I DID A TRIATHLON!!!
It still seems a little surreal. It feels like a lie when I say it. But it's true, and I've got the leftover sharpie on my legs to prove it.
I've been weightlifting pretty consistently since last December. I started to get bored with my routine and was looking to mix up my program. I saw an ad on instagram for a free training program for a triathlon, and I applied. A few days later, I was invited to get the Tridot app and start my training!
I really enjoyed the workouts. The structure made them fun and filled me with a sense of accomplishment. It was really fun getting to do three different types of training every week, and I was motivated to conquer my anxiety about swimming and just bite the bullet and do it. I saw a lot of improvement with my ability to breathe while I was doing this training.
A few weeks in, I was enjoying the training so much I mentioned to Mason I might want to do a triathlon someday. He immediately made me a spreadsheet with seven different upcoming triathlons I could sign up for, complete with location, price, my projected times for all three sports, driving distance to get to the race, and more. Talk about supportive. We sat down together and looked at it a few times, until I finally decided I wanted to do the Dam Tri in Lexington, SC. A "sprinternational" distance. I would be doing a 1000m swim, 21 mile bike ride, 6k run.
I signed up for it, the fizzy feeling of anxiety racing through my veins all the while, and had to visit the potty shortly after.
After that, I continued with my training plan. I kept swimming and saw some improvements, which made me feel very cool and empowered. I learned how to ride my bike on the road, and practiced reaching down to grab my water bottle while on the bike. That was really scary and took me a while to get down. I learned how to change a tube, got a flat or two, and learned about brick training. I bought tri shorts. I got a new saddle and some stuff to make the handlebars closer since apparently my torso is much shorter than Mason's. I did a lot of zone 2 runs that flipped back and forth between being super boring and very relaxing. And I did it all with the upcoming race looming over me.
I just need to say that there's no way I could have done the training or the race without Mason's unwavering support. He had the kids during all my bike rides and most of my swims. He helped me stay motivated and plan. He believed I could do it when I was afraid to. I'm so grateful for him. I seriously never could have done this without him.
About three weeks before the race, I started to get a little cold. A few days in, I realized this was a terrible cold that left me feeling fatigued, headachy, and very pressurized in the head. There was more pressure in my ears and sinuses than there is at the bottom of the sea. I took a break from training. Then it had been a whole week. Then two. And my race was the next week! (I'm pretty sure it was covid.)
The Wednesday before the race, still not feeling 100%, I decided to practice my transitions. I did a short swim where I swallowed about half of the pool and took about 100 breaks, went on a short bike ride that left me wanting to lay down on the pavement and take a nap after about four minutes, and ran for about a quarter of a mile before my heartrate skyrocketed to the 180s and walked for the rest of one mile. I was devastated and so nervous. My race was in just a few days, and this was how I was performing? I was filled with dread, and I wished I hadn't told anyone about this race, so that I could just skip it. I told my friend Emma and all my sisters about it on Marco Polo and everyone offered words of encouragement that actually helped me quite a bit. I'm grateful for them.
Well, Thursday came around, and Mason and I packed up all my millions of things for this race and headed out to Megan and Sam's house. My emotions were all over the place. Once we had packed everything up and hit the road, I got a little misty because of how excited I felt. I spent the next couple days filled with anxiety. Thank goodness Megan had the great idea to go to the zoo on Friday. It helped to distract me for a while. I hadn't been sleeping well the whole time I'd been sick, but I slept even worse with the race looming ever closer. I picked up my packet and was told I couldn't go and check out the race site, because it was closed until tomorrow morning.
Well, the next morning rolled around, after a fitful night of "sleep". I woke up around 4:20am and went and ate a bagel with peanut butter and bananas, despite my total lack of appetite. I milled around for a while, took half of an immodium, packed a duffel bag with everything I'd need for the race, took a shower, practiced changing gears on my bike with gloves on in the freezing outside, thought through my transitions, and sat on the potty while Mason loaded up my bike and put everything in the car. Then we woke up the kids and were on the road at 5:45.
The sun started coming up on our drive, and the kids didn't ever go back to sleep even though we were driving for over an hour. Abby requested to listen to the Frozen 2 soundtrack, and I got misty listening to Into the Unknown and Show Yourself.
We got to the race site, finally, right on time. A nice volunteer said that since our car was so little we could park right next the transition site! Hooray! We did so and started getting all my stuff out. I racked my bike, picked up my ankle chip thingy you have to wear, and got my body markings (they just write your bib number on your arms and legs with a sharpie, but man did it make me feel cool and official. Plus I also got and huge N on my calf, for Novice.) A quick visit to the potty later, and then all that was left to do was stand around and blow my nose 100 times and try not to freeze until it was time to go.
Because it was extremely foggy out on the lake, they ended up changing the swim route at the last minute. The new route would be about 750m. The first wave started, and I watched them go. My wave was fourth/last to go. I waited around for a while, and then got in the water and was grateful and relieved that it felt warm.
.heic)
