If you remember last year, my cousin talked me into doing the Okoboji Triathlon in Iowa with him and a group of people. I signed up and did it. Last year was very relaxed and it took us about 4 hours. We pretty much had a picnic in the transition area in between sports. It ended up being a great experience and one I decided I must do every year. In addition, when I was stressed about wardrobe changes last year I ended up breaking down and buying a one-piece tri suit for $100. My husband gave me a hard time for wasting the money on “something I was never going to wear again.” So, I bet him that if I did use it again, in another triathlon that he had to reimburse me the $100. That was extra motivation to sign up this year.
I signed up for the YWCA (woman’s only) Triathlon in June and just completed it this past weekend. I honestly was more prepared for the triathlon last year than this one. For one thing I have been battling severe hip pain (have been to an orthopedic surgeon, chiropractor, physical therapist; have tried many different vitamins, stretches, strengthening exercises, etc….) since April, which has limited my running significantly. For another, I was doing pretty well in June and then the heat of July hit and I couldn’t get motivated to do anything. I got back into training in August but that left me only 2 weeks before the Aug. 14 tri. With that in mind I set a goal for myself of 2 hours and 15 minutes. I told my husband that with a start time in the water of 8:15 that I would cross the finish line between 10:15 and 10:45; with an additional explanation that 10:15 would be a miracle and if it was after 10:45 I would be crabby and to avoid me at all costs.
Well, Sunday was a beautiful day for a triathlon. I got up at 5:30 to eat and get myself together before I headed to the location around 6:30 a.m. The morning started out really foggy and it was cool to see all the women arrive through the rising fog to challenge their bodies. While I didn’t feel particularly well rested, I felt well hydrated, well fed, and well prepared as far as my gear (i.e. – I didn’t forget anything).
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| Myself and my gear are ready to go! |
The swim started out in waves at 8 a.m. I was in wave 6, which went into the water at 8:15. I tried to stay to the back of the group to avoid all of the commotion. Well that didn’t work out for me because this woman, whom I’ll call “the shark” decided that she wanted to get past me by going over me. Not around – OVER! Three times! She literally swam on top of me 3 times. I finally said “what the heck,” (no editing here, I was trying to show good sportsmanship) and just stopped to wait for her to pass on by in her big splashy mess of a stroke. I couldn’t tell if she was overly-competitive or a bad swimmer? I got kicked a couple of other times but got into a grove eventually. That is until I ran into the noodle guy. To paint a picture, there are people with those floaty noodles all along the perimeter in case you need to stop and catch your breath. He was nice about me bumping into him and asked if I needed to stop on the noodle, I politely said “no, I just need to figure out how to go straight,” and continued on my merry way. This happened one other time by the way – I ended up swimming into the middle of the square course but caught myself soon enough. I guess I was so focused on my stroke and getting into a rhythm that I lost my sense of direction. I’m going to blame the murky water – which I have to say felt awesome at 76 degrees.
My transition from the swim to the bike needs some work. I had everything set up nice and neat but I didn’t dry my feet well enough to get my socks on right and then I had trouble getting my running shoes on without the insole slipping. I also decided to have a drink and some chocolate energy goo before I got my helmet on and headed off on my bike.
The bike ride was nice. As I reflect back I would like to instead be able to use the word “intense” rather than “nice.” I kind of forgot I wasn’t out for a nice Sunday ride along the river. Needless to say, I could’ve pushed it a little bit (okay, a lot) more. I did pick some targets (the woman in the pink shirt, the woman with the funky helmet, etc…) to pass to get me moving and into “race” mode. However, I was constantly reminded it was a race every time a die hard on a road bike zoomed past me at warp speed.
The transition from the bike to the run was a little better. I just had to pin my number on, grab a drink, and re-tie my shoe. I was very thankful I didn’t have to go to the bathroom.
As I headed off on the run I asked a spectator what time it was – 9:28 he replied. What? Was he kidding? I couldn’t believe it. I was going to make my goal! I anticipated the run would take me 40 minutes due to my hip and sore legs (which would still get me in before my 10:15 a.m. “miracle” goal). I jogged most of the way and only stopped a couple times to catch my breath. I also considered slowing down because I wasn’t sure Tom was going to be at the finish line and I wasn’t sure how to find him otherwise. But I carried on…… It was funny having my name on the bib because people on the sidelines would say “go Penelope, you can do it.” I enjoyed the commentary as I do not like running without music and headphones are not allowed. It was also interesting to see everyone who passed me along the whole race because our wave number and age were marked on our calves. So if I passed someone that was 28 from wave 4, I was feeling pretty good. But to get passed by someone in wave 9 was not so cool, it did however add a little spring to my step. When I finally saw the finish line I started to sprint for the finish, just as I crossed the finish line I looked up and saw Tom. I was so happy he made it to see me finish (he had just gotten there). And finish I did – before 10 a.m.; in 1 hour and 44 minutes! I completely beat my goal, which felt amazing. Now I need to beat this time next year and collect my $100 from Tom.
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| Sprint Towards the Finish |
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| Happy to be done and happy about my time. |
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| Sweet sign Tom made me |
Swim (500 yards) - 11:37
Transition 1 – 4:16
Bike (15.5 miles) – 54:34
Transition 2 – 2:55
Run (3.1 miles) – 30:40
I definitely need to work on my transitions, but was really happy with my times in each area. The winner was 24 and finished in 1 hour, 7 minutes, and 25 seconds. 973 women crossed the finish line, with the oldest being 74. Now if that isn’t inspiration, I don’t know what is?
