Prologue

I did have one day of rest before this race, but it probably wasn't going to be enough....Saturday morning, up at 5 a.m., and off to the race site two hours away. The race wasn't set to begin until 9 a.m., so plenty of time for setup, worry and HEAT....

We arrived in plenty of time to set up; I couldn't really tell where the transition exit point was, so I set up in what I THOUGHT was the middle; turned out to later be in the BACK, a bit far away from the exit....:-)

The
Swim

As the 15-second countdown began, I did feel a bit nervous....my parents are watching, and I really want to do well! We hit zero, and I'm off! My first few minutes go fine, but as I settle into a rhythm, I just don't feel energetic yet. I guess I'll just have to keep going and finish this thing! I complete the swim in 17:01, suspect that the swim is a bit long, but I'm done, and off to the next leg....My parents tell me after the race that I was in 22nd place for my heat in the swim, and 38th of 146 in the final results...

This is by far my strong point, and just goes to show that swimming isn't REALLY that difficult if you've had a few lessons....Anyway, I head into transition with no problems, rip off the wetsuit and am out in 2:09; the BIKE is now ahead....

The
Bike

Then, I round a turn, and Yikes! There's a Hill! I quickly ratchet down a few gears and try to keep up some momentum so the hill won't get difficult, but it's no use! Too soon I've used up ALL my gears, and the Hill just seems to go on forever! I dismount and resign myself to WALK the Hill; I soon find that I'm still going almost as fast as those who are still riding; my heart thanks me for this brief rest, and then I eventually reach the "top". It's really not the top, because there's still a bit of an incline to the turnaround....and then the fun begins!

Since we just c-r-a-w-l-e-d up the incline, that means we get to RACE down it! I was easily rolling down the hill and enjoying most of it; my breathing rate dropped and I felt I could rest a bit; even so, the speed with which I was descending was not something I was used to. My bike skills are lackluster at best, so this was not a piece of cake for me; I used my brakes probably far to often, but I did feel in control.

I entered the transition area in 37:22 ---- very slow, but I didn't care! I was still under an hour total, so I could finish under 1:30 if it just didn't get TOO HOT! The heat was already building, and I couldn't find an easy way to get water on the bike, with the excruciating ups and thrilling downs! I coasted into transition and quickly dismounted, slipped on the running shoes, and was off! Time of 1:23 was good for me!

The
Run

Without the shade and not enough water during the bike, I quickly slowed to a shuffle. I walked every water stop and a little bit in between, getting slower and slower between each stop. As I was on the last mile or so, one runner in red collapsed by the side of the road (Not me!); then, soon after, I tripped and fell to the pavement as I attempted to stay out of the way of a truck :-)

Not really hurt, I kept going and knew I would finish, even if it would be slower than I had hoped for....I entered the park area and crossed the line in a wonderful 1:31:27! 90th of 145 finishers (minus the one who collapsed), and a run of 33:32. Not bad, considering the heat, hills and humidity! (Alliteration, anyone?) Parents there to congratulate me, and I immediately went in search of WATER! Glad to be done with this one!

Postscript

Although this was a short course triathlon, the technical bike wasn't conducive to good riding. Suggestion to change the bike course for next year, to more flat sections! Beginning late (9 a.m.) was also a mistake, so an earlier start would be warranted, especially for the later heats (we started TEN minutes apart so the volunteers had enough supplies for us at the stops....)

Hopefully, this race will only get better, since it IS in a beautiful area (Indiana, Pennsylvania) and deserves support! When the race results arrived, I found out that the participant who collapsed was still in the hospital two weeks after the event, due to heat stroke. Just another reason to hold the race EARLIER....Keep training and see you at the races! My next event is one month from now, so I'm going to train hard and smoke the competition!