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!

A Woman of Steel

After months and months of anticipation and preparation, it finally arrived - my first Sprint Triathlon. I signed up in January, excited and scared. What was I committing to? I, along with 36 other (approximately) other women from our neighborhood decided to go for it.

Getting to the gym every day for me was the easy part. That was my routine. I loved biking, running, and lifting. Swimming was my downfall. I'm a terrible swimmer, so I hated "practicing". I avoided it like crazy. I did at one point try to get a trainer to help me with my technique, but the two appointments we had fell through. Then it was just too close to the actual event, so I gave up on trying to improve my swim. What a mistake that was. Cute Beccy Martin and I stood together waiting for the swim. There she gave me a mini lesson. But, it didn't help. I joked that I was the comic relief in the pool. I wore black (unlike at the left in the photos) hoping no one would recognize me in the pool. I had a pink cap and goggles on just like everyone else. Surely I would blend in. Then I heard Colby's voice - GROTHE! Crap, he recognized me. And I'm sure he laughed as he watched me struggle in the water. I swear I swallowed half the pool.

After 10:47 struggling minutes I finally finished, climbed out, and jogged (they wouldn't let us run - not that I'd be able to with jelly legs) to the transition area. There was my 2nd mess-up. Transition #1 was awful - 3:05 minutes. All I had to do was secure my helmet, put my socks and shoes on, grab some gum and my bike, and run. But, I took my sweet time (obviously).

Once on my bike, I soared. It felt great. The hills were easy. I passed person after person steadily. While others waivered from side to side, I climbed the hill. I picked up my pace once at the top and biked like I'd never biked before. I finished 11 miles in 38 minutes. I'd cut off 10 minutes from our bike ride on Tuesday. I'm sure adrenaline played a part, but it probably didn't hurt that I'd had my bike adjusted to my height and body the day before. Whatever it was, it worked.

My second transition went much more quickly. I took just over a minute to drop my bike off, take off my helmet, throw on my team "pink" shirt, cram some shot blocks in my shirt, and run. I was on my way. On the hill I was winded and slowed to a fast walk for about 30 seconds. Now I regret doing that. I normally don't stop when I'm running; why did I then? But then I picked back up and ran. I was chasing #59. We all had our ages on the back of our right legs, and I was following some lady who was 59. She had a steady pace. About 2/3 into the run, I picked up my pace, passed her, and then ran as fast I could from there. I ran my fastest 5k yet - 25:05.

I crossed the finish line at 1:18:25. I'd estimated it would take me 90 minutes to complete the entire race, and I'd beat my goal by more than 10 minutes.

Our entire team of "pink" did really well. The majority of us finished within 3-4 minutes of each other. The fastest of our group beat me by 2 minutes. You can only imagine how I analyzed my race. What if my transition would have been faster? I could have easily been in and out of the transition area in 90 seconds. What if I wouldn't have stopped during my run? What if my swimming didn't suck so bad? These are things I will remember for next time.

And oh yeah, there will be a next time. Em, Sara, and I have already signed up for the PG Tri on June 14th. There I will have to swim 400 meters (yuck - I'll probably drown), only bike 8 miles, and run another 3. It's going to be an adventure.

My hero for the race? Sheena Brown. With the flu, she competed. She knew she shouldn't. She'd been sick the day before and the morning of. Yet, she said a little prayer, had Darrin give her a blessing, and she went for it. She is such a trooper.

My other hero? Rebecca Schow. She kicked butt. I remember when we first signed up, she was completely reluctant. She didn't want to. Yet she did amazingly well - beating almost everyone in our ward. Her time was around 1:17:55. That turkey beat me! I'm so proud of her.

This will be a Tri to remember. Never again will we have so many ladies participate, train, and compete together. It was an amazing experience!!!

Men in Training

So our cute men are training for their first sprint triathlon. Actually, Colby (the non-poser) is an experienced triathlon-er, and now it's his job to share his expertise with the rest of the men. They had their first taste of what it would be like swimming something like 32 laps in the Oakley pool. I think they have a long road ahead of them. They were all over the place. They will be swimming in open water in June when they compete in the St. George Triathlon. Of course Colby will be competing in the Olympic Triathlon. The men are excited and motivated. This should be quite the experience and an accomplishment!

The girls are training too. While the mens' sprint triathlon is in June, our's is in May. We've all been working out and are working towards reaching the finish! We'll be staying close to home at the American Fork Women of Steel. Our goal is not to place (though that wouldn't be so bad), but rather to finish! What started as four women has grown too. Lots of our friends and neighbors have now signed up, so we are all excited to do this together!