Tri it! You might like it!

This weekend was the 1st Annual San Tan Triathlon! I loved it! Well, parts of it:) Like, the swimming, running, and finishing part, but not so much the biking part. Originally I wasn't going to participate because of my marathon training (and the fact that I didn't even know how to swim, nor did I own I bike), but I decided, what the heck? It could be fun! It was and I'm SO glad I did it!

There were 27 participants. The winner had a time of 1:13:45. I came in 9th overall, 4th out of the 13 women, with a time of 1:35:30.

I am really proud of myself! Swimming and biking were both things I had never done before, so to learn how and practice then see improvement was exciting! The improvement was mostly on the swimming part. The 400 meter swim took me over 10 minutes the first time. On race day, I swam in 8:26. It's 2 seconds slower than my best, but I had to stop once for a few seconds because Jaxon was about to jump in after me!

I was so much fun to race again. I haven't competed in 5 years (since high school). The night before I couldn't go to sleep! I think if it had been running only I might not have been so nervous, but since I've never competed in swimming and biking, especially at the same time, I didn't know exactly what to expect. Once I got there and it was about to start, my nerves calmed down and I wasn't so worried.

The transition from swimming to biking wasn't too bad. I didn't towel off much, but it didn't take long to dry. I took a few extra minutes getting my iPod on, but I wanted to have the music. My legs were pretty tired on the bike and it was SO windy I felt like I wasn't going anywhere! Oh it took forever to bike those 11 miles! That was the hardest part--biking in strong winds. There were times where I was actually talking out loud to myself to pick it up. I had a chocolate GU packet stashed in my bra that I gulped down during those hard moments. That helped.

The transition from biking to running, now that was tough. My legs wanted to quit, but I wouldn't let them. After a few minutes, I was able to get into my pace I was enjoying myself. It was a little warmer than I'd like, but not bad. I love running. I really do.

Oh, a few times I actually had to turn around because I realized I had gone the wrong way! That was a bummer since I lost time.

My sweet husband and kids were there to support me. My brother came from school to see me finish and my mom, who had worked from 3:00 pm to 1:00 am the previous day was there before it started to help me get set up and plan my transitions. My dad had to work, or I know he would have been there to support me too. Devin, the boys, and my mom drove along the way and cheered me on at certain points. That was helpful and so sweet. I have an awesome family and I'm so thankful they were there. It really meant a lot.

My number 1 fan

About to start...

I was in the first lane so he was able to run along side me. It was so cute!

On the bike

Just dropped the bike and off to run. Notice the wet spot...I didn't pee. It's from my seat where my shorts didn't dry.

Right after I finished

Rehydrating

Jaxon playing with my iPod

Henry being supportive

My brother and mom

Not all, but most of the group