A New Thrill!

I did my first sprint triathlon (0.5 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 5 kilometer run) today with three friends at Harriman State Park and I loved it! There was so much energy and excitement in the air. Everyone (about 360 participants) was encouraging and friendly! The weather was wonderful and the water was a great temperature for swimming!

The swim was the easiest. I was nervous that I would feel clobbered, but my fears were quickly abated. The hardest part of the swim was feeling like I could go faster, but not being able to because I was boxed in by people. Anyhow, the swim was definitely a wonderful beginning to the race.

The bike ride was gorgeous as we passed by several lakes and through shaded woods. It was a quite hilly and curvy route, so unfortunately some people wiped out; the wipe-outs were depressing to pass. The bike ride was exhilarating and even the 600-foot climb in 1.5 miles wasn't too bad.

The run was the hardest part for me. The route had no firm footing and a ton of loose rocks, old black top and it had a lot of small hills. The real trick was getting my running cadence after having just figured out a good bike stride. After I found my rhythm I was set, but it was rough going until that point, and I ended up walking up a couple hills.

I crossed the finish line at 2:09:32 (Race Results)! I was so excited with my time because I was expecting it to be much longer. Next year's goal is to finish in under 2 hours!

It was so fun to do the race with my friends Becky, Laurel and Mary Claire (who all placed in their age divisions) - it built quite the camaraderie. It was also super special to have people cheering for me at each transition point - namely all our moms, some family friends and Jake!