were we doing?? We should have been having our celebration (me, my daughter Autumn, my sister and her 2 daughters) going to a spa!!! But it was a wonderful experience. I was so impressed with the "average" women doing this race. All ages, shapes, sizes: it was truly inspiring. And my daughter Autumn was our fearless leader, organizing, encouraging, putting up with all of my "I must be nuts to be doing this" etc. She is truly inspiring! I felt so good when I finished and then hearing "and in the 65-69 age group, our 3rd place finisher from Duluth, Mn is Kathleen Clark" was practically like winning the lottery! Almost as good as when I was in labor with baby #2 and heard my husband say" Well, you've got your girl" which was Autumn! I loved the whole experience.