"My First Tri" Race Report

On June 5th, I completed the "My First Tri." Each year in Atlanta, there is a "My First Tri" and a "My Next Tri." The "My First Tri" is only for those who have never competed in a tri before, so it definitely makes a newcomer a lot less anxiouis knowing you are among people just as nervous as you are!

The night before the race, I was fine. I wasn't really nervous at all! Race check-in was from 7-9 p.m. the night before OR before 7:15 a.m. the morning of. I wanted to go check-in the night before so I could scope out the bike course. I remember thinking, "It doesn't look too bad." Ha!

After check-in, we went home, and I started packing up all my race gear. We put Wes to bed, set the alarm for 4:00 a.m., dozed right off (Wth? I thought I would be so nervous that I wouldn't sleep!), and hopped up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! I showered, got dressed, stressed more about how I looked in my tri outfit that I did about the race, finished packing, woke up Wes and took him to my parent's house, and then we were on our way by 5:00 a.m.

We got to the transition area about 5:45 a.m. I claimed my spot and started setting up. I got my body marked (which really made things feel real), and then I went to just wait. My cousin, who happens to be a pro cyclist and also a triathlete, showed up for support. I finally started getting nervous when the other racers started pouring in. I started almost panicking, actually. Most of them looked like pro athletes! Most were decked out in expensive tri gear, awesome bodies, and looked like they knew what the hell they were doing! Where were all the beginners? Where were all the other moms that had a little extra weight around their midsection? Where were all the other people with regular ol apparel and equipment? That is when I started getting nervous. I did find some other people who looked like they were more level, but for the most part, it looked like I was among ironman triathletes! Eeeek!

Swim

Finally, about 7:15 a.m., everyone started making their way to the swim start. Because of the small size of the race, we didn't start in age groups. First wave was the "My Next Tri" racers, second wave was the "My First Tri" men, and the third and final wave was the "My First Tri" women (me!). My wave started a few minutes after 8:00 a.m.

The water temperature was awesome! It wasn't cold, it wasn't hot. It was just perfect. Since I thought the swim leg was going to be my worse, I kind of waited till a lot of the swimmers went ahead of me so I could take my time. I was surprised when I got a little irritated because I couldn't pass some swimmers. I tried to start off freestyle, but that was nearly impossible because of how crowded it was. I ended up doing a modified freestyle stroke, and I even doggie paddled a little when I couldn't get around anyone in the water.

I finished the 400 meter swim in about 13 minutes, and that was including the 1/4 jog back to the transition area.

T1

I took my sweetass time in transitions, which thoroughly annoyed my pro athlete cousin. :-) In T1, I sat down, threw on a t-shirt (I didn't want to scare any police officers or motorists out on the bike course), put on my helmet, casually put on my socks and shoes, drank some water, and finally got on my way. The whole time my cousin and Wesley were yelling, "Come on, Christy! Get going!" Hahaha! I always do things on my time, though. ;-)

Bike

Holy crap is all I can say. The bike leg was supposed to be my strongest leg! Uh, no. Rude awakening. I had to walk two hills. I honestly thought I would finish the 12 mile out and back course in less that 45 minutes easily. When I ride 12 miles around my house, I fly, and I am always done in way less than an hour. Well, this race course kicked my ass. Granted, I didn't see one other person make it up those two hills without getting off their bikes. It. Was. Tough. I finished in roughly 56 minutes.

T2

Again, I took my sweetass time. My legs were shot. My legs were wobbly when I dismounted my bike. I sat down again during T2, took my helmet off, grabbed some water, and then slowly started walking to the run start.

Run

I stopped at the water station and poured a couple cups on my head. The sun was starting to come out in full force. It was probably about 95 degrees out at this point. I went to start running, but my legs wouldn't work! (Note to self: DO A BRICK WORKOUT!) I couldn't get my legs to pick up off the ground! It was such a weird feeling, but I kept going! I was doing more of a power walk at this point. I ended up walking the first mile. I could have pushed myself, but I was really just soaking it all in and enjoying myself. I took in the beautiful scenery, cheered for others, said hi to some police officers, and kept smiling. At mile 1, I stopped for more water. I then was able to start running. I finished the rest of the 3 mile course running, except for one large hill. Wesley and my cousin were waiting for me near the finish line and cheered me to victory. It was a sweet, sweet victory. I'll tell you one thing, I got chills when I crossed the finish line, and the announcer said, "Congratulations. You are now a triathlete."

I finished the run/walk/crawl in about 50 minutes. I finished in the tri in 2:04.

One thing I am surprised at? I'm surprised I didn't bawl my eyes out when I finished. Nope. I just found Wesley and gave him the biggest hug. Wesley got my stuff out of transition while I ate watermelon and drank water. We slowly, very slowly, made our way to Wesley's truck (which was probably another 1/2 mile walk), and then we made our way home, but not before stopping for a huge hamburger at Wendy's! I was in a daze pretty much my whole way home. I don't think it really hit me about what I had accomplished until the next day.

We picked up Wes around 1:00 p.m., went home, and I resumed my role as mom, but I think I did everything the rest of the day with a little more confidence. Wes could have cared less that I just did a triathlon that day, a triathlon I've been saying I was going to for eight years. He just cared that I was there to change his diapers, for him to snuggle his face into my neck when he got sleepy, and for me to kiss on his toes. Maybe one day he will know what I did that morning all because he gave me the confidence and motivation to do it, and hopefully he will be proud.

The whole "My First Tri" was completely amazing. It was nice to do my first tri without any pressure of hundreds of other experienced triathletes around me. The race was a total confidence builder for me. I now know how to train, what I need to work on, how to better set up my transition, that I need to take chapstick with me, and that I can do a lot better next time! I was surprised at my swim, I was humbled by the bike course, I was shocked at the way my legs wouldn't move for the run, and I am 100% addicted to the sport.

My next race is an all women's tri on August 7th. I will train this time, and I will do better. One day, I will have my podium finish. Until then, I will enjoy getting to that point.

I am a triathlete.