It's been a while since we've seen a post, so I've decided it's time to make a new one. A lot has happened since the last time I posted, so I'll try to catch everyone up. First, Kait and I ran a nine mile loop around our neighborhood. This was exciting for two reasons. First, this is by far the farthest Kait has ever run and it's the furthest non-race run I had done up to that point. It was also the furthest I had run since recovering from an injury. The run provided a much needed morale boost for the both of us!
A few days after that run, I participated in my first triathlon. The event consisted of a .5 mile swim, a 13 mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run (or a 5k, I'm not really sure). Other than crossfit and running, I hadn't really trained for this race. I don't bike much and I don't swim much, but I figured I would do decently enough. I wasn't hoping to win or anything. I was completely wrong. This race totally and completely kicked my ass!! I can honestly say that I have never done anything so challenging in my entire life. It made my first half marathon look like a walk in the park.
First of all, it was a miracle I didn't drown. I realized I was doomed in the swim about five minutes in, at which point I decided to shift my goal from finishing the triathlon to finishing the swim portion of the triathlon. I couldn't swim in a straight line to save my life and, as a result, kept swimming into the kayaks position along the way to rescue drowning idiots who randomly decide to do a triathlon. By the time I finished, everyone else was several minutes into the bike ride and every volunteer with a boat in the water was circling me and cheering me on. It was a humbling experience.
Once I made it out of the water, I tried to make up some time by keeping my transition as brief as possible. Most likely my second mistake. I threw on a shirt, shoes, socks and helmet and took off within three minutes of finishing the swim. The bike ride was fine for the first five miles and miserably difficult for the second 8. Haha....by the time I was done with my bike ride, the slowest runners were more than a mile into the 5k.
My second transition was even shorter than my first. I threw off my helmet, dropped my bike, grabbed my water belt and took off. That was the roughest three miles I have ever run. I literally had nothing in the tank. The only redeeming aspect of the run was that I passed one person and saw a few people that weren't too far in front of me.
All in all, I finished second to last. My boyfriend, who did the triathlon with me and did remarkably well, was there to hug me, as was my friend who ended up finishing forth in her age bracket (she's a beast). I have to say that my biggest fear going in to this race, like most races, was coming in last. Now that it's happened, I have to say that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. As challenging as that race was, I was so grateful just to finish. I realized pretty early on that I was going to be last, so, for me, it was a mental game from the get-go. I had to consciously challenge myself to think positive, do the best I can and remember to have fun. I made sure to smile at every volunteer, keep my head held high and finish the race, however slow, with as much pride as I could muster. It was a positive experience that I would trade for a faster time in a million years (maybe..)!
I've already registered for another triathlon in mid-September, the Pocono challenge, with my former high school chemistry teacher. We'll be doing it as a team and there is no swim (instead there is a 10 mile paddle down a river). In preparation I've started biking to and from work more frequently (which is fairly challenging after crossfit). I don't know how much it will help, but it's a start. I've also registered for another half marathon, the Harrisburg Half, on September 9th in an attempt to train from the marine corps marathon on October 27th! So many races!!
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