If I Told You the Triathlon Would Kill Me, Good News - I'm Still Here!

Cue music. We are survivors, we didn't give up . . .

Gary and I (and my sister and brother-in-law) did a triathlon. The whole thing without stopping. And we're still alive! We signed up for it in May thinking it was an ingenious way to get in shape, my sister and I imagining our post-partum bodies turning into finely-chiseled masterpieces. At the time I could barely run two miles without trouble, and there's also the fact I can't swim. And also don't have a bike. No matter!

Gary and I both finished first in our age divisions . . . in transition time from bike to run. Gotta take my small victories. (The truth - it was probably because our bikes were parked close to the entrance. But still, my name is on top of a list.)

Due to a crazy summer (I always think I can do more than humanly possible. Maybe someday I will be right. My thought process usually goes like this, "Today I will refinance the house, make and deliver cookies to my visiting teaching people, clean the house, pack for our trip all by myself, and pick Gary up from work by 4. All with 3 small children underfoot.") What a diversion, yes, anyway, crazy summer, didn't get to train as much as I would have liked, so no amazing bod, but I went from struggling to run to finishing the sprint tri. Yeah.

Gary did well in the swim regardless of training, but barely knowing how to swim, it was hard for me. So, I made it through performing the backwards frog stroke. I was not the last one out of the water, but pretty close. The ones behind me were probably suffering from frog-kick to the head.

I was positive I'd make up time on the bike, but I just wasn't passing anybody. Finally I saw a lady in front of me that looked like she was going slow. Ha, ha, I was going to pass her! As I smugly sped past I noticed she didn't have a number on her bike. Also she was wearing a flowered t-shirt and a visor. And her hair had been recently set. Just out for a Saturday leisure ride . . . I am awesome. Later I found out if I'd been on a road bike I could have gone around 20% faster with the same amount of effort. My competitive side wants to borrow such a bike and try again. My calm side says it was all for the work out anyway, so it doesn't matter. My competitive side may someday win.

When I jumped off my bike, I almost fell down. Where were my legs? Oh, well, legs or no, I still had a 5k to run. Even though I was at the back of the pack, there's something about ditching your bike and running off to do a 5k that makes you feel like an athlete. Especially when you drink some water provided to you by a volunteer and then throw the cup to save time. That alone was sassy enough to help me find my legs. And also a short stretch once out of sight to spectators. The run was pretty hard, but I made up time there. Whereas I finished near the bottom of the first two events, I finished 11th out of 62 women on the run. Another teensy victory! Plus, I sprinted to the finish. A short sprint, but I did it.

I love hearing Gary tell about his race. I also love hearing Nate and Cindy tell about theirs. We all had some hard moments, but Cindy said it best, "Doing something like that is very empowering." We didn't think it would be that fun, especially since none of us are in the best shape. But Gary and I can't quit talking about it. About where we'll shave off time, and how much. I think a good start for me would be learning how to swim. We can see how people can get addicted to stuff like this. However, is most of the fun from the low expectations? Who knows. But jello-belly me did it. So we had biscuits and gravy for breakfast today. Can't just burn calories without replacing them. Right?

We look awesome in this picture - but it has to be posted. These people just swam 500 meters, biked 12 miles, and ran 3.1 miles . . . here's proof. (I have to brag, it's all this body's got!)

Other tri tips: Don't sleep with your two-year-old the night before. Remember to put your goggles on your actual eyes before the swim, on top of your head doesn't help much.