Triathlon Day!

So if I didn't tell the story yet of how I decided to sign up for a Triathlon.... here it is.  About 3 weeks ago Travis (the concierge at FR at the time) asked me if I was doing the Triathlon here in town.  I looked behind me to see if he was talking to someone else... nope... then I laughed.  Haha!  Triathlon?  Me?  Nope.  So then at dinner I mentioned it to my friends Paula & Gini.  I thought they'd laugh with me - instead they encouraged me to do it.  I was very doubtful, but slowly over the next 2 days they convinced me that I could do it.  We found out the distances and then I started to believe that I could indeed do it. 

The sprint distance comprised of 1K swim (16 laps in a pool) 16K bike rid (10 miles) and 5K (3 miles) walk or run.  I know this is seems like a lot, but for those of us here at FR, we do that and more everyday.  So I figured 7 weeks x 5 full days = 35 days of training and that I could it! 

Honestly it also gave me something else to think about and focus on while I completed the second half of my stay here.  During "Open Gym" I would swim laps or go for a bike ride.

My friends Paula & Gini had both done Triathlons so they were full of information for me.  I also pestered Tiffany (a trainer here) for more details (Tiffany's done 30+ triathlons!)  So when the day came... I was ready!!

Randy and I at breakfast the morning of the Tri.  I was finishing Week 7 at FR and Randy was finishing Week 6 so we were very very ready to rock & roll!  Randy was also a super big help to me in helping me transport my loaner bike to and from the Tri.

My loaner bike at the transition area - all ready to go!

Me in the locker room before getting changed into my swim suit.  I opted to transition in the locker room for T1 (between swim and bike)  I wanted to completely change into dry clothes. 

For my next Tri I will transition outside like everyone else.  I wasn't planning on doing any Triathlons when I arrived at FR... so I didn't have an athletic type of bathing suit with me.  Real triathletes sometimes wear wet suits and then peel them off and have dry clothes underneath.  Or in warm climates they wear a hybrid wet suit thingy that they also cycle and run in.
Maybe one day that will be me? 

My locker all ready to go!

This is me (with wobbly jello legs) after finishing the bike ride and getting ready for the last part - the run/walk.

Randy running across the finish line with his dog Packer (as in Green Bay)
Some of Randy's family came to watch and they brought his dog to cheer him on. 

Nancy from Reservations rockin' it!  This is her 2nd Triathlon and she took 8 mins off her time!!

Here's me running to the finish line with Sharon - another trainer from FR.  She was there to support us and I ran into her on the way back.  She walked the last 1/4 mile or so with me and then she said "Let's kick some ass!" and we ran across the finish line together.  It was awesome!

A reenactment of the finish line crossing.  My friend Peggy was there to cheer me on and take pics - she said I was running to fast to get all the pics in  (Haha!  Never heard that before!)

The Fitness Ridge gang!  Both staff as well as past & present guests. 

One cool thing - I met 3 past guests at the event - and they were all people who went home after their stay and continued to do well.  I love to meet people who are living, walking, talking sucess stories.  ;)

This is the medal that Paula had made for me.  (and one for Randy too!)  So very very sweet of her!

Often Triathlons have participation medals for everyone.  When we found out that this one didn't, I thought oh well.  Not Paula.  She went home 2 weeks ago and made some magic happen and had the medals delivered to FR.  Oh boy did I cry.  ;)  Love you Paula!!

Overall it was a fantastic experience!  I knew I could do it, there was no doubt in my mind.  But it was still a great feeling to complete everything.  I had a smile on my face the entire time.  Since it was my very first Tri I had no time to beat.  Next time I'll have something to improve on right?

My final time was 2:30:25:6  (2 hours, 30 minutes, 25 seconds, 6 milliseconds) 
Not a fabulous time by any means, but it's a new goal for me to beat.  ;)

Another cool thing was the encouragement from everyone.  Friends here.  Friends and family back home.  Other athletes.  Spectators watching from the sidelines.  It's all so heart warming.  ;)  Hard to describe, but so amazing to experience.

There were people of all ages participating, and I was promised people of all sizes, but I didn't really see any other plus size people.  There were times I thought the other athletes were saying encouraging things because I'm the only fatty out there... but then I heard from others that it's fairly common for the faster people to be encouraging to the slower people.  (So maybe I'm not special after all?  Whaaaaat???)
So now I'm looking for Spring Triathlon back home to sign up for.  Who wants to do it with me?



Edited to add:Some people have asked if I have a breakdown of my times and I do...

So this is what my official time record says (in minutes)
SWIM - 27mins
T1 - 2.5 mins
BIKE - 1hr 9 mins
T2 - 2.5 mins
RUN - 48 mins

We all wore timing chips on our ankles and they had marks on the floor that when we passes them the timer ends on one phase and starts the next.  Unfortunately they had the marker going from swimming to transition 1 outside by the bikes.  So I went from the pool to the change room and then outside. 

This is how I would break down the 27 mins swim time...
15 mins swimming - 1 min walk to the change room - 10 mins in the change room - 1 min walk outside to the marker line

So I think my time should look more like this:
SWIM - 15mins
T1 - 14.5 mins
BIKE - 1hr 9 mins
T2 - 2.5 mins
RUN - 48 mins
Lots to improve on, but I am looking forward to it!  ;)