YMCA New Bern Triathlon

I participated in my second triathlon last month.  The first one was nine years ago in St. George and I didn't really train for it.  Not surprisingly, it wasn't a great experience.  I felt like I was drowning in the lake and never wanted to do it again.  However, ever since I got my road bike five years ago, the triathlon has been calling my name.  After my marathon in March, I needed a change and started training for this race.  I didn't do a lot of swimming, but I swam twice a week for about six weeks.  I felt pretty confident that it wouldn't be a disaster (are you reading into the sense of foreboding I am trying to convey?).

The race was a 400 yard pool swim, 10 mile bike, and 5K run.  Easy enough.  I could easily cover the 400 yard distance, and thought I could be fast enough on the bike and the run.  HOWEVER.  I stupidly seeded myself way too close to the front during the swim (time to put the ego aside).  This meant that I started and immediately felt like I was being plowed over by people who were clearly much better swimmers than me.  This went on for about 150 yards, my panic increased, and I started thinking about quitting.  At some point, it got too strong and I hopped out of the pool.  Right away I was pissed.  Why did I do that?  I am perfectly capable of completing this distance.  I found Josh, had a little freak out, and decided to ask them if I could start over.  Luckily, this was a beginners-friendly race and the race official was fine with letting me start again at the end of the swim line.

Once I got back in, I did just fine.  I ended up with a total time of around 1:06.  My bike was fast, my run was just okay, and the swim was slooooowww.  I was 14th overall in about 45 females.  I think I can do a lot better with some more training and I haven't given up on triathlons yet.  I would like to try another couple races this summer and see how I do. Josh took some pics with his phone because he was having trouble getting the regular camera to work.

My sweet little cheering section

 Coming through the finish

Out on the run - it was a warm day and starting over at the back of the pack made for an even hotter run