I am so excited and proud that I did this! It is such a great accomplishment for me! 6 months ago I didn't know how to swim, hadn't biked more then around my neighborhood with the kids, or done any running since high school. But I committed to my dear friend Lindsay to do this triathlon and I got to work. This Strathmore Tri-Smore is 500m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. This is the full sprint length that I did.
I mostly biked in the basement until the weather was good enough to train outside. With the cool spring it wasn't the greatest weather to get out and ride, but when I did it was an amazing refreshing feeling, a sense of freedom and accomplishment. Every second of it was so enjoyed!
I also started learning to swim. I was pretty pathetic in my swimming lessons as a kid. I did some but didn't do well. I like to play in the pool with my kids but that doesn't equal swimming. When I first committed, Paul asked me to swim one lap. It was painful and I'm sure that it was painful to watch. So I looked up online how to learn to swim and I discovered the Total Immersion (TI) swim program. So I got the DVD and a few books from the library. Some of the videos are also available online. So I started. By the triathlon I still hadn't reached doing the whole stroke together but I still could get into the pool and do laps for 45 minutes without a problem. This program is so great for breaking down the stroke into small manageable pieces so that you do drills to really learn the technique. I really believe, after working on this program, that anyone can learn to swim and do it well. They really teach you to be the most efficient in the water. It is a really great program and very helpful to the total beginner that I am!
I really didn't train much for the running for various reasons but worked to increase my fitness through the other 2 sports. I did a few sessions that I thought went really well but when I measured it out I found that it was only half of what the running leg of the triathlon would be. So that was a start.
It was so exciting building up until the time that it was here! I was especially excited that my wonderful MIL, Sharan, was here from Guatemala to be there for it! That was so amazing!
The week before the kids had been getting sick. Kyndal had a fever and we all had sore throats. So the morning of I still was not feeling 100% but that was not going to stop me! I was up early and got to Strathmore to check in by 7am. I was so nervous wandering around and trying to get set up, awaiting the big moment. It felt so strange and I was unsure of anything that was going on. While I was waiting for my heat time at 8:15 I found a few other people that I talked to who were also first timers. So that felt good to hear of their insecurities as well before we got started. There was a really nice lady and her 14 year old daughter behind me in line for the swim start. She was so kind and encouraging. Her daughter was doing her first whole sprint and was feeling nervous as well.
It is amazing the nerves that I felt and then all of a sudden it was just started. I go across the timing mat and I am started. I got into the pool and tried to get into a rhythm. It took me probably about 6 laps to settle my breathing down and begin feeling comfortable. Then I just tried to focus on what I had practiced. I did my swim time faster then I had in training, which surprised me. I had gotten down to 19 minutes in practice and did it in 18:30 on the day. So I thought that was good for me.
Then out of the pool and onto the bike was good. It felt so great to be out on the road. It was perfect temperature, cool but not cold, not raining. It sure felt great! I found it tricky to try and find the right pace. I wanted to be sure to push myself but also enjoy it and save some legs for the run. At one point I was passed by the 14 year old girl that began swimming after me. She was a great compass by which I used to push myself. I tried to keep up with her and her young legs. She was a stronger biker then me and I worked hard to keep up with her. I did lose her the last few km but she was quite helpful to me. So my bike took something like 59 minutes, which does include both transitions. So I thought that was not too bad for me.
Here I am transitioning onto the run. It was such a happy moment to see Paul, Marshall and Kyndal there. It sure helped me to feel strong and want to push myself!
It sure was hard to move my legs getting off my bike. I did practice my transitions from bike to run a few times but the bikes were not nearly as long as this one. So my legs were sure heavy! But seeing some of my dear family there cheering me on was the best motivator that I could have hoped for! I went on the run so excited and anticipating seeing them at the end waiting for me. That was nearly my whole thought along the way, that I was working hard accomplishing something great and that I couldn't wait to get back to my family at the end. It was such a great thought that pushed me on!!
The run was really hard. I did run probably about half of the time. It felt good for the most part but after a couple kms I sure was getting sore. My knee and my hip were starting to feel quite sore. But I still pushed on! I would see some kind of a starting spot, like a rock, pole or even bottle on the ground and I would tell myself that I was going to start running when I got to that and I would run until another decided landmark came up. That was helpful to focus on running at specific lengths and to keep me running more, though I was tired out!
You can see a few kids running along the street to keep up with me!
When I came around to the last corner I could see my family waiting for me at the corner. There was Paul there with a big group of kids (the Laws kiddos were there as well). They were cheering and calling to me. When I reached them they kept running along with me all the way up the street to the finish line.
It was so great to have made it there. To be pushing those tired legs across the finish line and feel like I gave it all that I had. To have done something hard and great!
The kids did a small one as well. I am working on posting the pictures of them!
Kamille, I am so impressed and proud of you! What a great thing and so hard! I am a terrible swimmer which is what is preventing me from doing a Tri but I am inspired by what you did. great job and greta time too - you did it!
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