The swim was awesome. I didn't go as fast as I wanted but I didn't stop either, not once. I had a horrible time navigating cause we were swimming directly into the sun but I could see the bobbing heads in front of me and the kayaks to the corner of my eye. I was off course a few times and spent a couple of times swimming across the lake instead of toward shore but I did well. No problems, no fatigue. Felt really good and my arms were doing well.

Nothing really.

This was a complete disaster. As previously explained my T1 was like a tornado area. Running toward T1 was quite comical as I kept falling cause I was so dizzy. Trying to put on my socks was another joke as I almost plunged head first into the bike rack. Finally I sat down on a friend's cooler and got my barings. I was rushing so much to get out on my bike that I forgot my Electrolyte caps. But I got my nutrition, cold camelback (thanks to the cooler I bought) my two water bottles and three trail nut mix bars. My friend Beth showed me a trick where she tapes her gel to her bike. I did that and it worked beautifully. You just reach down there and tear off and keep humping. NO reach around. Perfect. Went to put my food in my back pocket and that's when I noticed my freakin' car keys. Ugggggh. I had swam more than a mile with my freakin' car keys in my pocket. Geez, I said, I hope those work after the race. It'd suck to have to walk home. (Ha.). Got to the mount line and I hear the woman on the microphone say,
"You go girl. Hey, is that Ovetta?"
I look up and it's Siri Lindley the former world champion triathlete who coached Susan Williams to an Olympic medal and is also a commentator for NBC. I had interviewed her a while back for B.T.com
Then she of course says,
"Hey everybody it's Ovetta Sampson, of beginnertriathlete.com let's cheer her on and she gets on the bike. Woo Hoo."
That was kinda cool but not as cool as what happened next.

Organize my TI a little better. Not bring so much stuff.

I have worked really hard on this bike course and I think I did well. I went faster in this race than I ever did in training and I only zoned out once - meaning just going through the motions. I was passed alot but hey I expected taht. I made my goal time even with the wicked hills at the end.

Train more on hills at the end of the race.

Pretty quick. I should have taken my time and looked for my E-caps but I was so frazzled. This nice guy - who was already finished BTW - gave me some clif shots and helped me rack my bike back up. So sweet. I knew that I had to hustle to finish the run if I was going to make it by race cut off. He said he would be sure to make them save some Bar B que for me.

Calm down a little and take my time.

As you can tell from my time this sucked - BIG Time. I had put so much into the bike that well I had NOTHING on the run. Plus I had old shoes that were so beat up that everytime I ran it felt like I was running in my bare feet not good for a big girl who needs support. The run was hot and miserable and I never in my life wanted to quit so badly. By the time I got to mile four I was done. That was it. I couldn't move my feet anymore. I wanted to cry but so many people were passing me coming the other way that I couldn't. So I kept running. And low and behold there was actually some guy behind me. But then he passed me too and I felt demoralzed. Ohhhh this sucked so bad. By the time I got to the turn around I was really looking for a SAG vehicle. I was going to miss the race cut off and I was going to collapse. I really wanted to quit.
But they had an aid station at every mile. So I mentally started thinking of this race as running one mile at a time for 13 miles. Sometimes I walked, sometimes I ran but I would chart it off mile by mile.
And like a grocery list I started checking off miles. I stop looking at my watch and started putting one foot in front of the other. I HAD to get back to the parking lot at least. So I walked and ran, walked and ran.
Mile 7
walked and ran.
Mile 8
walked and ran.
Mile 9
walked and ran.
At mile 10 a guy on a bike came riding up to me. I was so glad to see him because I felt so alone on that winding hilly road. I thought the people had left me out there to die which I gladly would have done given half the chance.
"Are you Ovetta?"
He asked. I knew instantly that he must be the RD. Being always last I usually meet the RD because they come out to great me.
"Yep, are you the race director."
"Yes, I'm Darren, how you doing?"
"Good, I'm sorry I'm so slow." The tears were slipping out now. I was trying not to cry but it hurt so much.
"Oh, no problem. Don't cry and don't feel like you got to speed up just cause I'm here."
I noticed I had started to run.
"No, people were just worried about you and asking about you."
Really
Yep. Siri's waiting for you at the finish line.
"Oh that's sweet," I said. But inside my head I was thinking Siri Lindley, the World Champion Triathlete for three years in a row, Siri Lindley, the woman who coached Susan Williams to an Olympic medal, Siri Lindley the woman so good that even when she retired was still ranked No. 1 because of all the points she earned in the World Cup Championships. That Siri Lindley was waiting at the finish line for ME!
Everyone else was long gone, they were in their beds or eating dinner but there was Siri waiting for me.
I started to run a little faster and my grocery list kept shrinking.
Mile 10,
Mile 11
Mile 12
And then I saw the finish line. And I began putting one foot in front of the other. My gait looking less like a gazelle and more like a one-legged cyclops. But I was running. And As I rounded the corner to the finish line - there was no line really they had taken all that stuff down just a big ole clock, I heard Siri yelling my name
"Go Ovetta, Woo Hoo, you did it girl, you did it! You're a 1/2IM finisher. Woo Hoo."
And as they placed the medal on my neck I hugged Siri, collapsed in her arms really and cried on her shoulder. Like a blubbering idoit. I'm crying now as I write this.


Ummm, run more after long bikes. Get better shoes earlier. Should be no problem since I'm going to train for a mary - the Las Vegas Mary in Feb. Woo hoo.

Walked around like a blubbering fool too tired to sit too tired to stand.


So I didn't finish when I wanted.
I crapped out on the run.
But I did finish and I guess that's all you can ask of a person.
And when I got home I donned that Harvest Moon sweatshirt. I had paid for the race but I definitely earned that shirt.
I slept in my sweatshirt and medal. Is that dorky?
OH, I JUST FOUND OUT I WON THE ATHENA DIVISION.
WOO HOO. I EVEN GOT HARDWARE