This Thing Called Life: #14 - Complete a Triathlon

4:30AM my alarm went off, and it was time to roll.

4:31AM I got out of bed and proceeded to stub my toe, ripping off most of my toenail. Smooth. I put a bandaid and tape on basically holding my nail in place. Not the way I anticipated starting my day.

by 5 I was out the door and headed to Aurora Reservoir.

I got to the transition area, racked my bike, put out my water and food, got my number Sharpied on, and was ready for the race. I had some time to kill and nerves were high, so I spent a little time hanging out by the water just waiting for the time to get here.

As the Olympic triathletes got in the water and started their races, I met up with my friend Jo who was racing today as well. She and her boyfriend were a great way to kill the time and ease the nerves. Female triathletes were up, and Jo had to start her race. Then it was our turn. Game on.

SWIM - 500m

We stepped in the water and... chilly! I took a couple panicked gasps when I heard the countdown... 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. GO!

I waited for the intense swimmers to clear out of the way and I started my 500m swim. I was still adjusting to the temp so I couldn't get a good stroke going. I just kept moving forward. After about 75m, I was used to the water and was getting a decent stroke going. During training, I only swam in a pool, so I wasn't used to the thrashing of the current. I was moving slowly and was expending a ton of energy. After 200m, I turned the corner and started swimming against the current. I wasn't sure if I could make it. After what seemed like an eternity I made it to 300m and rounded the corner and headed toward shore. Just keep swimming had a whole new meaning to me... I rotated a front crawl-ish stroke, back stroke, and side stroke. Just keep swimming. My breathing was getting rough. Just keep swimming. 400m. Just keep swimming. I got closer and closer, worked harder and harder, and I finally was able to touch bottom. I made it. I headed up to the transition area in a dizzy, panting daze.

BIKE - 12 mi

I sat down to gain my balance, threw on some socks and shoes, grabbed a bite of my Clif Bar, pounded some water, and I headed out of transition and mounted my bike. I knew the swim went a little slowly, so I was hoping the bike would feel a little better. the first couple miles were a breeze and I was happy to be flying through the course, passing a few bikers as I went. Then I got to the hills. I borrowed a bike for the summer to train and do the race, and it's old school and hard to adjust gears, so it was a challenge. I was spent, but I kept pedaling. I hit mile 5 and I was thrilled - just a mile to the turnaround. Then I hit the hardest hill of the course. It just kept going and going and going. But I made it. I hit the turnaround and flew back down the hill. At around mile 8 my calf started to cramp, and I was petrified that it would get worse and mess with me the rest of the race. Luckily, it cooperated enough and went away. I hit mile 10 and headed to the final stretch of the bike leg. A steady uphill to the transition area. Awful. I couldn't breathe. My organs hurt. I was sore. But I made it.

RUN - 3.1 mi

I swapped shirts, pounded a little more water, and trudged toward the run course. I was spent. I wanted to be done. My legs were heavy. I kept trying to run, but I just couldn't sustain it. I didn't care any more, I just had to finish. I ran/walked the first mile, now feeling the heat. I took the time to cheer on every runner that passed me on the way back toward the finish. I trudged on. I finally hit the turnaround and was on the home stretch. So close! Slowly, I crept closer and closer. I kept dumping water over my head. I rounded the final corner. I saw the chute and the finish line. An amazing feeling of euphoria came over me. The announcer welcomed me in, I made it over to Kristen, who was cheering me on, I gave her a kiss, and then I crossed the finish line.

I made it!

Kristen found me and told me how proud she was of me - I met up with Jo and her boyfriend, and we shared in our excitement of being done. A brutal race, but an enjoyable one and super memorable for me. My results were slow to come in, and they headed out.

Way to go, Jo!

Kristen had to leave to take her mom to the airport, so I had an excuse to just hang out and relax. I went back to get my results - it didn't go as well as I had hoped, and I had expected my times to be a little better, but there was one thing that gave me a double take. It said Clydesdales: 3/10

For those of you who don't know, in addition to the regular age brackets, some triathlons add extra divisions for Athena (women) and Clydesdales (men) based on weight - in this case, Clydesdales are men over 225 lbs. It said I got 3rd place. It had to be a typo.

I waited around for the awards ceremony, and they made the announcement: 3rd place Clydesdales: Jeffrey Parker. I was floored. I made my way up and accepted my award, still in shock. My only goal was to finish, and here I was, getting an award.