The women started at 8:10am with a lovely saltwater swim. The swim course looked intimidating because when I trained, I was swimming laps in a pool. To see 750 meters stretched out in the sea, it was hard to believe I was supposed to be able to swim that far. Of course, I soon learned that lap swimming had very little in common with open water.
About 150 meters into the swim, I was on the verge of a panic attack. The murky water provided zero visibility and I was in the middle of a swarm of arms and legs thrashing against me. The swim was every bit as awful as I had imagined it would be. So, that was obviously disappointing! I began doing breast stroke because I found that I could successfully kick against the people behind me who kept hitting my legs and I could also see where I was going. At that point, I didn't care about speed. I just needed to keep going and get onto land again. It didn't take long for me to question why I had signed up for such insanity.
At the first turn, something miraculous happened. The thrashing gave way to open space and I was able to get close to the rope and follow it for the next couple hundred meters. I could actually swim at my regular pace. It also allowed me to appreciate just how nasty the water really was. It smelled (and tasted) like saltwater mixed with fuel and oil. I don't recommend swimming in a ship channel. With about 150 meters to go, the water got so shallow that no one could swim anymore and we ended up trudging through water for the rest of the segment. That was no picnic either but at least my head was above water again! As I exited the sea, I glanced at my watch, curious to see how long that hellish segment had taken me. My watch read "00.00." I hadn't even hit the right button to start it.
I happily hopped on my bike and set off for the 20 km ride. It took me about 5 minutes into my ride to settle down from my anxiety-inducing swim experience but after that, I was in control and felt good the rest of the race. I was thankful that I was mostly comfortable during the race, unlike the guy who had a loose safety pin on the race bib attached to his back that appeared to be sticking his skin every time the breeze caught it. I also saw a guy wreck on his bike and that wasn't pretty. So, I felt good that I made it through with no mishaps. The bike segment is interesting because someone riding a $10,000 triathlon bike will no doubt perform better than someone on a mountain bike. The equipment makes that part of the race the most uneven and I had to laugh at the speed that some guys passed me. As soon as I spotted their bizarre Rocketeer-looking helmets, I knew I had no chance! The one exception was the woman riding a little mini-bike who blew past me. That was demoralizing. I knew the bike would be my weakest segment and the results definitely confirmed that.
Bike riders were supposed to keep left so faster cyclists could pass on the right. That's a great concept but the local people aren't known for their road smarts and the race was no exception. More than one woman got yelled at (always by a buff Caucasian male cyclist) for not being considerate of other competitors.
Finishing with the run was good for me because I was confident that once I got off my bike, my legs would bring me home on the run. During my training, it was my fastest discipline and in the race, it was the only time I passed several people.
Brian's group started about 20 minutes behind me so I didn't see him much until we were running towards the end. Honestly, I was thankful he didn't pass me! The official results: Brian finished in 1 hour 23 minutes and I came in at 1 hour 37 minutes. Brian's time was his fastest to date in a sprint triathlon and I easily beat my "less than 2 hours" goal.
So, we both completed the race and I felt good about my first triathlon performance. My sense of accomplishment was strong enough to compensate for the mild physical discomfort. I'll treat my body well this week and pamper it with a massage and plenty of rest. After that, maybe I'll check the race calendar and see if I can set another goal in the coming months.
We Did It!
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