A Flat "Tri"

And here we "tri" again. Today Sara, Emily, and I (along with Kim, Janan, Rebecca, and Chrie) participated in the PG Tri which was hosted by the Provo High Swim Team. It was more casual than the Women of Steel Tri we did last month. We didn't have time-chips this time. We didn't even take time to get familiar with the course. We went into this tri completely blind.

I had a great experience in spite of a couple of mishaps. Today when loading my bike, I realized my tire was flat. I couldn't figure out how to pump the dumb thing up, so I took my bike and tire pump the race. Luckily Sara insisted that we take her 2nd bike with us too - just in case I needed it. I found a guy at the tri who helped me pump tire back up, and I was set...or so I thought. I neatly placed it in the transition area along with all my other essentials - helmet, towel, earplugs, goggles, swim cap, etc. I was ready. We jogged down to the starting line just in time to start our run (us girls had to make a quick potty break before the race started). The run was great. We had to climb a hill, but it wasn't bad. Em and I stayed together the entire time. She's my running buddy, and it's always nice to have someone to share the pace with. Toward the end of our run we could tell we were doing pretty well. I'd say we were in the front 1/3 of the group. In the transition area I went for my bike. After fumbling with my helmet (stupid thing), I got on my bike. Then I noticed my tire had gone flat...again! Grr, after hesitating for a moment, I laid it back and ran over to where we'd stored Sara's 2nd bike. I brought it back into the transition area, walked it out, and off I was. I lost so much time during my transition and then even more on the bike route. The route was shorter this time - only 8 miles instead of 11, but Sara's bike handled the road a lot differently from mine, so I was slower. It made me appreciate my sweet baby-blue Trek road bike all the more. My bike practically climbs hills by itself. Sara's older bike didn't. I went from the front 1/3 to probably the back 1/3 with one event. I'm not kidding. Oh-well.

It's time for me to get serious about my swim too. Thank you Tim Clyde for bringing that to my attention - as if I didn't already know. (just kidding). I did the side-stroke the ENTIRE time. Though Em had spent time with me a couple of weeks prior in the pool helping me with my swim, I gravitated to what I knew best. When I wasn't side-stroking, I was walking in the shallow end. By the next tri I plan to have spent more time in the pool. I feel 100% confident on the run and on the bike (assuming I'm on MY bike), but I need help with my swim.

Then I'll be a real competitor! Bring it on!