So Saturday race day was finally here!!! I was excited but still very nervous. I had found out on Friday that the course we had to run was a trail and not a road race like I had assumed. For those of you who don't know, I HATE TRAILS!!!! More than just about anything that I can think of off the top of my head. I had set a goal of 1:20 for a finish time and when I found out about the trail I upped my finish time to 1:40. I just know I really struggle with trails.
I started in front of my niece, but I knew she would catch me on the run section. I was giving it all I had on the run but was quickly getting tired and fed up with the terrain. I kept stepping on rocks and sliding and then I would step on a twig and it would stab me in the shin...and my new running shoes were getting dirty! She caught me just around mile 2 and we ran out of the woods together. It was very nice that we were able to run a good part of the race together. She is much faster than I am so it was nice to be able to have someone to talk too.
Next up, the bike. This was the part that I was most nervous about. I knew that I could do the distance, I have done it a number of times now, but I am still new on the proper etiquette of riding. I have never done any sort of group race type thing on a bike. I did my best to stay to the right and let others pass me on the left. One time I got all messed up and finally told the other rider to just go around me I couldn't get back on the right side of the road. She very kindly went around. After analyzing the entire race I know now that the bike was the easiest part! Go figure!
Up next, we swim. From what I had read the night before I found out that I had to get out of the pool after the swim and run across the finish line. Well that didn't really fly well with me. I have no problem wearing a bathing suit in public, but I am not about to run to a finish line in nothing but a swim suit. I was prepared to wear my shorts in the pool just so I didn't have to do that. So as I am pulling up to the final transition spot I parked the bike and ran in the pool area with all my clothes on. When I got in I saw that the finish line was right out of the pool, no sweat, Ill swim my laps and hop out and then go put my shorts back on! The swim was the easiest event for me, but I underestimated that the pool would be so crowded and that the etiquette that I didn't know in the bike was now being broken in the pool. Swim on the right pass on the left....I got caught behind some people that were swimming side by side. Both very slowly and neither making any progress. It took a bit but I finally got past them. My niece actually swam underneath two people that were doing the same thing to her.
We finished!!!!! Yeah, that was the ultimate goal. My time ended up being 1:26. I think that is a little bit off from the actual time because I was not in the first group but either way, that is what the finish time said and I don't really care what the time was because I crossed the finish line. I marked that off the "Bucket List" and am happy to say that I will probably do it again in the future.
Post finish line, clothes back on! Happy as a Lark!
