one more minute and I coulda beat Nicole Ducouer!

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The Sunday before school started I participated in my second triathlon.  The Ramblin' Rose women only triathlon is held at the Gateway YWCA each year here in Winston.  I did it last year as well, but I never did talk too much about it because if you recall I got a full-time teaching job the very next week

Last year I didn't train at all.  I really don't think I'd had any idea what I'd gotten myself into.  I just went out and did it.  I didn't even get nervous about it until right before.  I had no goals except to finish and I did it. I was so proud of myself.  I had an absolute blast.  I think mostly that was because I didn't take it too seriously but also it was because the whole spirit of the event is amazing.  Everyone is so encouraging and positive.  It was unlike any athletic event I'd ever been a part of.

This year I didn't train like I would have liked.  I continued exercising almost all summer.  I had been running two or three miles at a time all summer long and also lifting weights and trying to keep up with other cardio.  I hadn't been riding my bike though and I certainly didn't swim at all.  I just sat by the pool waiting for this to happen so I could capture it on video.  My goal this year was just to make it through the whole event without stopping to get off the bike or stopping to walk.


Anyway, the morning of the race I had to get up early and be at the Y by 6am since I was volunteering for set-up as well.  This was great because it didn't give me time to really think about the race itself.

I chose a slow swim time so I could be at the back of the pack.  I'm just not confident in my athletic abilities enough to want to really compete with the big group so I went after the herd.  While we all waited to start we stood around talking with the other ladies participating and I got to meet a huge group of teachers from the school Julianna would be starting K at that week.  [Side note: How awesome is that?  That a huge group of women and their co-workers get together and do this all as a group? What fun it seems like that would be!]

When it got close to my time to get in the pool I realized that I was going to be on the deep end and far side of the pool which made me very nervous.  I swallowed a bunch of water on my first push off from the side and I was completely beat after the first two laps so I did a lot of kicking lazily on my back just trying to get through.  I did make it out though and headed out on the bike.

Whit let me borrow her bike for the race which helped tremendously.  I rode the entire 8 miles without stopping and I felt awesome about that.  When I got off the bike I couldn't feel my legs for a good five minutes and after that they felt extremely heavy.  I know this may be crazy, but that was awesome too.

I ran almost the whole way.  I think I probably stopped and walked about one tenth of a mile uphill on the run part.  I was so thirsty.  I was never thirsty during the race last year and although I drank water on my bike and guzzled both water and Gatorade at the run aide station, it still wasn't enough.

It is an AMAZING feeling coming up on that finish line though.  I passed my family several times on the course.  I waved like a maniac at Josh so he would be able to see who I was.  Julianna ran the last tenth or so with me across the finish line.

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My time was 1:21:07.  A whole 16 minutes faster than last year.  And I'm already looking forward to the next one.


Also at Ramblin' Rose: