My First Triathlon

Sunday the Ironteam held a practice triathlon as part of our training. Both the North Bay as well as our team were in attendance. Roughly 70 people taking part, and at times it seemed just as many volunteers were there to put the race on. I was pretty nervous as I really didn't know what to expect. This would also be the first time I swam in my wetsuit, in open water, and in traffic. I got a crash course in setting up both transition areas and the little details like where to put your race number on your bike so it doesn't obstruct your water bottle. It was actually kinda cool to not know everything or be expected to. Everyone was so helpful in telling me how to set up, I'll never forget that.

In short, the swim sucked. The water level at is pretty low which meant we had to walk barefoot down the embankment on gravel and sharp rocks that hurt your feet in order to reach the water. With the temperature in the mid 40's that morning, getting into the water literally took my breath away. I was really nervous too which made me go out too fast and I actually started to panic when I got to the first buoy because I was out of breath and absolutely spent. Between going too fast, having a rough time breathing in the freezing water, and swimming in a wetsuit which I learned is pretty restrictive, I actually did a lot of my swimming on my back! It was pretty crazy but I finished, and learned a lot in those 15 minutes or so that I was in the water. Next time, I need to SSLLOOOOOOWWWW DOOOOWWWWWWWNNNNN...... The worst 600 yards of my life.

Once I finished the swim I got out of the water and walked up the gravel and rocky embankment to the transition area to get ready for the bike. My feet were so cold that I didn't feel a thing going back up that embankment. I don't even remember thinking about my feet other than they felt like rocks themselves. I got to my bike and spent what seemed like the next 5 minutes getting my wetsuit off. My arms and legs were exhausted from the swim, and stiff as well from being frozen in that water. I got my suit off and put my riding pants, shoes, gloves, and helmet on and I was off. The rest of the race was great, it took a while for my legs to feel "normal" again but I was able to do the 12 mile ride without issue. It was a lot of fun cheering on teammates as we passed each other going out and coming back in.

I got to Transition 2 and threw off my pants, put on my running shirt with my number on it and off I went for the 5K. As I put my running shoes on I realized that my feet were still frozen stiff, even more so than when I got out of the water after riding in that cold air. It took about 2 miles of running before they felt "normal" again. As I reached the finish line I was glad it was done, but I really felt dissapointed in the swim. I felt like I made great strides in my swimming over the last 2 months, and I have. But the open water informed me that I still have a ways to go.

When got back to the start/finish area and was reunited with my friends Jesus and Renee, I found out I wasn't the only one freaking out in the water which was good to know. In the end I did have a good time and I am so happy we did that race. I am eternally grateful for the Ironteam for putting that on!