Valley Girl Triathlon

Yesterday I raced my first sprint triathlon EVER....and I have to tell you it was fun.  Really.

So much stinkin' F.U.N.

Maybe it's because I didn't drown in the swim portion of the race, maybe it's because I had the world's best supporters cheering for me or maybe it was the awesome team that I am lucky enough to be a part of.  Probably a combination of all three with a little bit of friendly competition thrown in.

The weather for the race was perfect so I opted to leave my wetsuit at home.  A decision I regretted when I got there although the water actually turned out to be really warm and I didn't need it in the end.  Matt dropped me off at a friends place who lived really close to the start line of the race and as she was racing too we just rode our bikes down to the start together.  We checked in, got our race chips and body marking  and set up our transitions.  I picked up my new Team Blaze race kit from Coach Tristin and had enough time to change into it before the start of the race.  Here is a pic of the Team Blaze girls at the swim start (photo courtesy of Coach Scott)

The Swim...well what can I say.  I survived it.   My swimming technique stinks so I think it's time to call in expert help and I'll be getting some coaching guidance from Coach Scott to get this whole swim thing under control. So I swam.  I didn't drown and in the tradition of Forrest Gump...that's all I have to say about that!

My transition to the bike went fairly smoothly although the lady whose bike was racked next to mine took a really nasty spill coming out of the water and I called the medic over for her as she had a nasty gash from her knee all the way down her calf...OUCH. Out on the bike I had a constant grin on my face.  I was just loving it.  I didn't want to blow up on the run so I took it easy on the bike and just enjoyed myself.  My av on the bike was 18.3 mph so next time I'll know to push a little harder. 

Onto the run and my legs felt fine but I had trouble finding my rhythm. I didn't really hit my stride until inside the last mile and then I was joined by my entourage.  I had the only all male escort across the line.  Seeing it was a womens only race I felt pretty special.

Stats for the race:

Swim:         1/3 mile        13m 13sec

T1:                                  2m 33sec

Bike:           12 miles       39m 17sec

T2:                                   1m 55sec

Run:           3 miles          27m 21sec

Total Time: 1:24:19

F40-49: 12/80

Overall 83/439

Special thanks to my wonderful husband and children who managed to be everywhere on the course cheering me on.  My lovely friend Michelle who also came with her children ( they made me such a cute little poster and stuck it to my front door when I got home). And to my team mates from Team Blaze who came to race and support us....especially Coach Scott and Tobin who took all these great pictures.

Race the River Tri...here I come!