I made it through triathlon #3! And let me tell you, there were doubts in my mind as to whether or not I was going to make it from the very beginning. This race was an open-water race; I had a 1000m swim in a lake that is fished in, a 15 mile bike that was 7.5 miles up, then 7.5 miles down, and then a 5K run. I had to wear a swim cap for this race and it was the definition of "not attractive." Brigid called me "Bullet-head" for the entire rest of the race. In many ways, it was fantastic to have Brigid there for the race. She cheered me on the entire time -- she walked along the lakeside and cheered me on, cheered me in and out of the transition area and on to the bike course, again in and out of the transition area and on to the run course. She was also right at the finish line screaming for me to finish strong!! Calling me "Bullet-head" wasn't really a highlight (accurate, but not a highlight).

It was time for me to get into the water and do the swim. My wave started in the water and that was really strange. All of a sudden, there were 100 bodies flailing around and splashing. I had a momentary panic that lasted about 300 meters. This swimming in the lake thing sucked. I hated it -- you couldn't see an inch in front of your nose, and you couldn't see anyone else, until you ran into them. Also, as you breathed on your right side, you got the just-rising sun full in your face, so you could not see the bank of the lake to guide yourself. I felt more comfortable by the time I got to the turnaround, but that took awhile. So, I turned around and felt like I was hitting my stride, got run over by some guy and just kept going. As you can see in the photo, I was moving right along. I could see Brigid on the side of the lake, running along and keeping pace with me and taking pictures. I finally got to the lake exit and hustled over to the transition area.

I changed into my bike shoes and grabbed my helmet and headed out to the bike course. Here you see me running through the transition area because you cannot get on your bike until you hit the end of the transition area. I hopped on my bike and turned out of the parking lot to face the first hill. The course was good -- a small hill, then several miles of flat or low hill, then a two mile climb to the top. We had to cross two sets of railroad tracks and the efficient folks who live where the race was had oiled the road and the shoulder two days before the race. They do that out here to keep the dust down. It added significantly to my anxiety. I made it to the top, and even passed a few people, but I learned that my seat is definitely not the right one for me. The pain. The agony of sitting on that seat. Coming down was easier in a way because I didn't have to stay on the seat completely. It was a lot faster coming down than going up, and the railroad tracks were kind of alarming at that speed. I didn't get any flats (THANK GOD), but I saw one guy who had lost his front tire. Finally, I was back to the transition area.

I changed into my running shoes and headed out. The run course was supposed to be easy, compared to other courses, and it was mostly flat. However, the race coordinators failed to mention that you would be in the flat sun for the final 1.5 miles. I moved along, mostly running, but I did take four 20 second walks. I was being passed by everyone -- I am just not built for speed. Whatever -- as long as I finish, I am ok with that. So I kept going. And going. And going. It seemed like this portion of the race lasted FOREVER. Finally, I saw a friend of mine who cheered me on the last turn, and then there was Brigid. I was so relieved to see her since it meant that I was almost done! I speeded up a little and crossed the finish line in style (at a decent speed and with a smile on my face!).

Then I guzzled a Cytomax drink (like Gatorade) and thought I was going to throw up. I didn't, which was very nice because Brigid and I were sitting next to a group of firemen and they would probably felt compelled to offer help. All in all, I had a great time - I am glad I did it, and I am glad I don't have any more races until October 1. I am going to have to think a lot about the open-water thing. I really didn't like it at all. I think Brigid has been convinced that she can do it too, and I think she will be registering for the Tinfoilman Triathlon on October 15.