I started my morning at 500am to allow adequate 'digesting' time after my breakfast of champions.
A nice little oatmeal and tea delight to fuel this cardio machine.
We arrived at the lake with plenty of time to spare. The whole place was buzzing with energy. I checked in, got my timing chip, and began setting up my stuff. You need a lot of stuff for a triathlon... More than I had thought. I had my cycling shoes, running shoes, socks, sunglasses, lip stuff, my helmet, my bib number, and my foot towel all laid out nicely, ready to go.
My total time was 3hrs24mins19secs. This isn't a super spectacular time, but for my first one, I'm happy with it. I plan on doing this race again next year to see how much I can improve :)
The swim ( 1500m in 32m57s) went great! I made a last minute decision to take off my wetsuit and just swim in my tri suit. I'm so glad I did. The lake was unbelievably warm for mid June, and I don't know how the majority of the wetsuit wearers didn't over heat.
Transition #1 3m46s
The bike (40km in 1h38m41s) was the longest ride I've ever done. My ass was sore and I earned a decent sunburn but nonetheless it was a lot of fun. I have quite a bit of work to do to improve my time, but I think it's doable. The course was definitely more hilly than I expected which contributed to my slower time.
Transition #2 2m36s
The run (10 km in 1h6m21s) started off a bit shaky. My legs felt like jello getting off the bike and I was seriously doubting my ability to run 10k! Luckily the path was a beautiful winding trail around the lake which made the time pass quickly.
Crossing the finish line the announcer said my name and recognized that it was my first tri... I couldn't control my emotions and started crying happy tears... I was overwhelmed with pride, happiness, and exhaustion.
I had such a positive 'first' triathlon experience and I'm really looking forward to the next one. It'll only get better from here!
