Embarrasing moments from my first tri...

bel83 - 2009-06-22 10:03 AM So I did my first ever tri this past Saturday. My goal was simply to finish though I was hoping to do it in somewhere between 3 and 3.5 hours. Did I mention it was an Oly? Any it was a day full of Embarrasment for me but that is ok. Got there early but had no idea what I was doing as far as registration goes so I just followed along with what the 2-3 people in front of me were doing. Got into transition just fine and worked to get set up. Talked to some fellow participants and just took my time. Walked the bike and run Transition entrances, went out and took a look at the course, asked a race official who was nearby some questions about it. Went and got my wetsuit on and was good to go for warm up, pre race talk etc. Well the first Embarrasment came when the guy doing the pre race stuff was asking all the Tri a Try and sprint people if it was their first race and, as I had stopped paying attention after he went over the details/rules I raised my hand that it was mine too...only one standing there in an Oly cap with their hand up. A few from the sprint waves and all of the Try it waves...yea turned a little red but the other athletes around me were asking me if it really was my first and telling me I had balls to be doing an Oly for it...(to which I jokingly said yea or I am clinically insane...).
     Anyway the swim gets started and I am going along fine in the pack when I take a sighting and notice I am off course by a bit...well this end up being quit common for me throughout the race, even though I did practice sighting somewhat. This happened all through the swim and probably cost me 6-8 minutes. Finally as I am approaching the last turn I do it again and I stop briefly (the only time on the whole swim I stopped) and let out a few choice explitives...only to hear something behind me and realize one of the swim course guidance canoes was behind me with a kid in it...I looked at them and apologized and luckily the volunteer laughed and I kept going.
    Get on the bike and am doing well. going at my own pace and not caring when I notice a weird noise...Well turns out my race numbers was on cockeyed and so was making the worlds most annoying buzz the entire time I was riding. All the people that passed me looked really annoyed and confused. Surprisingly the run went well and nothing else embarrassing happened. All in all it was a great time and a fun race and I have my first one under me now and I am happy to have toed the line.

(BTW for all the race details read my RR on Cascades edge Tri.)