I’m a triathlete!
I woke up Saturday morning and I really wasn’t sure if I could do it. I thought of every excuse in the book…complete exhaustion, sore knee from being on my feet all day long, total and utter fear…but I took a few deep breathes, said a quick prayer, and got out of bed.
After breakfast, packing and triple checking to make sure I had everything I needed for transitions, my mom and I headed to registration.
There were two major perks that helped drag me out of bed race morning—I was on my home turf and knew people would be cheering for me the whole time and my best friend Alaina was on her way to compete as well. I wasn’t about to let her down!
Registration was quick and painless (especially since I knew every volunteer and they were all offering me kind words because I was so visibly NERVOUS). I was lucky enough to have both my mom and dad as my personal race butlers–my mom helped me at T1 and was there at the finish, and my dad was responsible for my bike and water at T2, they made it so easy and it was nice knowing that they were there.
Alaina and I set up our first transition then made our way down the hill to the beach.
Even though the lake looks gorgeous, I was pretty much freaking out at this point. Alaina and I started much closer to the back than the front. We joked our way through the agonizing minutes until the start and it helped calm my out of control nerves. When the horn sounded, Alaina took off! I was so impressed with the way she fearlessly maneuvered her way through the crowd, but it wasn’t long until I was so focused on getting into a rhythm that I lost sight of her.
I am so proud of myself in retrospect with the way I handled the swim. I was definitely the most nervous about this portion of the race, as it is clearly the most immediately dangerous. I never panicked, I never lost focus…I just swam. I didn’t get kicked  or swam over (I was far enough to the back so we were all pretty spaced out), but a few times I was touch by a hand or foot. Oddly enough, it was comforting to know that there were people around me so the seamonsters did get me!
Before I knew it, I was coming out of the water and it was over. I finished the swim in 22 minutes–I consider this a huge accomplishment!
Next up was the bike. I knew the 12 mile course is very hilly and if you have been following, you know that the bike was the leg I trained for the least—in fact, I borrowed a bike RACE MORNING. I decided that borrowing a very nice, new mountain bike with a girl seat made me feel much safer than riding my Uncle’s road bike with the gears that changed by my knees. Safety and comfort were my main priorities.
T1 was quick and before I knew it, I was peddling away. Right away, cyclists with road bikes were passing me. I was a bit bummed, but about 4 miles into the race, my endurance kicked in. I was conquering hills with gusto. I was picking people in front of me and trying to catch up and pass them. And while I only passed two people, no one passed me after mile 4. Before I knew it, the bike was over, and I was so incredibly happy to get my feet back on the ground!
My dad was at T2 to cheer me on, and I was quickly on my way for the run. I was the most confident in the run, but it was definitely the hardest leg. My legs were like lead and the sun was beating down. The course was mostly down hill and I still managed the pass about 10 people. After 3 grueling miles, I crossed the finish line!
That’s me in the blue with about 20 meters until the finish line.
I was greeted by my mom and a few friends. I was feeling very accomplished, but I was feeling more like I was going to puke than anything. I gobbled up some orange slices, gatorade, and water and regained my footing a bit. My overall time was 1:40–much faster than I anticipated! I won’t know my split times until Thursday.
I found connected with this lady in the crowd–she finished in 1:23, she killed it!
I think that I am most proud of the fact that I never felt like I needed to give up. I never felt so physically taxed or exhausted that I had wanted to stop and quit. I thought I was unprepared, but I wasn’t. And it was such a relief.
The rest of Saturday was spent on my mom’s couch. After the race I was out of it…I wasn’t hungry, my stomach was upset, and I couldn’t even nap. I showered and just laid motionless for about 4 hours. I wasn’t even sore! I eventually made my way back to Johnstown and watched a movie with John. I say “watched”, but I really slept through most of it. I slept like a rock that night!
Yesterday was spent on the boat with my dad and visiting with family. It was my goal to take a walk to stretch my muscles, but I ended up just relaxing.
Today I cleaned, relaxed, and took care of some paperwork/errands. I took the day off from work, which was pretty awesome–I love three day weekends! I have another busy, busy week, but only 4 work days make it so much better.
When was the last time you surprised yourself? Completing my first 15k and triathlon in a 6 day span really has me on a high. I’ve never felt more confident and more like I can accomplish anything. I knew I was strong, but was completely surprised by my level of endurance and strength in my body.
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Our college house! Elizabeth, Alaina, and I ventured back to Oswego for Harborfest and it was a success! It was great to see old friends and enjoy each other’s company–the way we did in college! We were there for just about 24 hours and this really was the perfect amount of time, long enough to see everyone and remember why we love that place SO much but not too long to feel sick of it. We all decided that going back once a year is the best idea, but we are DEFINITELY not cut out for that lifestyle anymore.
We stayed in the dorms!
What is that, you say?
Scotch Tape. Yes, my lovely camera was being held together by scotch tape so it was time to put her to rest.
14 Megapixels…isn’t she pretty? I do want to get a DSLR at some point, but it just isn’t in the budget right now, so this is what I chose.
With this yummy eggplant, I made grilled eggplant parm. I lightly grilled four slices of eggplant after I let it sit for about 15 minutes, salted.
Then, after about 3 minutes on each side, I topped the eggplant with a scoop of sauce (Ragu from the jar!) and part skim mozz cheese. Then I popped them under the broiler for about 5 minutes and voila!
I paired this with cranberry slaw—my favorite summer side dish—and it was a great, light meal. I only ate two of the rounds, but that means I will have two for tomorrow.
See Sing Live 