it's nice to allow yourself to be lazy every once in a while.
but now i'm over it.
so let's jump in the time machine and go back to last saturday...
woosh.....
the alarm goes off.
it's 5am and pitch black with the exception of the fullish moon trying to peek out from behind the clouds. but good news, the fog has dissipated from the night before.
it's triathlon morning and there's a lot to do before heading off to newport. bags are packed, but need to be double checked, bike rack and bikes need to get on to the car, and the hydration process needs to begin! can you have too many cowbells?!
mz & i get setup, chat with kara...our support team and paparazzi for the day. she of course has made a friend, someone my nana's age who also shares the same name. as the rest of the crowd starts trickling in, we check out the beach.
bad news, it's rough. the wind is whipping the sand against my skin. and oops, the giant fluorescent swim buoys that lined the course floated away over night. not a good sign. the rumors start...will we swim? will we race at all?
the officials decide that if an engine powered machine can't do it, chances of a human surviving is low,
so the swim is cancelled and replaced with a quarter mile beach run. just enough to get you sandy and mess with your mind and transition.
at this point, i want to join a bunch of the elite/professionals and go home. this stinks! it's cold and windy and wet and it doesn't even count and my stomach hurts. major disappointment, i've already mentally quit. others are rejoicing over the swim cancellation and while i'm thankful that we weren't forced to risk our lives, i felt good about the swim. i didn't think i'd be the head of the pack, but i've made the most progress there and have dedicated the most training time to getting there. i wanted to prove that i could do it!
but we race. and the course is more brutal than expected. the hills are constant and the roads? they've been eaten by years of salt air so the flat areas are no treat either. luckily traffic was light and there were plenty of police out marking the course so there weren't any traffic accidents...since the course was not closed. when riding along the coast there were times when i was pedaling my hardest...DOWNHILL! grueling.
i remember checking my bike computer and wanting to cry. or just stop. it was only 6 miles in! i didn't want to do it anymore. i felt like i was going to puke the entire time. but i sucked it up and managed to stay on my bike even when the wind was literally pushing it sideways on the road.
i finished the bike in just about an hour, not great but after feeling like i was riding all day i was just happy to be done. the run...i don't wanna talk about it. totally pathetic display of physical exertion and i just didn't care. more hills, more wanting to vom, lousy combo. so i did some walking, and finally finished with a look of discouragement. boo hoo for me huh? ha.
but michael did really well, he's a good runner...even though the hills took a toll on him too. he's already gearing up (mentally...no exercising allowed this week!) for the next one...or the first "real" one. and the first chance to wear our wetsuits!
click {here} to see the rest of the pictures!
happy fall and happy october!
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