Just finished my first triathlon! It was a gorgeous day, which was nice for the swim, though by the time I got to the run, it was 90 degrees out. Not so fun.

I figured beforehand I'd complete it in around 2 hours and 35 minutes but had secretly hoped to have better transitions and be able to finish closer to 2 hours and 35 minutes. I was also prepared to take longer. I finished in 2 hours and 21 minutes and 59 seconds! I was so excited.

Swim - I held back at first but found all these floundering people ahead of me so I ended up passing people for a while. Ihadn't expected that. Most of them caught up to me, I think, but I got out of the water with about 12 people still behind me so I was positioned right where I expected.

T1 - went pretty well, actually. Once I figured out how to get the sleeve of my wetsuit down over my watch, that is. I had nightmares of being caught in my wet suit and not being able to get out, but nothing like that happened.

Bike - I loved the course. Just loved it. I don't understand what the people who complain about it being narrow and twisty and windy are talking about. So I jwas able to stick to my plan and just haul ass, passing as many people as I could, figuring most of them would pass me back on the run.

T2 - not bad, but I ran the wrong way towards the run course. Oops.

Run - was brutal. Not only was it 90 degrees out -- I was sure the sun was going to roast my face off -- but miles 2 through 3 were all about these steep trails. I couldn't get up all of them without walking and I couldn't get down them without walking either because they were so steep. I was sliding all over the place trying not to turn an ankle. But I actually passed people on the run and hardly got passed at all. So, in some ways, it went better than I expected.

I just can't begin to express how helpful joining this club has been for me. Most of what I encountered, I was well prepared for, thanks to the New to the Sport program in particular. The water at Folsom Lake was nothing compared to our two OWS at Coyote Point. Practicing cadence really helped on the bike course and nothing was as bad as some of the hills that Brandon (and Dave) have taken us up. Finally, knowing I'd find my legs again on the run due to practicing bike-to-run transitions helped me get through the first part of the run when I was very, very wobbly.

Plus part of why I was able to cut so much time off my estimates is that I finished the swim much earlier than expected. That never would have happened without Laura and the Podium program. Finally, I probably would have petered out for the last 400 yards of the run if I Sherry hadn't made us practice finishing the last 400 at R pace, giving me the confidence to keep pushing when I was sure I was dead.

Feeling prepared and confident just made a fun experience that much more enjoyable.

See my blog for a full race report:

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-iz-triathlete.html