I was really nervous going into the swim since it was my first time ever swimming a mile. It was a mass beach start, but the beach was wide enough that it wasn't too crowded. I went to the outside and let everyone else start out ahead of me. I ran into a couple people but for the most part I found a nice little bubble of my own away from everyone. It was pretty funny, every time I'd turn my head to breathe I'd see the huge mass of flailing arms and legs, but I had a totally clear spot and it didn't add too much distance.

When I came around the first bouy I found some feet that swam amazingly straight so I followed them. I'm not sure if I was actually drafting or not but it sure helped with sighting! I followed her for most of the first lap until she slowed down and I passed her. On the far side of the lake the course went so far out to the edge that the water was only a couple of feet deep. It was like crawling on the bottom rather than swimming! And there was tons of seaweed so it was pretty nasty! I was tempted to stand up and walk but instead kept "swimming" and ending up w/huge handfulls of seaweed.

Right before the 4th bouy I caught up with a pack of people. I got kicked in the head and smacked in the face but my hockey player mentality kicked in and I made it through and passed quite a few ppl. This was my first ever 2 lap swim, and I couldn't seem to get my legs under me on the run across the beach, so I basically stumbled across the beach and fell back into the water. I checked my watch on the way across and it said 16:30. Holy moley! My last timed half mile was 19:38!

Sighting on my second lap sucked...a lot! I took the first turn way too wide and couldn't seem to get back on track for most of the lap. I was tired and got so into my rhythm that that i wasn't looking up enough. Other than the sighting the second lap went well. I got to the 4th bouy and was absolutely exhausted. I bribed myself through the last of it with my gu waiting for me in transition, and I made it all the way. The whole thing free! Woohoo!

Sighting needs work, but I'm super happy with this swim. I couldn't ask for anything better and I'm soooo glad I finished it all free!

Very smooth transition. I was much better organized then the last time around. Though this time I had my parents talking to me and wanting pictures which kept things interesting. :)

Nothing.

Not only was I on a mountain bike but it wasn't even my own! I was borrowing my brother's mtn. bike which has a very different fit from mine so it was hard to get comfortable. Also the bike didn't have a computer so I really struggled with pacing. There were no mile markers on the course so I had no idea no idea how far i'd been or had left to go. I had figured that if I could maintain the speed I was hoping for it would take me about 1:40. I was watching my watch thinking that around 50 min. I would see the turnaround. Instead I was totally shocked to see the turnaround come in to view after only about 30 min! I saw it from a distance and couldn't believe that was really it. I have to wonder if this course was a bit short since I finished sooooo much faster than expected, but it was still an awesome ride. Towards the end my legs were hurting pretty bad....partly from exhaustion and partly from the bad fit of the bike, so I'm surprised I could maintain such a high speed. I got back so much earlier than expected that my parents almost missed my finish!

As I started the ride it hit me "I just swam a mile! wow!" and then multiple times after that I'd think "I'm really doing an oly!". I felt so great out there, even when in pain, because I was doing something I've never done before and never thought I could do.

The only downside of the bike was that the road was narrow so it was a little scray when cars came by. In the places where there was a shoulder there was also a rumble strip which I rode over a few times...lol That was interesting. There was also a lot of roadkill out on the road, including a skunk. It doesn't get much grosser than that! Also all the crossing guards had left before I made it back in so I almost missed one of the turns at the end. Thankfully someone who knew the course had just passed me so I was able to follow them in. Otherwise I might still be out riding! :)

Know the course better, pay more attention to street signs on the way out. Riding my own bike would've helped too, but I'm definitely grateful that my brother was willing to share his so I could do the race.

I went through the motions of T2 even though i wasn't doing the run. I felt pretty good about it.

nothing

It took everything I had to not do the run. I knew it was the right decision because running a 10k on top of everything would probably at this point break me beyond repair, but it was still super hard to stop when the race was still going on. The officials were giving me crap for it too and saying that 6 days was plenty of time to recover. Hmmm maybe for them! I think i'd need about a month! I do regret my decision just a little bit as I was watching finishers come in as I was leaving, but I think around mile 3 I would've regretted the decision to run even more. Some day I'll do an entire oly....

Ummm actually run it.

Talked to my parents, took pics with them, etc. Got a burger to take with me and left...didn't want to stay for the post race stuff since I didn't feel like joining the finishers....though I still felt great about what I had accomplished.

That evening was my dad's 60th bday party so I saw a ton of my parents friends that I haven't seen in ages. My mom bragged to EVERYONE over and over about how amazing I was and how cool it had been to watch me. It was embarassing but it felt good too. I'm really glad my parents had a chance to see a tri and see what my new obsession is all about. They were definitely impressed. :)


I need to train a lot more to actually be competitive in an oly, but the goal of this race was just to finish the swim and bike and to feel confident for Steamboat next weekend. I do feel a lot better knowing for sure I will be able to handle the swim and bike distances. The run will still kick my butt, but I can always walk! :)