Race Day!

 “Head to the starting line with the knowledge that the woman who starts the race is not the same as the woman who will finish it.” – Sally Edwards

Race day was eventful and filled with moments I could never explain. I can’t imagine going through the experience without all of my wonderful family being there by my side. Between Forrest, his parents, my parents, Amberly’s family, it seemed like someone was there every corner I made with a camera and a big smile. It made me feel so good and reminded me of how thankful I am for them.

So starting with the morning of:

I was extremely grateful that Forrest had set up accommodations for all of us at a lodge on site because that made such a difference in how we were all able to spend our morning. We didn’t have to deal with traveling, parking, waking up extra early, etc. It was absolutely perfect!

The day started at 5:30am which was the time that the transition area opened. Amberly and I rolled out of bed after waking up every couple of hours through the night thinking it was game time. The transition area was just opening up and we wanted to be some of the first ones down there to rack our bikes, which we were. The temperature outside was in the lower 60’s so it felt a little chilly. Feeling a little anxious at this point especially thinking about getting in that water!

Next we came back to the room to get ready, ate a little breakfast, and gathered all of our things. Then around 7am, we headed back down to the transition area to set our things up next to our bikes. We then went through the body marking area to get all of our numbers put on us and eventually made our way down to the swim start, setting our shoes up along the way.  Soon it was time to put our lovely swim caps on and line up according to our wave.

     

The swim went well. I started in the back and fortunately did not experience any leg kicks to the face or anything like. I only choked on water once and had to stop to catch my breath. Other than that, I finished feeling good and ready to start the bike.

Amberly and I met up in transition after the swim which was nice because for the remainder of the event we were able to stay together. The bike course was difficult because of all the hills but we made it through.

   

We still had energy for the run but decided to take it easy. The course was a little rocky and the last mile was completely uphill. We finished strong and held each others hands as we crossed the finish line.

 

 

 

Afterwards we celebrated and had fun rooting the rest of the women on as they crossed the finish line!

 

Thank you to all my family for being so great to me and for all of the support this weekend. It means so much to me. and I will always cherish the memories we made!

Moment of Reflection before 10/03/10

Which is the day of the Trek Women’s Triathlon in Austin, TX. EEEEK!!

Thinking back about when I first considered doing one….I actually didn’t even consider for a second doing the whole thing because I was deathly afraid of getting on a BIKE especially one of those ones with skinny tires which I soon found out was called a road bike. Whoever came up with the metaphor, “it’s like riding a bike” in reference to one of those skills you never loose, is not someone I can relate to.

Anyways, I started out on Cheri’s cruiser and rode with her up and down the driveway (about 0.2 mi) at the ranch. She taught me how to turn and literally at one point held my shirt (think it was meant to be funny). I really was that rusty though. I did get the hang of it eventually, only falling once in the beginning (during a turn of course). Fortunately the fall wasn’t traumatic enough for me to sell my bike back.

As for the SWIM, I just had to get my body back into shape. Luckily since I used to swim when I was younger, I already had the form down which is a big obstacle for many beginner triathletes without swim backgrounds. I was able to build up pretty quickly, surprising myself how much I remember from 12 years ago. Gotta thank my mom for that – dragging me to swim practice all those mornings….thanks Mom!!

And as for the RUN, I have been jogging on and off for the past couple years. I mainly focused on just maintaining until I signed up for a half marathon in January 2011. Then I had to step it up a notch and start running longer distances.

Anyways, I mostly followed a TRAINING program set up by the triathlon organizers. The couple of weeks when it got more intense, picking up in frequency and all, I wasn’t able to stick to – just with school and all, I had to prioritize.

So after 10 weeks of preparation, the big day is here. It is hard to not have any doubts. Just have to think positive – or as Sally Edwards would say, think to yourself “I AM STRONG!” the whole way through.

My inspirational husband has been so supportive all along, telling me how great I am doing, giving me so much confidence. Amberly, I am so grateful for – she committed to doing it with  me which made this whole process much more fun. And Cheri, my little bike riding partner. I am so blessed to have had her there for me/with me since day one.

Here are a few pics of all of us in Austin the night before the race.

    

Next up, the big day: RACE DAY