Luv What You Do

I did it!  I completed my first Olympic Distance Triathlon this morning.

I thought it would be nice to begin with a finisher picture!  This is my mom and I right after I crossed the finish line.

Now, back to the beginning…

I woke up at 4:30 this morning feeling like a total ball of nerves.  If someone would have told me 2 years ago, that I’d be competing in triathlons, I would have laughed.  I have finished 3 sprint distance races over the past 2 summers and I was eager to attempt the longer Olympic distance (it is twice the length of the sprint), but was also super scared!

 

Luckily, despite the recent heat and storms, the weather was cooperating.  Check out this perfect race weather!

6 am           9 am           12 pm

                              
58°F                68°F                 76°F

Feels Like        Feels Like          Feels Like
57°F             68°F              78°F

 

I was all packed up and ready to go by 5:00 AM

                

I had a simple breakfast of microwavable oatmeal with some added banana, skim milk, and chia seeds in the car on my way to the race, along with some black tea of course.  I was so nervous that I didn’t finish my breakfast.

         
               

We arrived at Wauconda High School under a full moon.

 

I set up my transition area (I think I overpacked for this one).

 

And greeted my fan club!  I am so lucky to have such an amazing support system drive out to Wauconda before 6 AM.

 

We boarded a bus and headed down to the swim start on Bang’s Lake.  The female sprint race was just beginning.

 

I wrestled myself into my wet suit and still had time for my mom to braid my hair.

 

The time came to walk over to the beach and my nerves kicked in!

 

My mom came over for a pep talk.

 

And then it was time to head into the water.  Despite all of my nerves before the race, I was totally calm in the water.  I think the wet suit helped…it made me feel buoyant and confident as I swam across the lake.  I think I took the scenic route since I had no idea where I was headed.  My left goggle was fogged and the buoys were tough to see with the sun.  Once I turned the corner to head back towards land, I was able to get into my rhythm and I confidently finished my 1 mile swim (the longest I have ever done).

 

I was ready for the rest of the triathlon.  I took my time in transitions and battled some strong headwinds on the bike.  By the time the run came, I was feeling strong and steady.  I even kicked it into gear for my finish!  Don’t I look determined?!

 

I was tired and a bit sore (especially in my legs) after the race, but I felt good…like I had trained well!  I was so proud of my accomplishment, and I enjoyed every minute of the race.  The BOY had given me some great advice.  He told me that it was my last tri of the season and I should enjoy it.  This worked great on the swim!  With such a gorgeous day, I kept reminding myself how lucky I was to spend it outside swimming, biking, and running.  It was a fast group of competitors this morning and many of them have done half and full ironman races.  You should have seen some of these bikes!  Instead of feeling intimidated, I felt proud to be competing amongst them.  I think that my family took some more pictures from the race that I will share soon! 

Final Results

1 mile swim: 34:33

Transition 1: 5:31

25 mile bike: 1:26:16

Transition 2: 4:22

10K run: 49:56

TOTAL: 3:00:36

Overall: 280 out of 381

Age Group: 18 out of 25

After the race, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my mom dropped off this week’s CSA in the BOY’s car.  Yum!

 

We headed home for a quick shower and then off to Claim Jumper for lunch.

Beer and popcorn…two of my favorites!

Then it was home for a 2 hour family nap (even Emmy enjoyed a snooze) and some time with my my new friend the foam roller before relaxing on the couch.

Last summer I set the goal of completing an Olympic distance triathlon, and I am so excited to have faced my swim fears, trained smart, and finished this race.  At 3 hours, it is the longest race I have ever done!  Until October’s Chicago marathon that is!