As the date got closer, the weather looked great! 13 degrees and sunny! It was the perfect weather. However, as any good Calgarian knows, the weather changes quickly. Soon the forecast was 2 degrees with snow and there was talk of changing the triathlon to an aquathon. I can't say I was overly sad about not having to ride the bike, but was a little disappointed to know I wouldn't be able to see if my hard work had paid off.
Just in case, we met up a few days before the race to practice our transitions. We put on our swim caps and goggles and laughed at our ridiculousness. We worked on our transitions from swim to bike and bike to run but in the back of our minds we knew we wouldn't be doing them.
Do you think that Bob could sneak into Tri Diva Tri? With his beer? |
Lucky Number 242! |
None of us swam right away, so we had some time to watch the first heats. It is always inspiring to me to watch these first heats. Soon after the first couple heats, my friends were up. This was the first time I went with a group of people and I liked that I had the chance to watch each of them swim. It really kept me calm and made the time fly by. I was very happy that I could be there with them on their first race and help them where I could.
The race was going quickly and soon the last heat was getting ready for the swim. I changed into my suit, took a few deep breaths, and made my way out to the pool deck.
While in line, I chatted with the others in the line up and soon I was just a few spots away from starting. I spotted my friends and family through the window cheering me on. This picture of my friend Kristen makes my heart melt. Having so much support and knowing that my friends had just finished made me feel even much more inspired and excited.
Can you find me? Look for the one without the ankle timer! |
As I was putting my goggles on, the swim captain noticed I was missing my timing chip! What an idiot! I ran back, slipped it on and by then it was my turn to jump in the pool. I was assigned lane 3. I jogged across the mat, but no beep went. The race director called me as she thought my timer was broken. It finally beeped... so I went to jump in the pool. As I got close to the lane, my lane mate stopped!! Why is she stopping?!?! I had to wait for her to get mid way down the lane before I entered(more missed time!) I was a little nervous, but I was quickly soothed by the warm water and within a few seconds I felt relaxed and comfortable. After about 50m, I caught up to my lane mate. I tapped her but she wouldn't move over. I was feeling a little frustrated so rather than kept worked up, I decided to draft her and save some energy. Once I finally passed her, she sped up and started tapping me. With a sigh, I moved over at the end of the lane to let her pass. She then told me to go ahead! What was happening?? I just kept swimming and rejoiced when I saw her hop out of the pool. I knew I had 75m left, so I picked up the pace and enjoyed having the lane to myself.
What a stroke! |
I was the second to last out of the pool, so the transition area was quiet. The first person I saw was my coach Sharon who moved from Bike Captain to Mop Captain. It was great to see a smiling, friendly face! I quickly found the locker with my things. I dried off as best I could and started to get dressed. Was I ever happy about my choice of pants. They slipped on so easily! What a weird transition this was! Here I was putting on a jacket and long pants while I was soaking wet. I struggled with my jacket. I thought this was such a good choice with its zip up closure and embedded dry fit shirt. Turns out, it wasn't a good choice. I could NOT get my hands through the arms. I finally got it on, tied up my shoes, attached my run belt and ran outside. I had been smart enough to tuck mittens and a toque in my pockets and I got those on as quickly as I could. Man it was chilly! I saw my cheer squad as soon as I came out and all I could say was " I am soaking wet in the cold!"
I tried to remember to keep an easy pace at first to make sure I didn't cramp, which I often do when I start running. My legs felt a little bit jellyish and it took a few minutes for this feeling to pass.
The snow was falling, but it felt surprisingly refreshing. I passed a few runners on the course and offered each of them a little piece of encouragement. I thanked the volunteers and tried my best to keep up my pace. I sped up as I went through the route and when I knew I was on the home stretch, I gave it all I could. I could hear my name announced and felt so happy to be done and so excited to have tried a new race.
Finished and out of breath! |
I love the snowflake nose I have in this photo! |
Then there it was... 10th place! I could not believe it. And it gets better - 1st in my age group. Was I reading that right? I really thought there was a mistake, but it turns out there wasn't. I really did it! I was so proud! It was wonderful to be able to celebrate my success with my husband, my coach, and some of my closest friends. I was embarrassed to go get the flower award and couldn't wait to get out of the spotlight, but Sharon managed to sneak this picture of me. In hindsight, I am happy she did. Thanks for a great race everyone!
Getting my 1st place award and trying to escape being in the spotlight. |