Conquering my first tri

Oh My God...Lesson learned!

I am now in the process of a 2 step plan.
Step 1 Buy a wetsuit
Step 2 Buy a road bike

Race report- so I jumped in the lake wearing the red mucosa- no I did not look like Pamela Anderson running along Baywatch- quite the opposite actually. It was a little chilly- ok very chilly. A little warmer than the Polar Plunge in March. So the horn blew and I stayed toward the back of the pack- Heart racing, gasping for breath, doggie paddling all the way. I started thinking, "WTF? front crawl damnit. It's only a 300 meter swim." I got kicked in the face and my goggles popped off. Someone grabbed my foot, too. So I finally rounded the first buoy and flipped to my back to slow my breathing down and give my arms a rest- they were like frozen blocks. All the sudden I heard people yelling. I looked up and there was the boat. "You're going the wrong way." This would not officially be a race without me going the wrong direction. So I flip back over and try the front crawl again- Each time I put my face in the water I started hyperventalating again. I must have drank a belly full. It was the craziest thing I have ever done. Thank god that part was over.

T-1 Swim to Bike- As I run up the beach and pass my husband he's looking at me wide-eyed. My legs and arms match my suit and I have snot running down my face. I run up the hill and into the bike area- find my trusty steed and switch my gear- throw clothes on, wash my feet off before sliding on my socks and shoes. I buckle my helmet and pull the Purple People Eater out of its corral and run toward the exit- I believe there are 3 others behind me. As I pass Matt I say, "When you call mom, let's not mention that part."

I'm off. The bike was pretty pleasant actually which looking back tells me I wasn't pushing hard enough. 13.1 miles- pretty windy on the way out but faster on the way back. I averaged 16 on the biked- passing 3 others.

T-2 Bike to run- Not much gear to switch- pulled off my jacket, ditched the helmet and grabbed my water bottle- shooting snot rockets the size of my hand. Matt met me about a third of the way into the run. We passed a few runners. I was pretty slow the first mile lugging my gams all the way. I did get annoyed with Matt a few times, he kept making me run in the crown of the road- unknowingly, but this was a race damnit and I wasn't there to sociallize. On the run a 70-yo IronMan passed me on his way back. What a bad ass. So as I'm running I'm getting pretty pissed about the swim. Oh well, lesson learned. Crossed the finish line and grabbed my water. 1:40 minutes. All the sudden I start this hyperventilating thing...Um, OK- This is smaller than the brick workout I did last week. Whatever.

Finally, I calmed down and went to pack my gear. I am looking around and there are some hard core triathletes- some wicked road bikes and racing gear all around. I don't think I'll buy into the Bride of Frankenstein helmet though. There were 2 other guys on Mountain bikes, so I wasn't the only one.

When I went to work the next day UPS dropped off my wetsuit I ordered 2 weeks ago. Someone up there had a pretty good laugh. Step 1 done!