5430 Long Course Triathlon - TriathlonLong Course

I was in the first wave after the pros. Not my favorite place to be but we don't get to pick ... do we! The start was straight into the rising sun. I couldn't see a thing. My goggles leaked. The younger, faster, more competitive age groupers were on my heels in no time. Lots of body contact. Trying to sight is always a nightmare without prescription lens. It was easier to just go with the flow of the bobbing heads ... so to all those wearing pink, yellow, and blue caps ... thanks for pulling me in!

I had a great end of the row spot in transition right under the "Wave 2" sign. Easy to find and close to the bike in and out. I'm just not fast wiggling out of the wetsuit but I did the best I could.

I was surprised at how fatigued I was from the swim. It took me nearly 5 miles to feel like I could breathe again. Hwy 36 is mostly climbing but then you hit that sweet downhill on St. Vrain Road where I did 40 mph. There was one change in the course where right in the middle of our only long stretch of flat we had to make a right turn, go 0.6 miles, and make a hairpin U-turn on a narrow two lane street with no shoulder, just pea gravel and then an immediate incline. I thought for sure we'd all hit the ground together but we got through it. Alot of people unclipped. I stayed clipped but ran over in the pea gravel both loops and forgot to gear down in prep for the incline. I was doing some mighty powerful praying as I came through there. To top it off, there was an aid station just 100 yards after the turn so just when we got going again we had to maneuver around those slowing down for bottle handoffs. The silver lining is that Susan and Ted were handing out bottles and cheering. There's nothing like a friendly face to give you a boost when you need it.

T2 wouldn't have been so long except I had to make a porta-potty stop.

My family, friends, and coach were on the sidelines waving and cheering and giving lots of support. It's just what I needed. I found a pace I could handle and tried to hold it for the whole 13.1 miles. I walked the aid stations. By the second loop I was ready to sit down with something cold to drink. I had to walk part of the hill. I was tired of GU and Gatorade. The trail was rocky and my feet hurt. I wanted to be done. A friend of mine is always saying "Every Mile is a Smile" so I made that my mantra and repeated it at each mile marker. When I hit mile 11 I was smiling. I didn't have much in the tank but I pulled it out and borrowed a little from tomorrow ... I was almost home and I wanted to get there as fast as I could. I saw my coach cheering as I came in and stopped to give her a big sweaty hug. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. My husband and sister and friends were at the finish line. I did it, I did it, I did it. I really did it.

My first HIM. Every body part hurt but it's that good kind of hurt. The mental part was tougher. Starting in the first wave, after the pros, put me in a position where I did very little passing but got passed quite often. Those young fast kids were flying by me all day long. Struttin' their stuff. I love them for it. I was trying to strut mine too. I had to keep reminding myself to race my own race at a pace I could handle so I wouldn't blow up. That was difficult at times. My goal was to survive and hopefully cross the finish line under 7 hours. I did it. I'm pretty dang excited about that.

I have to mention two ladies I saw briefly during the race. One, a 61 year old, pedaled effortlessly past me on the bike, leaving me in her dust. The other, a 60 year old, quietly moved ahead of me somewhere around mile 10 of the run. I never caught her. Old in years but young in spirit. I want to be just like them when I grow up.