July 31, 2011 - Park Center Triathlon

Tri-tastic


That is how I would describe my first venture at a spring triathlon.



Also, tri-mazing, tri-mundous, tri-bulous,... okay, okay, you get the idea.



All in all, this first attempt went as well as I hoped. And as always, running and competing has their lessons for me. Here are the highlights:

1. "You're never as strong alone, as you are with friends"
   
   Part of what made this so memorable was that I competed with my dear friends, Beth and Tina. Together we are Team JET. We competed as a relay team last year at the Leaning Tower Y Triathlon...and won! Tina and Beth have both competed as individuals before, so I was able to learn from their experiences. Beth worked with me a lot leading up to this race, specifically with the swimming. She taught me swimming drills, prepared me for what to expect, walked through what I would need for transitions, and what general transition practices have worked for her. Race day, Tina checked my transition area for me. And since she and I were seeded together for the swim, it was great to have someone waiting with me in the swim line and alleviate my nervousness! I was especially nervous about the swim.
   




2. "Train. But train the Plan B as well."
   
   The swim... I am, by no means, a swimmer. I don't pretend that I am. My go-to statement about swimming is that I know enough to save my own life, but not anyone else's. As I said, Beth was gracious enough to go with me to the pool to practice. Good things about this triathlon are that it's a sprint so the swim was only 300 yards, and that the swim is in a pool that I can stand in if needed. These two things are especially good because I'm not a fan of drowning. On my final practice, I went for the 300 yards without stopping. And discovered that I couldn't keep up with the free stroke that whole time. I hadn't practiced enough to get my breathing right, although I was improved. So I also practiced a hybrid side-swim-hopefully-somewhat-streamlined style. I'm glad I did because come race day, I resorted to this for the majority of the swim. My goal for my next tri is not to need this, but it was nice to have it as an option.
   




3. "Sometimes, you fumble the transitions."
   
   Ah, the transitions. Putting on socks and shoes went still wet from swimming is a challenge. I had checked to make sure my biking gloves were right side out, but one still wasn't. In the bike-to-run transition, I ran past where I needed to rack my bike, not even thinking about the fact that the racks were organized by race number. I had to double back. But I laughed about it and just kept moving. Sometimes that's all you can do.
   




4. "Friends are there, even when you feel out of their reach."
   
   Beth finished ahead of Tina and I. But instead of resting, she went back out to the turn around spot for the 5K to cheer us on. And I needed it. It was a hot day. Fortunately, I had run on some of the hot days, so I didn't feel totally unprepared. But still. Support from a friendly face is always nice. Plus, our significant others were also there. Matt got up early, made sure my bike was ready, took pictures, and got to as many spots as he could to cheer me on. His pride in my accomplishment made the day all the more special, too.
   




5. "When you think you have nothing left to give, dig deeper. Although to dig deeper, you may need a swift kick in the pants..."
   
   The finish is a blind finish. Beth and Tina know this. Beth warned me of this prior to the race. She and Matt were at the stretch just before the turn. It can be difficult to want to dig deep. I was tired. I was almost done. And I had given it just about my all. But this is where Beth came in, demanding more. "Sprint Julia! Leave it all on the course!!" I picked up the tempo a smidge. "I mean it Julia!" she yelled. "SPRINT!!!" So I sprinted...well, for me, it was a sprint. After I received my finisher's metal, Matt (who was beaming) came up to me and asked me how I felt. "Tired," was my response. I had competed at my best. I had finished strong. And I left it all out on the course.
   




6. "It doesn't end at the finish line."
   
   The thing about working towards a goal is the journey doesn't end once the goal is achieved. Weight lost doesn't stay lost if you go back to old eating habits. Fitness isn't retained without continuing to exercise. We are continually growing, learning, and, hopefully, bettering ourselves. It was nice to take pride in accomplishing my first sprint triathlon. But it doesn't stop there. There are new goals out there. New races to run. New challenges to tackle. It doesn't end at the finish line. The finish line is just the beginning.