Who Are You Racing For?

Who are you racing for?

I saw this sign just after the turn around during the run portion of my triathlon last weekend.  It got me through the last three miles of that 10k.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Race report for the Tri at the Grove 2018.

Pine Meadows Campground, Cottage Grove Lake, Site $17

This year we camped on the opposite side of the lake from the triathlon in our trailer.  We went a few days early and it was nice to have some down time.  The campground was very nice and it was a good test run on how dry camping would go.  No electrical hookups or water.  Everything went great and we didn't have any problems.  Joe was doing his workouts for his Ironman that was coming the next week.  I enjoyed doing my shorter workouts, hanging out with the pup and reading books.

View from our campsite! 

Joe went over and help set up on Friday night and I stayed at the trailer and got myself ready for the race and then went to bed early. 

Race day was gorgeous and I was excited to get things going.  

I love getting my stuff ready and seeing my teammates and talking to people near me.  The energy in transition is just fun.  

My hubby and sherpa for the day. 💜

Teammate Rebecca.  Sunshine smiles!!

Teammate Ruth.  More sunshine smiles!!  (I love my teammates!)

Getting ready for the swim!

My swim went well.  I felt really good and that was fun.  I did struggle with other people getting in my way.  Think I'm going to change up the line I swim in with the buoys so that I'm not so much in the middle of things.  I lost my groove several times because of other people and that is something I definitely need to work on.

I came out of the water feeling good and headed for transition.  T1 went smoothly and I got going on the bike in a decent amount of time.

Here I go!

My bike ride was awesome!  It felt great.  I was down in my lower bars almost the whole time.  My legs felt solid.  I just felt strong the entire time.  I had a complete blast!  Last year I had a huge improvement on my bike portion of this race but a lot of that improvement was due to the awesome new bike I had.  This year my improvements were going to be 100% me because it was the same bike as last year.  😁

 When I got done with the bike I knew I was ahead of last year's time.  I try not to look at my watch while I'm doing the bike or the run because I don't want to start getting in my own way thinking about speed or pace and making myself crazy.  I'm supposed to be having fun not becoming mental.  😄

Heading to T2-Smiling!!!

Got through T2 in a descent amount of time and took off on the run.  Couldn't feel my legs so I gave myself a few minutes of walking before I started running.  I ran a mile, walked a few minutes and then ran another mile.  The first two miles felt really good and I felt like I was going a descent pace.  (Still not looking at my watch.)  But then things started falling apart.  My legs were cramping up some.  So I would run for awhile and then when things just felt too tight I would walk for awhile.  It was a bit discouraging because I had started out so well.

I had just gotten to the turn around and was heading back when I saw the sign.  All along the route were orange cones with encouraging signs stuck in them.  This particular one I'm sure I have seen before but for some reason it really hit home.

The sign said, "Who are you racing for?"

Huh, good question.  Here I am, struggling through my run.  Frustrated that I can't seem to get my legs to cooperate and do what I've been able to do in my training runs.  This question just kept coming back to me.

When I'm doing my training, most of the time I'm alone.  Gives me lots of time to think about things.  Sometimes it gives me lots of time to not think about things as well.  Both are good for my own mental health.

So as I'm moving along and working on NOT thinking about how my legs are cramping up I start thinking about who am I racing for?

The answer may seem obvious.

I am racing for ME.

My race, my effort, my time, my struggles.  Every single stroke in the swim, pedal on the bike and step on the run is for me.

To be a healthier me.

To be a happier me.

To be a me that works hard at meeting big scary goals.

To be a me that can keep moving when things are not going the way I planned and still be proud of what I was able to do.

I finished that run for me!  Good, bad or ugly, it was my run and I did it the best I could.  What a great feeling.  Sounds weird but it was very freeing to be in that place mentally during the race.

I finished that run three minutes slower than the year before.

But because I had a faster swim, a kick ass bike ride and the first two miles of the run were solid I was still able to get a PR!

Not that long ago I would have not enjoyed the PR and would have let the struggles on the run take all the joy out of my day.

Not this time!!

I am pretty excited that I was able to do so great for 2/3 of the race and then to keep myself moving even though things didn't go quite like I had planned.

Add caption

Made it!

There was an issue with the timing system during the race.  The Posse did a great job of rallying and getting times and splits down as best they could.  I am sure that was a bit of madness and stress during the race.  (I'm also sure that's an understatement!)  So for comparing purposes from last year to this year I am going to compare my times from my Garmin watch last year to this year.

Swim:  35:21 (1:48 faster)
T1:         2:51 (1:12 faster)
Bike: 1:39:41 (6:23 faster)
T2:         2:29 ( :33 slower)
Run: 1:28:16 (2:21 slower)

Total time: 3:48:40!!  (6:28 faster!!)
Bonus fun fact:  Fastest Olympic Tri of any Olympic race, 5:58 faster! 

Now the goal is to figure out what the problem is during the run and get that dialed in before Best in the West.  I was very dizzy after the race and didn't feel good.  Not as bad as last year but definitely there.  I did much better fueling during the bike but we are thinking that the nutrition still isn't giving me what I need so that I can sustain during the run. 

There is ALWAYS something to work on! 

Remembering who I am racing for helped me finish a fabulous (and really hard) day. 

It could be that I could see that same sign on another day at a different race and it could say something completely different to me.  Will be fun to see. 

As always, here are my shout outs:

Joe:  Fabulous and supportive husband that has let me join him in the world of triathlons.  Love having these adventures with you.  Thank you for being my sherpa and taking care of me before and after the race.  I love you. 

Coach:  Thanks for keeping me moving during all my crazy travels this summer.  I would not have done as well as I did if you hadn't helped me figure out ways to get some version of workouts done in spite of the limitations I had.  Where there's a will there's a way! 

Best in the West:  Once again it was a great event.  I know that you probably didn't enjoy it as much as I did with the technical difficulties that were going on.  But in spite of all that, I had a great time.  I appreciate all the hard work that goes into putting on these events, long before race day and long after.  You are appreciated! Also, free pictures!  Seriously, that is so cool! They are always so fun to check out. 

If you want to do an event in September checkout Best in the West Events and see if there is something that looks fun to you.  They even have a Try a Tri event that is a super short version of a triathlon so you can get your feet wet and see if this might be something you'd like to do more of.  DO IT!!!  😀

Tri at the Grove Olympic Triathlon 2017

It is hard to believe it has been a year since I did my very first Olympic triathlon.  The last year has been full of laughter, smiles, growth, overcoming fears, struggles, disappointments, setbacks, successes, and lots of moving forward.  I don't mean in just my workouts and training.  I really mean that all those things have just been a part of, well, life.  Pretty typical I'm sure if most people really took the time to reflect on ALL aspects of their last 12 months.

A year ago I was nervous and not really sure that I could really, really finish an Olympic triathlon.

This year I went into it knowing that I had finished two Olympic triathlons so I shouldn't be worried.

Except there was a small niggle that maybe I wouldn't be able to.

I had an easier time squashing that niggle than I did last year.  I know I have worked hard and trained hard and that if nothing else I would be able to finish.

Except I had one of those secret goals again.

I wanted to finish in under four hours.

Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?

Last year I finished in 4:16:07.  If I was going to make it under four hours then I had to have a solid race in all areas.

I figured I would just go for it and see what happened.  😀

The day was gorgeous!  When we got to the lake the sun was coming up and I loved watching the steam come off of the water.

I had gotten a little nervous the night before but once we got to the lake I was just really excited to get started.

Waiting to get my numbers on and get set up in transition.

Beautiful day for a race!

My favorite racing partner!

Joe rolls his eyes at me when I tell him it is selfie time.  But then he lets me do it anyway.  I love being able to do events together, have adventures together, make memories that are awesome together.  I love that I'm not just a spectator at his events, that we are supporting each other as we both participate.  I love my guy!

Love my teammates!  This lady is a Rock Star!!!!

It didn't take long before it was time to get on the wet suit and head for the water to warm up.

Funny story that happened when I was warming up.  I had been out for a bit and was heading back to shore.  I saw Joe so I was heading towards him so I could get one more kiss and tell him to be safe before he started his race.  Someone came swimming up next to me and their hand slapped my butt.  Not uncommon when swimming open water since people get near each other and bump, hit or slap each other in the process of their swim stroke.  What cracked me up was that when the guy hit my butt with his hand, in the process of trying to figure out what he had hit, he squeezed several times trying to figure out what he had hit.  Basically I got groped during my warm up.  I was laughing so hard.  Joe wanted to know what was so funny and when I told him he was laughing too.  Nothing like getting felt up before a race to make you not be so nervous.  lol

It wasn't long before the men lined up to take off.  Three minutes later it was the ladies turn.

Most of the ladies had gathered closer to the dock.  I positioned myself farther out into the lake with a direct line on the first buoy.  This ended up being a really good plan.  The fast people took off and were at a bit of angle so there were to my right and because they were faster they got way ahead of me before I got to the first buoy.  I didn't have anyone really near me so I didn't get frustrated trying to get past people that can't swim in a straight line.  lol

Overall the swim felt really solid.  I tried to find a good rhythm and keep a steady pace.  I also didn't look at my watch to see how I was doing.  I did that at Blue Lake and it was a good thing so I had decided to do the same for this race.  Gave me less opportunity to get mental about my time.  😉

When I was coming into the finish for the swim I hit my watch to start the transition.  I saw a three so I knew I had done better than last year since my time on the swim was 41 minutes but I didn't look close to see how much better.

I headed to my bike.  I had my wet suit off down to the waist before I got there.  I finished taking off the wet suit.  Sunglasses on, gloves on, helmet on.  Sat down, dried feet, socks on, shoes on.  Folded up wet suit, unracked the bike and headed out to the bike mount area.

I was so excited for the bike ride.  I had a new bike.  I had new gear skills.  I was stronger.  I was pretty sure that I would kick my own ass on the bike ride.

I didn't disappoint!

The bike ride felt awesome.  I worked hard but didn't feeling like I was pushing it over the limit.

On the first hill that I went up I was passed by a younger lady.  No worries.  Not unexpected.  But on the way down the hill on the other side I ended up passing her.  Except that when I got next to her she sped up.  According to the rules, when someone is passing you on the bike you have to let them and then when they get a certain distance ahead you can pass them back.  So it made me a little mad that she sped up when I was right next to her.  I have to admit, I burned a few matches because, dang it, I was going to pass this chick!!!  I knew she would pass me on the next uphill but I was going to kick her butt right now.  I passed her and she did indeed pass me on the next uphill.  I'm okay with that.  lol

I felt really good on the entire ride.  It was a gorgeous day!  I was riding well. I felt really good and solid.  I was passed by several people but I didn't care.  Last year I was passed by a bunch of people about two minutes out of transition.  This year I didn't get passed for about 10 miles.  That felt pretty good.

Playing Bike on Race Day!!

I was almost to the turnaround point and I saw my teammate Kathy.  She looked great and had a big smile on her face.  A couple of minutes later I saw my friend and teammate, Melissa.  I knew she would kick my ass on the swim.  I thought I might be able to catch her on the uphill on the bike.

Almost!!

There wasn't a chance in hell that I would catch her on the downhill.  That girl can haul ass!!  But I came pretty close so that was fun!  (Another one of my secret goals is to be as fast as Melissa when I grow up!)

When I got back to the lake and only had five miles left I knew that I had probably kicked last years bike time to the curb.  There are a couple of hills at the end of the route and last year they were a real struggle.  This year I worked at them but didn't feel like it was taking everything I had to get to the top of the hill.  That's a win all by itself.

I got to the dismount area and headed to transition.  My legs felt like jelly so I wasn't moving very fast.  I had some difficulty racking my bike because the bike on either side of me racked the wrong direction and my handle bars got caught up.  But I still managed a really fast transition for me.  I racked the bike.  Helmet off, gloves off, grabbed my water bottle and race bib and started out for the run.  Put on the the race bib as I was going.  Small hill to walk up to get to the run path and then I started running.  Got cheers from my coach which was very much appreciated!

Another one of my secret goals was to be on the run before Joe finished.  Mission accomplished. 😊

I saw all but one of my teammates on the run.  Mike is such a fast little sh*@ that he was done before I got done with my bike ride.  But I saw Ron,Joe, Rebecca, Marcus, and Kathy while I was starting out.  All of them were finishing their run and I was only heading out but all of them gave me smiles and high fives.  I LOVE how they never ever make me feel like my effort is less just because I am the slowest person on the team.

The beginning of the run wasn't too bad.  I had a comfortable pace and felt reasonable.  But every mile it got harder and harder to maintain.  I was hot and my legs were tight and it was just kind of miserable.  But I knew that I had to keep moving if I wanted to be done under four hours.  At one point, with about 1/2 a mile left I almost just walked the rest of the way.  I looked at my watch and knew that if I did that I wouldn't make my goal.  So I sucked it up and kept going.  One more walk break at the six mile sign and then run into the finish.

This year my coach and his family were there at the finish line.  Super fun to have them there to see me finish.  Big hug and high fives from both Jon and Janelle!!  Love how they both cheer all of us on and how supportive and encouraging they both are!  High fives from teammate Rebecca.  Love that ladies smile!!!  Got loved on by my awesome hubby.

Jon asked me what my time was.  This is when I start smiling even bigger.  My watch said 3:55:08.  Which was at least a 20 minute improvement over my time last year.  Jon got a big smile to match mine.  Yep, that's pretty cool.  Still smiling about it.

I got some water and a banana and then walked around a bit.  Talked with some friends that were there watching their son participate.  I was having some dizziness, it would come in waves.  I figured I needed more food and walking around so I took another trip over to the food area.  It didn't seem to help.

Joe and I headed down to transition to get our bikes and gear to take to the car.  The dizziness was getting worse.  I leaned over to pick up my backpack and that wasn't good.  Every time I leaned down to get something or move something I got dizzy.  At one point I just leaned against the bike rack to wait for it to settle down.  I was thinking it was low blood sugar at this point.  Both Joe and Rebecca could see that something was up.  Joe took my backpack and wet suit so that I only had to deal with the bike.  (With some protests from me because I was sure I could manage, just would take me longer than normal.  I did not win that argument!)

We got to the car and Joe turned it on and got the air conditioning going.  He made me sit in the front and brought me a water bottle.  By this point I wasn't having waves of dizzy I was just staying dizzy.  I chugged down the water bottle in less than a minute.  But then I thought I was going to throw it all back up.  I did not feel good.

I still had electrolytes in a water bottle on my bike so Joe gave me that and I managed to sip it and drink about half of the bottle.  It was helping and I was starting to feel a little better.  Best we can tell is that I got dehydrated.  That part of the day took some of the shine off the day.  I felt really awful.  We didn't even go watch our teammates that got age group awards or say goodbye to Jon & Janelle and the kids.  The thought of walking back to the race area was just a bit more than I was up for.

By the time we were half way home I was feeling better.  A nap and a shower also helped me feel more human.  By the next morning I was feeling back to normal.

Here is the official race results:

Compare this to last year's results:

Comparing numbers is fun when there's improvement.  😀

• Swim improvement: 4 minutes 12 seconds.  
• Transition 1 improvement: 1 minute 32 seconds.
• Bike improvement: 14 minutes 10 seconds.
• Transition 2 improvement: 55 seconds.
• Run improvement:  8 seconds.

Grand total of improvement:  20 minutes 55 seconds!!!

My teammate Ron tagged me in this photo on Facebook with the comment, "Lisa is smiling!"  Yes!  Yes I am!  Actually, still smiling!  

This says it all.  I am very proud of myself.  I worked hard for those 20 minutes.

I do have some things I need to work on.  Coach and I met on Tuesday and went over the race and how it went.  It was fun to compare this years race and last years and see the areas I have improved.  It was also fun to look at what didn't go well and make a plan for improving in those areas.  The two main things we are going to work on between now and Best in the West triathlon in September are better hydration and improving my run.  Not gonna lie, I was disappointed with my run and would like to be able to feel better while doing it and have a faster, consistent pace.  Looking forward to seeing what hard work I will have to do in order to make that happen.

Big shout out to my teammates!  Pretty fun to see all the Pure Endurance kits out there and getting cheered on and getting to cheer for my teammates along the way!  What an exceptionally awesome group of people I get to be associated with!

Melissa did the Olympic Aqua Bike in 2:16:57.  So fun to have you out there racing again Melissa!!
Ruth did the Sprint Aqua Bike in 1:01:10.  First finisher for the Sprint Aqua Bike, male or female!  First race after knee surgery.  I'm thinking she did pretty good. Pretty freaking awesome!
The rest of us did the Olympic Triathlon:
Mike: 2:17:02 and first in his age group and 14th overall!!
Ron: 2:42:18
Marcus: 3:14:36
Joe: 2:50 (Who did a half Ironman distance the day before as part of his crazy training plan! He's a little crazy!)
Kathy: 3:42:49 and second in her age group!
Rebecca: 3:01:25

That's nine people (including me) that have put in miles upon miles of time in the pool or lakes, riding bikes up and down hills, and running trails and roads to get ready for a race.  And are probably already looking at what they want to accomplish for the next event.  I'm incredibly proud of all of us!  It was a really great day!

Of course we couldn't have done as well as we did without our amazing coach, Jon Booth.  I appreciate not only his coaching but his friendship.  I've had some set backs and frustrations this year and he helped me navigate through them with great support and encouragement.  I know I improved like I did because I had him pushing me to be more than I ever thought I could.  Thank you Coach!!!

Once again I have to give a big shout out to Best in the West Events for putting on such a great event.  It was a blast from start to finish.  Everything was set up great, the volunteers were fantastic, and the awards were fun.  It takes a lot of work to organize an event like this and Blair and Staci and the rest of the Best in the West Posse does it with a smile on their face, making it as fun as possible, from start to finish.  On top of everything else they post all the pictures they take and the pictures are free to download and share!  How cool is that?  The pictures of me on the bike and crossing the finish are courtesy of Best in the West!!  I love them and think they turned out awesome!!  If you are thinking about doing a triathlon, duathlon, aquathon or a running event, check out their website and see what they have that you might want to participate in.  You won't be disappointed!!  http://www.bestinthewestevents.com/

Rolf Prima Tri at the Grove 2016

It was a pretty amazing day on many levels.

Friday we headed down to Cottage Grove.  We had decided to spend the night down there so that we didn't have to get up at Oh'dark thirty in the morning.  Joe needed to do a long swim so we went to Cottage Grove Lake where the triathlon was going to be so he could do it as an open water swim.  I had done my two little "keep things loose" workouts before we left home.  So I set up a chair in the shade with a view of the lake and read a book, or sometimes I just closed my eyes and sometimes I watched people.  It was very peaceful and quiet and I enjoyed the alone time where I didn't feel like I had 10,000 things I should be doing instead.

Then we headed to packet pickup back in Eugene.  Things always get a bit more real when you have your race bib and shirt.  :-)

After packet pickup we went and got some dinner and then headed back to Cottage Grove to our hotel.  Lots of cars with bike racks in the hotel parking lot.  Gee, I wonder what they would be doing in the morning?

I asked Joe to take a picture of me with my race shirt like I have done for every triathlon this year.  He was trying to get me to make a serious face knowing that it would just make me laugh more.  Goober.

We got the stickers on my bike and helmet and I did some last minute checks of my stuff for the race and then we went to bed.

I went to sleep fairly easily, which was a nice surprise.  However, I got up at 4:00 a.m. to use the restroom and could not get back to sleep.  lol  So I was still awake at Oh'dark thirty.  But at least I didn't have to rush about earlier and be in the car by this time.  Around 5:00 a.m. I got up and had breakfast and started getting ready.  Then we loaded up the car and went to Walmart to get some snacks for Joe and the kids.  That is something I usually take care of because I'm usually the spectator.  I was so focused on what I needed for the race I didn't even think of it.  Joe doesn't usually take care of it so he didn't think of it either. So we got some water bottles and snacks, grabbed some breakfast and coffee for Joe and then headed for the lake.

We got there around 6:30 a.m. which was nice because then I could do all the things I was supposed to do to get ready without feeling rushed.  Got my number markings and found my spot on the bike rack.  Lucky number 42!  Then I put on my bike helmet and went for a short ride.  I was supposed to ride for about 10 minutes and loosen up the legs and make sure the gears were where I needed them to be for the start of the bike ride.  Racked the bike again and then took a little jog down the road as well.  Got all my things organized and laid out like I wanted and then grabbed my pre-race snack and headed over to hang out with Joe.

View of Cottage Grove Lake and transition.

Cottage Grove Lake before the swim.

Got a big hug from my friend Melissa, her husband Marcus was doing the Olympic triathlon as well.  He's an experienced triathlete, done an Ironman even, so he's an old hat at these events.  He never looks nervous. lol

Next Faylene and Dwayne showed up with my kids Taylor and Meighan.  More hugs!  Then Josh and Wendie arrived.  Goodness was I feeling so loved!  Then surprise!  My friends Chad and Beth came as well.  All of these people taking the time to drive all the way down to Cottage Grove to spend a large chunk of the day cheering me on!  It was seriously overwhelming.  My daughter Bri got there so  I got another hug.  :-)  There is a serious amount of sitting around and waiting for a few moments of cheering for spectators.  So to have all these people taking a big chunk of their day to support me was amazing!  Meighan took pictures with my big camera and got some fun shots.  `

Chad & Beth!  Not only do I get to work with these people but I get to call them my friends!  Blessed!

Faylene asked me how I was doing.  I told her I was excited to start and nervous but not completely scared like I had been at the start of the Beaver Freezer.  Since she was there for that race too she knew what I was talking about.  It was fun to not be completely terrified.  That alone was a BIG win for me no matter how the day went.

There was a big delay to the start of the races because of issues with parking.  The person who was directing traffic and telling people where to park wasn't doing too good a job and cars were everywhere and not getting anywhere.  They delayed the start to give athletes a chance to get parked and ready.  I was supposed to start at 8:28 a.m.  I think it was more like 8:45 a.m.  I got my wet suit on around 8:00 a.m. and started to make my way down to the lake to get in the water and warm up a bit.  On the way to the lake I saw my nephew Justin and his fiancee Kendra.  Kendra's dad and brother were doing the Sprint race and it was their first.  More hugs and good lucks!  It was a great treat to see them and know they were cheering me on too.

The water is warm, 71 degrees!  Much nicer to swim in than the 51 degrees from my first open water swim last March.  The men took off first and then about three minutes later it was time for the women.  Here we go!

I struggled a bit at the start of the swim.  Couldn't find my calm, imagine that, and then I also went a little wide.  I didn't stop though.  I just told myself it was just a swim, like all the other ones I've done in training and to calm down.  By the time I got to the first buoy I was feeling much better and really enjoying the swim.  I may not have been the fastest person out there but I know I was more consistent and had a better stroke than a lot of them.  I saw a lot of people having to stop and do a back stroke or just stop and rest.  I even passed some men towards the end.  That was kind of cool.  I also did not have to stop once!  That's huge!  I cannot think of one swim, open water or pool where I didn't have to stop at least once to adjust my goggles or cap or just catch my breath.  I came out of the water a pretty happy camper.  I knew I was at the back of the pack and I knew that it was very likely that I would be last by the end of the day and I couldn't have cared less.  I had a rock'n swim for me.  It felt really great and was really fun.  That's what it's really all about, right?

Transition time.  It went much better than the swim to bike transition I did at Blue Lake.  I need to practise in just getting faster and I should have had my shoes untied so they were ready but overall I was pretty happy about it.

Got to the spot to get on my bike and could hear my friends and family cheering me on.  I had been so worried about feeling stupid and slow in front of everyone.  Instead I just soaked up the love and support.  Made me smile!  I got started around the corner and I hear my name.  I look over and see my brother Matt, his wife Teresa and my niece and nephew, Jenna and Henry waving and cheering for me.  They live in Redmond and had driven all the way to Cottage Grove to cheer me on.  I couldn't believe it!  It was all I could do to keep from stopping my bike and getting hugs right then and there!  What an awesome way to start off my ride.  My smile got even bigger!  BEST surprise of the day!

Because I was the last wave to start the race, and because I was at the tail end of everyone swimming I pretty much was alone for my bike ride.  The route was an out and back but it went on paved logging roads that were on opposed sides of the main road.  So I didn't even see people that were heading back to the lake.  I was passed in the first couple of miles by the guys that I had passed on the swim.  They kicked my butt overall but it's still kind of cool that I beat them in the swim.  :-)  Had a lady pass me at about mile five and another at about mile eight.  I passed one gentleman who had a flat and his air canister didn't have any air in it.  Luckily the owner of the house he stopped at was helping him out.  I felt bad for him though.  Talk about frustrating!

About mile 10 I was needing to use the bathroom.  I thought I had read that there was supposed to be an outhouse at the turnaround but I couldn't remember.  Normally I can just ignore it but I spent the next two miles rather obsessing about it, I really needed to go!  When I got to the turnaround there was no outhouse.  I decided that the next driveway with some trees I was going to have to stop but then I saw the outhouse.  Thank goodness!

I got in and the damn thing was seriously wobbly. lol I cannot believe how much pee I had in me.  I know, I know, too much information.  But it was rather ridiculous!  Then because it's hard to pull up wet clothing I was making the stupid outhouse shake and wobble.  The whole situation was rather hilarious and wasn't helping my time much!

Got back on my bike and started back to the lake.  Then I start thinking how I'm more than halfway through the bike.  I've done the swim and I'm halfway through the bike!  And I have all these amazing people hanging out just to cheer me on.  Guess what happened then?  If you know me at all or have been reading this blog for awhile you can probably guess.  I started crying.  Good crying.  Good thing I can cry and ride at the same time.

The bike went well.  I did it about as fast as I had when Joe and I did the ride a few weeks ago.  I was hoping for a little faster but there were so many good things about the ride that I really didn't care.  I didn't bonk on this ride.  I drank both of my bottles of Gatorade and got my sports beans eaten like I was supposed to.  I switched the water bottles around so the one I was drinking out of was in the front spot...without stopping!  That was a pretty big deal for me.  :-)  If I hadn't had to stop and pee I would have been able to say I didn't have to stop on the bike ride.  Darn bladder anyway.  :-)

Towards the end of the bike ride the sun started breaking through the clouds.  I was hoping it would stay cloudy until I was done because that would make for a cooler run.  Oh well.

I was coming around the reservoir and I see my sister-in-law waving and cheering for me.  I was a couple miles from the end of the ride.  She was in the perfect spot to see me and beeline it to the transition area and beat me there.

Teresa's view of the road.  I came in from the left and headed up the hill to the right.

I came into transition and you would have thought I was in first place the way everyone was cheering for me.  I dismounted and started to trot down the hill to the transition area.  It was a fairly steep hill, at least it feels that way when you just get off your bike so I ended up walking down it so that I didn't fall down.  Got to my spot and the person on the other side of the rack had put their bike where mine was supposed to go.  I had to slide it over to make room for mine.  There were stickers with our numbers on the rack where I bike was supposed to go so that was a little irritating that I had to waste time with that.

Changed out of my bike shorts and into my running skirt, grabbed my water bottle and took off.  My amazing support crew was right there cheering me on, even made a hand bridge for me to go under on my way out.  Joe had a neck cooler ready for me and then asked if I was planning on running with my bike gloves on.  Oops.  Forgot to take them off. lol

At this point I know I am going to finish my first Olympic Triathlon.  I have done 10k runs before.  I knew I could walk it if I had to and finish.  That's a pretty good feeling.

I started off pretty good.  It was hard but I was doing a decent pace for me on a good day without a swim and a bike ride before.  :-)  I wasn't able to maintain that pace but I was able to do better than I thought I would considering the temperature had warmed up and I was a wee bit tired.   I was trying to run 10 minutes with a one minutes walk.  I think the walks ended up being more like two minutes a few times.  And if there was a water station during the 10 minute run part I got a bonus walk.  lol  The run was an out and back along the lake.  Now I was seeing people who were heading back towards the finish.  Got a tip of his hat from Marcus who was probably at about mile five and almost to the finish which was fun.  I thought for sure he would be long done before I even started the run.  There were a lot more people then I thought there would be.  Made me feel like I wasn't as far behind everyone as I had thought when I was on the bike.

When I got to the turnaround I got really excited.  I had only a 5k to go and I was done.  I can do a 5k!!  That gave me a boost.  Even though I was going a slower pace than I had the first mile I was keeping it steady where I was and not slowing down even more.  That was a win as well for me.  Sometimes when I start slowing down I get frustrated and just say, "Fuck it!" and give up and walk.  I did not do that.  I was not going to doing anything less than my 100% at the end of this race!  My stomach started to feel a little upset.  Probably from all the sports beans I had eaten all day.  Will have to work on switching that up during the run maybe.

Just before the six mile marker I could see the finish line.  I had decided that once I saw the finish line there would be no more walking.  lol  That was the longest quarter of a mile ever!  I saw Marcus watching for me and a "Good job!" from him.  :-)

My faithful crew waiting at the finish line.

As I got closer to the finish line I could see my friends and family.  Then I could hear them.  You would think I was winning the whole thing!  Then, right before the finish line I see Joe.

I didn't care about my time.  That really what this race was all about.

I swerved over to where he was standing and gave him the biggest hug.  And cried.  Oh my goodness I love that man!  He always believes in me even when I don't believe in myself.  He has supported me, encouraged me and occasionally given me a swift kick in the ass when I needed it.   When I say I couldn't have done this without him that is not exaggerating.  He is my partner and best friend and I think we make a pretty fantastic team.  I love being at his races and cheering him on.  It was the most overwhelming thing to have him there doing it for me.

Here's a video Teresa took at the finish:

By far, it was my favorite moment of the entire day.

My brother yelling that I'm ruining my time cracks me up.  Just so you know, he is totally teasing.  :-)

After the race I gave big sweaty hugs to everyone.  Finally got a chance to love on my brother and his family!  Still can't believe they drove all that way!  Lots of pictures and loves.  Our own little party at the finish line.  Since I was near the very last to finish we weren't in any one's way!

My #1 Fan.  My #1 Everything!

Big Bri hug. Love my girl!

Big hug from #1 Son!  Love my boy!

I used to think there was nothing better than being proud of my kids.  Having your kids be proud of you is pretty stinking amazing as well.  Having the kind of relationship with Bri where she could coach and teach me to swim is a precious gift!  If you need help with swimming give her a call.  You won't get the mom rate for lessons but whatever she charges you will be worth every penny!!  Seriously, I'm not just saying that because she's my daughter.  :-)

My brother Matt, fellow Badass with Sparkle sister-in-law Teresa, Jenna & Henry.  AWESOME SURPRISE!! 

Gave out some Yeti & sweaty hugs.  Nobody seemed to mind. :-)

Best picture of the day!!  I am a very blessed woman to have these amazing people in my life!

We said our goodbyes to everyone and started making our way to transition to get my things.  Most of the bikes and gear were gone.  Just a couple of racks still standing for us slowbies.  I packed up my backpack and got things somewhat organized.  Taylor and Meighan had headed to the car with the camp chairs and Taylor moved the car closer so I wouldn't have to walk as far.  :-)

We got to the car and Meighan held up a towel so I could change my clothes.  I really didn't want to wear my workout clothes all the way home.  It was nice to put on clean dry clothes!  Then Joe handed me my cider.  Aaahhhhh.  Dry clothes, a cider and Pringle potato chips.  I'm pretty sure I earned it.

Several times on the drive home the tears would start again.  Just that, "Holy crap, I just did that!" feeling would get so large it would spill out.  :-)

I was trying to send a picture to my coach.  I could not get it or a text to send for almost the whole drive home!  It was so frustrating!!  Joe said they kept him updated all morning long so he knew how I was doing.  But I wanted to tell him and to send a picture from me.  It finally went through.  Yay.  Next to my hubby and family, having Jon proud of me was the best.  :-)  If he had been at the finish line with Joe he would have gotten a big teary hug as well.  I know a big part of why I wasn't scared shitless at the start of the race was because Jon had been there getting me ready so that I knew I could do it.  

Thanks Coach!

Jon told me last week that I should be proud of myself no matter what happened on race day because I worked hard all these months.  That was something to be really proud of.  Here is what I have done since January 1st:

• 267.3 miles of Running
• 61.6 miles of Walking
• 812.8 miles of Biking
• 73.6 miles of Hiking
• 50.3 miles of Swimming

Grand total: 1,265.6 miles of activities.  In just under seven months!!  I never imagined this when I started in January.

It was a fabulous day and one that I'm going to remember for a long time.  Two top days for "I can't believe I just did that!" are first Half Marathon and now first Olympic Triathlon.

Official results :-)  

Solid swim, faster than I ever could have imagined a year ago when I started lessons with Bri.  Fun bike ride on a beautiful course.  Solid run at a pace that was faster than a 10k I did a couple of years ago (and that 10k wasn't preceded by a swim and a bike ride!)

I'm going to work at getting stronger and faster but I am going to always be very proud of myself for this race and all the hard work it took me to get here.

Teresa sent this text to me when I thanked her and Matt for coming:

So fun to have people thing I look STRONG & HAPPY!!  That's exactly how I felt!

Thank you to all the people who sent me text and messages before the race!  Every single one made me smile!  Thank you to all the people who liked and commented on my picture on Facebook after the race.  I know I have used this word a lot in this post but it has been very overwhelming.  I don't see myself as inspirational or amazing.  But if I inspire someone else to do something out of their comfort zone that has the bonus of getting healthier then I will take it!

My son posted this on Facebook with some pictures:

See, kids being proud of mom.  Feels freaking awesome! Glad I'm his favorite.  :-)

I know it was a long post.  There was a lot to share.  :-)

I already can't wait for the next adventure.



Photo credit to Meighan Van Veldhuizen, Teresa Ballantyne, Taylor Van Veldhuizen, Joe Van Veldhuizen and Faylene Gardner.