Cherry Point Duathlon

I did one last multi-sport event for the summer.  The Cherry Point Duathlon, which was 5K run/10 mile bike/5K run on base.  I did this race back in 2008 while Josh was in Iraq.  It is low key, very small, and a fun little race.  It rained all night the night before, so I wasn't sure the race would still be on, but we got a break in the weather and it was a perfect cool and cloudy day for a race.  Josh brought the girls down to catch the tail end of the race and we all had breakfast at the cafe on base afterward. 

 Getting close to the finish. 

 All done - you can see how low key it is.  Just a few orange cones at the finish line. :) 

Yay, I won.  I came in second three years ago, so I was happy to improve.  I got a rather large trophy. 

Washington Sprint Triathlon

Triathlon number two of the summer was last weekend.  The Washington Sprint Tri, which was held about 45 miles north of here in little Washington, in and along the Pamlico River.  It was a great day and a lot of fun!  A couple of months ago, I managed to convince my good friend McKenzie that she needed to join me for this.  Kenzie is a natural athlete, but it took a little convincing.  I think she had a blast and I'm pretty sure she is hooked now.  I'm so glad I had a buddy to do this one with.

It was fun having Peyton and Davis there to cheer us on.  Kenzie and I unknowingly were twinners with the same outfit. 

Remember my last triathlon??  I think it was pretty foolish bold of me to sign up for an open water swim after that freak out.  But I did a lot of swimming over the past two months and I really felt like I was ready for this.  It was a 750 meter swim and I regularly swim over a mile in the pool without stopping ...

These three pictures pretty much illustrate how I was feeling before the swim.  You can see me getting progressively more nervous.  I think I said a prayer or two that I wouldn't drown. 

Good luck hugs...

And here's Kenzie coming out of the water.  She did great!

And here I am after my swim.  I am smiling, but there wasn't anything pretty about it!  It was slow and painful.  I really would like to do a few more tris next year, but I will need to practice more open water swimming before I get out there again. 

Out of the water and in transition

Out on the bike.  Definitely my favorite part of the triathlon.  That might seem surprising given my history as a runner, but honestly the bike is just the most fun.  I rode really fast and I passed a lot of people.  This bike leg was 13 miles. 

And finally, out on the run, a 5K.  By the time we got out there, the heat index was up there in the high 90s.  The end of July in North Carolina is just going to be hot - there's no getting around it.

And finally, all done.  I'm not sure what is going on with my hat.  I guess I was tired and couldn't quite get it on all the way.

I am continuing my summer of multi-sport training next month with a duathlon on base.  No swimming and I am quite happy about that!

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