So my day finally came!  Mother’s Day 2009 I did my very first triathlon.  The Kinetic was at Lake Anna again.  And it was a perfect day.  It was a Sprint length one:  750 meter swim, 18 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run.  Mark came along with me for my moral support.  He took some great pics, too. 

I had to ask fellow Team Zerz to help me set up my bike and asked for tips about my transition.  I did need air in my tires.  But there is A LOT about transitions that need to be considered!  I had terrible transition times, but overall, this was my first triathlon and I just wanted to finish the race.  So I won’t get into what went wrong, because for me, they probably were not wrong, they just need work.

I started off by warming up in the lake.  The lake was much warmer than the last time.  I could have done it without my wetsuit on!  I was really more focused on the bike and the run.  The swim was not a big deal for me.  I started the race in wave 4 and had a pink cap on.  The swim was over in no time (14 minutes) and I was off to my 18 mile bike ride.  Mark was at the swim entrance taking pictures.  It was awesome to see him there. 

I thought I’d have troubles on the bike, but I really did not.  The bike is by far my weakest event.  I need work!  I did not get off the bike to walk up the hills, although the one at the end I could have!  The hills were big at times, but I also did not use my “granny gear.”  I just used 1 and 2 to get up the hills.  My chain fell off one time, but only took about 30 seconds to get it back on.  I could not believe an hour and 20 minutes or so went buy and I was back in transition.  18 miles seemed to have gone very fast.  Mark was waiting for me where I walked back into the transition area, but I did not see him.  He walked over to the run entrance from transition, and I did see him there! 

After my bike, the left half of my left foot was asleep, and my left leg was very tired.  OH - great time for a segway..........

When I was in Hawaii last March, my friend Ali and I ran a 10K.  In my goodie bag was a few samples of an electrolyte gel called Lava Gel.  I tried some out on my practices and ended up buying a box because I loved it so much!  The coffee flavor is my favorite.  I cannot taste it after I eat it, and it really is a gel, not a paste, so it goes right down.  I cannot taste is when I burp or after I guzzle water.  Lava Gel - you got it right! 

End segway.  So I grabbed a Lava Gel in transition and then drank the last of my bike water mixture before I went out on my run.  I had a large up hill for the first part of the run.  I did end up walking up a few hills for the run!  I kept telling myself that “I have 5K’s for breakfast!” all through the run.  I was tired and hot and my muscles were trying to tell me they could not finish.  But I told my muscles that we weren’t playing that game - NOT TODAY!  I had another Lava Gel after the turnaround point.  The run was not totally bad.  Actually, it was not bad at all.  The last .25 miles or so was a gorgeous downhill paved path in the Lake Anna park.  Then it opened along the water for the last stretch to the finish line.  I shaka’d every photographer I could find, so hopefully I’ll get some good shots from the race photogs to buy. 

I must say, I have envisioned this for years.  I knew I had it in me.  It was just the part about asthma, practicing and committing to it that I had to work on.  Team Z is a wonderful training group.  The things I learned have been foundational to endurance sports.  But now that I’ve reached this goal, I have no plans to continue right now.  I do have plans to continue to swim.  That is my place in life.  If I do continue with endurance sports, I need to work more with my doctor to find new ways or different drugs for my lungs.   

I know there’s probably a million other things I could write in here, but I am absolutely exhausted.  I may change this blog as I remember things I want to add.  My asthma did creep up on me, but I had my inhaler on me.  I know I used it too many times, but gosh darn it!  I finished a triathlon today!  Today I have become a Triathlete.