Life Time Fitness Triathlon - Sprint - TriathlonSprint

got hit so many times and i zig zagged all over the place

practice open water swims more, more endurance

would have a tri suit instead of putting on clothes.

I loved it.had a blast!

it was so hot! I used the absorber towel which saved my butt.

My first tri

I was nervous all day on Friday. I was eager to get the race started. I packed and repacked my bag the night before. I took the afternoon off work on Friday and went to the event expo to pick up my packet. That was actually a lot of fun. I just felt good that I was one of the athletes there to pick up my packet. So, then I took my bike to the bike shop just to have them put some air into the tires. (I have had some tire issues). I ate a good protein meal for dinner and then tried to go to sleep.

Alarm was set for 4 am, but I woke up at 3:30 and just could not sleep. So, I got up and took my dog for a long walk. It was a gorgeous sunny morning. The forecast called for record heat and I had a 10:30 am start, so I was wishing that I could do it right then and there at 5 a.m.. But, I just took my time, repacked my bag, had a leisurely breakfast and had a talk with my bike. I know…I sound a little crazy, but I was worried about getting a flat tire, so I asked it to please hold out for me and then I made sure it was all safe and secure in my car. So, I headed out of my house all set at 5 am. It was about a half hour drive to the race site. As I got closer, I saw other cars with bike racks and I felt a camaraderie with them. Like we are all in this together. It was fun.

So, I parked the car and rode my bike to the site. I did the body marking, got my chip and then set up my transition area. I had practiced how to set up my area, but I also looked at how other people set up their area. Luckily, there was plenty of room, so I took my time. After I got it all set up, I walked through the whole transition area. I walked from the swim exit to my area, practiced in my head what I would do, walked out to the bike out….then walked in the bike in…went to my bike again…went through my head what I would do and then went out the run out area. That really helped me a lot during the race.

So., then I had time to kill and I just walked around. Went by the finish line and just enjoyed the crowds. It was really heating up, so I stayed in the shade most of the time. I watched the pros get ready for a while and then everything started. They had parachutists come in to start the race and then someone sang the national anthem. Halfway through the anthem, the singer’s microphone completely cut off. So, the crowd paused for a second and then the whole crowed finished the anthem. It was really cool. Gave me goosebumps.

So, I then watched the pros and the other waves all start their races and then met my spouse and family as they came to see me race. I started to head towards the beach about a half hour before the race. There was a separate entrance for the athletes and that just was a moment for me…I was one of the athletes…that was still amazing to me. So, I went through the crowds and warmed up in the lake. The lake temperature was really warm. All I needed was some bubble bath and a glass of wine to make it a nice warm bath. After I swam for a little bit, I just waited with the other people in my age group and noticed that I was one of the bigger people in my age group. That intimidated me a little, but I let it go. So….on to the race.

The swim start was fine, but I quickly realized that I should have trained more in swimming. Growing up in Minnesota, I was a strong swimmer and was used to swimming in the lakes, but sighting is really hard. I know I zig zagged quite a bit. Mostly though…everyone kept hitting me. Behind me, people would hit me…the side, in front…everywhere. It was crazy. So, I was so glad when I finally hit the beach. Note to self…running through sand is also a lot of work. But, then I saw my wife (we had a commitment ceremony last June…so I call her my wife or partner) waving at me and that was just perfect. I needed to see her to get that extra boost. So, I went into the transition area and ran to my bike. It did take me a while to transition. About 4 minutes. I had to put on my tri shorts and a shirt and my bike socks, shoes, etc. And I took a huge gulp of water.

Did I mention how hot it was? The temp was 99 degrees, heat index of 105. It was so hot outside that the shortened the Olympic race distance by 3 miles on the bike and 3 miles on the run. My sprint course was not affected, but I know it was way hot when the race officials decided to shorten the race.

Anyway, so I biked out without problems. I was so glad to be getting on the bike because I knew it was my strong event. And no one would kick me (hopefully) like in the swim. The first thing I noticed on the bike was I wondered why everyone was going so slowly. I kept passing people. I thought…is there a sharp turn ahead? What is going on? Then I realized that I just going fast. I guess all those spinning classes 4 times a week for the past 8 months really helped. It really surprised me when I started passing people much younger than me and people that were wearing “team jerseys”. So, I really enjoyed myself on the bike ride. I was having so much fun that I started thanking everyone one the course. The volunteers, the police officers holding up traffic, spectators. And when I passed someone, I tried to tell them “good job” or “keep going”. It was a nice bike ride. I tried to keep drinking water because it was so hot. At one point, I saw someone being taken away on an ambulance. Also, the person who gave me the tip about having a wet towel “absorber” around my neck was a great idea. I kept it around my neck the whole time and then would drenched myself every once in a while It really helped to beat the heat. Halfway through the bike ride, a biker went down in front of me on a sharp turn. I felt really bad for the poor guy.

So, my bike was good and I headed into the transition area. I saw my wife again and she had this really proud look on her face. It was so perfect. I loved seeing that. She said that I looked so much happier than the other athletes and she could tell I was having fun. So, then I quickly headed out to run out. Now, at this point it was high noon. And hotter than hot. My run was pretty slow, but I really did not want to start walking because I knew I would not get going again and I personally did not want to walk this race. I was running it, end of story. I passed a lot of people that were walking it, but i also was passed by a lot of runners. But, i was happy that i was running at all.

So, it was the longest three miles of my life. I kept thinking of something cold…like my wife’s toes in bed in the winter time or walking my dog in below zero wind chill. The fire department had a huge hose shooting water in the air about half way through the run. That was perfect.

As I started to get close to the finish line, I just had a moment where I realized that a year ago, I weighed 80 pounds more than I do today. That I would not have ever thought that I could really do this dream of doing a triathlon. That I had come really far in the past year. And I had friends and family that were proud of me…but I also realized that I was proud of myself. It was a good moment. So, I went down the final stretch of the finish line to the cheers of the crowd and smiles from my friends and family. I had a personal secret goal (you know…the goal that you never tell anyone) that I wanted to finish under two hours. Not a huge goal for a sprint, but I wanted a benchmark that was under two hours. So, I knew I was close to it according to my watch and I sprinted to the finish line. 1:57 was my time. It was awesome. I had a huge smile on my face as I crossed the finish line. And a few minutes later, I had a few tears in my eyes. It was a moment I will never forget.

I started the race wanting to do well and make my friends and family proud of me. I ended the race proud of myself and eager to do the next one. I am already planning on doing another one next month. I am not the same person that I was before the race. I am happy, proud and now…a triathlete.