That's right...two weeks ago I completed the HV Sprint Triathlon in Danbury, CT. I am still amazed at how quickly that day came and went. My mom drove me to the lake that morning around 6:00a.m. and the nerves came with me. I had to check in my bike, get my swim cap and have my number written on my arm (291). We were doing a lot with Team Juju production stuff early on, getting pep talks from our trainers, etc. I went and felt the water - it was warm thankfully.
As the start time was getting closer I really wasn't sure what I had gotten myself into. I knew that I could do it, but I had no idea what I had in store.
The gun goes off and the swim starts. They didn't stagger the waves very well, so we were all pretty much on top of each other. This was very scary and in the first 50 yards I was starting to gulp down water and gasp for air. Turning at the first buoy was quite a nightmare as well, seeing that I made the silly choice of being on the inside of the corner and everyone came in on me as they made their turn. Note to self for next time, definitely go to the outside lane. I decided to then take my time and do whatever I could to get through the swim without having to grab onto the boat used for safety or one of the kayaks. I wanted to do this on my own, no matter how long that took. I finally got out of the water and headed to the transition area to get ready for the bike.
The bike...I definitely didn't take training as serious as I should have and that became very apparent early on in the bike leg. I started out strong and then wham! There was the biggest hill right in my way that absolutely killed my legs. I eventually got up the hill and continued on my way. For the first time I was actually thankful for my 12 year old mountain bike. The roads in this neighborhood were full of potholes and I can't imagine being on a road bike. At one point I was going pretty fast down a bumpy road and I was jostling so much that the cage holding my water bottle broke off, my water bottle fell to the ground and I ran over it! That was it...only about 1 1/2-2 miles in and I was lacking my water supply. Eventually I made it through the first loop, dreading facing that hill again and just kept going. I was finally done the bike!
When I went back into the transition area to put my bike back and get ready for the run, people were already finished the race. A little disheartening, yes, but I kept going. As soon as I got off the bike my legs were jelly. I knew I could keep going, I had to finish, and I knew I had those three miles of the run left in me. I continued on through the neighborhood pretty much alone, as I had been for most of the race, and could hear the music from the finish line. I reached the turn around point, went down a straigtaway and saw the water of the lake in the distance. This is when I almost lost it. I started to tear up and the emotions were taking over. I couldn't believe that I was finishing a sprint triathlon and I was so close to that finish line.
Even though I finished pretty close to last, it was still an amazing experience. My parents and Trey were there waiting for me at the finish line and that made it all worth it. Now that I know I can actually do this, my competitive instincts have kicked in and I want to do another sprint triathlon in April, take the training seriously and get better times.
It was a great time, but as I said...I cannot believe how quickly it came and went.
Peace and happy swim/bike/running!
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