Whidbey Island Triathlon 2011

I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my life.

I stood there watching other racers warming up in the lake. For some reason, I didn't want to warm up. I was convinced I'd be called out on being a poser; thinking I had any idea what I was doing. I had to go to the bathroom so bad. Someone mentioned just going in the water while I was swimming. Yeah, I could probably do that.

Getting into the lake, it wasn't until the water hit my back where the zipper of the wetsuit was that got me. I dunked my face in and moved closer to the starting point.

Here we go.

I'm not sure what it was, the open water or the wetsuit that made me panic. I felt like I wasn't moving any where. The huge orange buoys seemed so far. I couldn't find my groove. Whenever I would swim laps at our pool, I wouldn't feel warmed up until after about 400 meters. In the lake, I never got it. I swam freestyle until I'd find myself going off course. I'd doggy paddle just to keep moving. I flipped over on my back several times and wondered if I'd ever make it the shore again. People swam over me and I was knocked in the head a couple times - by people who were in the wave that started 4 minutes after.

The event that I thought would come the easiest to me was deflating my racing spirit much quicker than I was moving. Was the whole race going to be like this?

What seemed like an hour, I made it to the shore. I ran out of the water ripping my swim cap and goggles of. I peeled off the wetsuit with water gushing down around my legs. I pulled my bike jersey on and pulled on my socks and riding shoes. Putting my helmet and sunglasses on I ran up the hill with my bike. As I tried clipping my shoes into my pedals and started up the hill, I felt my thighs burning - I had kicked too much in the water. I was afraid of that.

I wanted to cry. What was I doing? The whole first loop I was so discouraged. I could count on one hand the times I had been on my bike to train and I started to hear a voice in my head that was familiar to me when I was delivering Henry; I don't want to do this anymore. I had to whisper to myself just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling.

After the first loop I felt hopeful. When we came to the part where we turned off to head to the second transition, I was excited. Well, until a volunteer asked if there where any riders behind me. Jerk. I knew there were still some people in the lake when I got out and only a few had passed me on the bike. I told her I sure hoped so. One of my pre-race hopes was to not come in last.

I found my transition spot, and was encouraged by my BIL, Stu, that I wasn't the last one to come in. I lined up my bike, changed into my runners and headed up the hill into the woods.

Here I was doing the last segment of the race. I felt so good. My legs were actually running! The pride of doing something so challenging was permeating through my body - I was doing it! I was finishing!

I knew I was going to pass my kids again and for the life of me would not let them see me walking. An EMT was standing across the street from the the church where the kids were, just a little further up. He could hear everyone cheering as they saw me coming up. He asked if I knew them, I hollared back with great pride and the biggest smile on my face since the race began, "THOSE ARE MY KIDS!"

I ran over on the grass and stole some high fives from any of the kids that would give them to me. The end was getting closer. It was just before then that I realized that I had forgotten my race bib. Not that the sharpie marked on both my arms and legs wouldn't be enough to show them I was a race participant, but it made me panic a bit. The last stretch I saw a man with a walkie-talkie and yelled that I forgot my bib. I told him my number and he called it in.

As I got closer to the finish line, I looked at the clock. 3:01:15. (I had dismissed my hope two days prior of finishing in under 3 hours when the sisters and I rode part of the loop on our bikes. I figured it would take me at least two hours for the 19.5 miles on the bike.) But, being this close to the 3 hour mark, I was a little disappointed that I hadn't done it. That quickly left when I could see Ryan and our family cheering for me. I picked up my pace and ran through.

A pathetic appearance, but so happy. I walked straight to Ryan. He gave me a huge hug and told me how proud he was of me. High fives all around.

I did it. Our race was over. My race was over.

To my great surprise when I had expressed how close I was to being under 3 hours, I was reminded that our wave started 8 mintues after the start time. Oh joy oh joy oh joy - I did do it under 3 hours!

With my bladder almost bursting ( I never could go in the lake, nor did I stop to do on the side of the road), I was there to cheer two more sisters coming through. I can't describe the feelings I had when we were all together; accomplishing a huge goal that we completed. Together.

Team Hunt ROCKED it.
.5 mile swim
19.5 mile bike
3.8 mile run

Ryan . . . . . . . Honey
swim - 26:59.0 . . . . . . . swim - 23:51.7
T1 - 4:50.7 . . . . . . . T1 - 4:43.6
bike & T2 - 1:14:36.1 . . . . . . . bike & T2 - 1:39:39.6
run - 34:42.1 . . . . . . . run - 45:17.4
finish time - 2:21:07.9 . . . . . . . finish time - 2:53:32.3