Week 12: I DID IT!

August 14, 2017

Sprint Tris are not something I excel at. I come in around the 75% or maybe even lower. I mean in High School I definitely would have dropped out of the club that had me beating only like 25% of people. Cause I mean that is a failure right?

That is one way to look at it. Another way to look at it. Is that two times now I have trained for something a lot of bodies can't do or choose not to do. Then I finish that. I don't finish last even. I don't even finish in the last 100. To be exact I beat 144 women across the finish line. :P That really isn't the point. But whatever way you view it, I see as a win.

Here are my 2017 results and then my 2015 results---SO CLOSE TO EACHOTHER! Check out how much faster my transition times were!

No I will never be the fastest in my age group. And truthfully I don't want to train hard enough to not be that person. But for two years, I have trained and bettered myself.

I said I wanted to go faster. But I went 13 seconds slower. Now, one, I may have stepped on the line of the swim start and started my chip a few seconds early. But no matter. I did pretty much the same. Thing is....I felt SO MUCH STRONGER in my body and mind this time. So same time but less soreness this time. So much more strength.

My parents came to cheer me on again this year. They made it to every transistion in time to see me get going and cheer me on. And though my Dad likes to joke about why would i do this again. They got up at 430am to bring me and stayed the whole time. Till after the raffle prizes were read. I appreciate them so much. I did think about how if I was still with my ex, I would have asked him to bring me. How we would have gotten up and gotten to Lake Nokomis. I feel a little silly being 36 and having my parents bring me. Sad that I don't have a partner to be with. But hey, life changes all the time and I am glad I have supportive parents. That is one reason I live near them so we can do this stuff together.

The YWCA Spring Tri is super inclusive and prides itself on it. This try has a progressive trans policy and it's mission includes it's desire to eliminate racism. I teared up as we listened to the race director emphasis this. And yes, the crowd was mostly white but a mostly white group cheering for eliminating racism not perpetuating it. Which felt extra important after Charlottesville.

I don't need to say much more. Mostly I will post some photos.
But brief thoughts on the parts of the race.
The swim: I did a lot of breast stroke to stay on track and to not get kicked. I found my stride about mid way through and finished strong using freestyle strokes.
The bike: I rocked it out of there and then at the end my legs wanted to kill me. But I stayed at a high gear and kept going. This was the only part of the race I slowed down from last year. 3 minutes! i was faster everywhere else.
The run: I had planned on walking this cause of training. I shaved a minute off two years ago and i jogged 3/4 of the time if not more.

SO GREAT!
And afterwards NEVER forget the massage tent. That has saved me today.

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