Last Saturday I completed my 2nd triathlon, the 1st Annual Pasadena Triathlon. It was another reverse mini-sprint and this one was even more fun than my first! The course looped around the Rose Bowl and cut through the golf course (on a paved road). It was a nice route that apparently a lot of people walk/bike/jog around on the weekend. We decided to spend the night in Pasadena rather than drive all the way from south Orange County the morning of. The race volunteers the night before had recommended that we get there at around 7:00 but when we did, we had a hard time finding a spot for our bikes, especially since there were three of us – my husband, his best friend, and myself. The race was very organized in every regard except the space planning; they were still trying to figure out where to set up additional racks at 7:30 while the race started at 8:00. I hear that the race was completely sold out so that may have been why. We finally found some space on a rack they had just assembled but it was a little cramped. Unlike my first tri, this time they marked my bib number on my arm and hand before the race. I felt official even though I’m not much of an athlete. I organized my stuff and then the race coordinators herded us over to the start line at around 7:55.

I was excited! There were all kinds of people of all ages, fitness levels, heights, and ethnicities. It was cool – I chatted with a few people around me and everyone was anxious to start but the race started about 15-20 minutes late. In the meanwhile, the directors provided some directions (more than what I’m used for most runs/races!). Finally we started…we’re taking a counterclockwise 5k loop that’s supposedly mostly flat. I kept my fingers crossed that it’s flat and start chugging along. One of my favorite parts of the loop was a local police man who was directing traffic – he was shouting encouragement to the runners and then continued through when we were biking. He was full of energy and laughter and the encouragement went a long way. The road felt pretty level but my problem with running a 5k is that if I don’t feel my rhythm right off the bat, the 3 miles isn’t usually enough for me to find it. This was definitely the case here. It felt like I was trudging the whole way but still ended up with decent run times for me. The route was mostly shaded and the weather was great – a little breezy to keep us cool but without the shade from the trees, the sun probably would have gotten to me. Volunteers with water were at the halfway point so I grabbed some and kept going. On mile 3, the first biker was already lapping me! He was flying! Amazing athletes…after I hit the end of mile three according my Garmin, I knew there was still a good ways to go to get to the transition area and was not looking forward to the extra distance– all in all we ended up jogging 3.35 miles, so an extra quarter mile on top of what I was expecting. Here are the splits:

Mile 1: 10:34
Mile 2: 10:43
Mile 3: 10:00
Mile 4: 3:33 (.35 mile)

Transition1: 2:07

Trotted into the transition area and took a quick stretch and drank some Powerade. My husband and his friend’s bikes were gone but I was pleasantly surprised with how many bikes were still in the area. All I needed to do was toss off my visor and put on my helmet and gloves. I did it and wheeled my bike to the start of the biking area. The course would be the same as the run but this time it would be 3 times around for a 15k. Right away my legs felt tired and though I didn’t notice it while running, the first mile is at an incline! What?!? What was so easy during the run became very difficult on the bike and I kept ratcheting down my gears to make the climb a little easier. Hmmm…maybe I should take my training a little more seriously. Hmmm….maybe I should consider getting a tri-bike or a road bike instead of this heavy comfort bike. That bike never felt heavier! Anyways, I plugged along and make it through the first 2 miles and didn’t stop for water. Mile three was awesome! All downhill and the breeze from the speed and the shade felt sooo nice. I thought I’d be able to make up some time at this point but I guess everyone else was doing the same so I wasn’t passing too many people. I couldn’t tell which people were on their 1st lap vs. their 2nd lap. The spectators were very encouraging and vocal so that always makes it fun. Saw a number of cute German Shepherds, so that brought on a little excitement as well. On mile four, I started around the loop again and I felt a little more rhythm. I saw a guy who seemed ok sitting against the wall with his bike. He didn’t look injured so hopefully it wasn’t serious. I figured I’d be able to make better time this time around but in the middle of mile five, I felt my right leg start to cramp. NOOOOOOO! So on the downhill of mile six, I tried to stretch my leg a little. I started considering stopping for water on the last loop. It felt good going into the last loop – I knew I was almost done. That uphill portion felt like it took forever. I saw an ambulance pulling away so I hoped everything was alright…it must have been for the guy who was sitting along the wall earlier. A couple seconds later, I felt my left calf start to cramp up! Crapola…so I definitely would need to stop for water. I got to the water station, stopped, hopped off my bike, drank some water and stretched. I don’t know if it helped all that much but I hopped back on my bike and started downhill. At this point it didn’t feel like there were that many people around, which was kind of discouraging but I had to remind myself that I’m not in it to compete – I just want to be out there doing it! So I finally pulled into the transition area and dismounted. Here are my splits –

Mile 1: 5:16
Mile 2: 5:10
Mile 3: 3:31
Mile 4: 4:53
Mile 5: 5:21
Mile 6: 3:32
Mile 7: 4:55
Mile 8: 6:00
Mile 9: 3:37
Mile 10: 3:51 (.84 miles)

Transition2: 2:51

I trotted over to my area and most people were done and were celebrating by now. I saw my husband and his friend – they’re done too. I was feeling a little discouraged since my time didn’t seem to be going so well but they said they just got back from the swim, so maybe I was ok? Anyhoo, I racked my bike, pulled off my shoes, socks, helmet and gloves, took off my shirt and shorts and headed for the pool. I jogged and walked fast to the pool – it was a little ways away and there were others going too – maybe I wasn’t soo behind. I slipped feet first into the pool at the direction of the volunteers…the pool was so warm. I didn’t mind though; it’s kind of nice. I have to say that the pool looked intimidating – the only laps I’ve done have been in 25 meter pools. This was a 50 meter pool! That means I’d have to go twice as far without stopping! And the last tri was only 100 yards – this one was 150 or three lengths. For those of you who swim, this may not seem like a lot but for someone like me who has no technique or swimming foundation, it sure seemed like a long distance after a run and a bike ride. At any rate, I got in the water and tried not to get phased by the fact that the pool was so deep where I got in. Concentrate, little rabbit, concentrate. So I started kicking but I didn’t feel like I’m getting very far. I must have been making progress because I could see people walking in the shallow end in front of me. Sweet. But hell no, I wasn’t going to walk! I’m in this pool to swim. My husband had told me to stay near the lane dividers so that I could grab onto one if I needed to but I didn’t want to. So I didn’t. I pushed on and reached the end and took a five second breather. I dipped under the lane divider, took a deep breath and pushed off the end. Weak start! I felt tired. But I was going to do it. I felt really tired and decided to flip on my back. I felt weak for doing it and decided that I was going to make it to the other side of the pool without the backstroke. So slowly but surely I did. I took another 5 second breather and got ready for the last leg. It felt like each stroke, each bit of effort didn’t get me anywhere. It felt like I was exerting so much effort and not moving…especially at the end. I think I may have been close to doggy paddling at the end but I didn’t want to touch my feet down to the bottom of the pool until I got to the end of the pool. I did have to stop for a second and push off the said of the pool towards the end. The spectators were yelling words of encouragement and I knew I could do it…almost there! I slapped the edge of the pool and made my way over to the ramp. They yelled my number out, handed me my shot glass and my husband was there to greet me with my towel. It was over. I did it again. And hot damn – it felt good.

Swim time: 6:21
Official time: 1:32:15


I improved 4-5 minutes from my 1st tri – this one was longer but the last one was in the rain. Also I went from 2nd to last in my age/gender group to 3rd to last. Hey – it’s progress and you have to start somewhere!

Way to go!  Glad you had fun!

 

You were absolutely okay!!! 

That was me!   

Way to go!


Great Attitude.