Lone Star Sprint Triathlon 2008 Report

** Warning **

Try to ignore my patch of grey's Oh and that I look like sausage in super tight casing

Thanks so much for all the congratulations! Rita thanks for my cute tri socks! Anna for my rockin' card! All the emails & texts I got! I felt so loved!!

Well, here it is the report. I had to wait a couple days because when I finished it all seemed like a blur. It has been coming back to me in scenes, the past couple of days. It is a little (ok a lot) lengthy so grab a cup of coffee. I want to share too many details, but I also want to be able to come back and read this to learn and grow from. I say grow from because I fell in love with this sport. I thought I would do this tri, and get my fix to say I did it than continue with my running with some cycle/swim cross training. After all running has always been my first love before I could even run. I still love running, it is even my favorite part of the tri, and not just since that means the tri finish line is nearing. I will post some of the rest of the year goals later this week since I am feeling a new found motivation and determination.

I woke up Thursday morning feeling much improved from the night before, and by Friday morning I was feeling fantastic. I don’t know if it was all the adrenaline, antibiotics, and excitement or what, but I was gracious for it nonetheless.

We went to my parent’s house on Thursday evening since they are about 35 minutes from Galveston versus my 1 hour and 40 minute commute. They are out of town so there wasn’t a loud Cuban gathering, me being the loudest, LOL! Shane took off to be at my beck and call Friday. He made sure I didn’t do anything but chillax most of the day. In the afternoon our dearest friends Vince & Rita met up with us to head to Galveston get my packet, find my transition area, and attend a first timers seminar. The seminar was really helpful. I really had no idea how to even rack my bike. They gave us step by step instructions, plus went over some of the rules to follow. It was very informative. I even won a raffle at the seminar. A Zoot transition towel it is suahweet. Well, here is the truth on how I won it. They were asking who had a birthday this week, and who came from the furthest distance, blah, blah. The lady doing the seminar was Jana Landry from Ironbabe Sports that puts on the female tri here in our area. She was pointing at her shirt promoting it and thinking what other category she can come up with to distribute a prize. I said aloud, “How about if we are already registered for your super sprint in June, which I am.” My friend Rita kind of put her head down, like yep that’s my friend. Jana than gives me a thumbs up, and hooks me up! I guess I am pretty bad about the freebies, HAHAHA!

Shane, Lil’ Buster, Vince, Rita, my sister Mel, her boyfriend Greg, and I had a great pasta dinner at Carrabba’s. We had to wait over a 1 and a ½ to be seated, but it was worth the wait. It was delish! It put me in bed a lot later than I wanted to be. I got in bed at 11PM, and than did not fall asleep till 2:30AM. I kept replaying this imaginary video in my mind of me doing the tri, going over each step. In my mind it played in slow motion like clips from the Kona Ironman from the NBC special…LOL!

The support team had an early wake up at 4:30AM. It was drizzling all the way down to Galveston. I got pumped up seeing a lot of the cars with their bikes mounted. It let me know, this is it the real deal. At, that point my stomach fluttered till the bullhorn. Shane, filled up my tires, and I grabbed all my gear. We walked over so I could get my body marked. I don’t know why I was looking so forward to that, but I was. It was like I was branded as a real deal triathlete.

Than there were kisses, hugs and off to transition area I went. My rack was on the row with all the first timers. I gotta tell you a lot of those peeps did not seem like first timers. Maybe, it is just because if they didn't have their jaws clinched and a shit look on their face. I consider them experts.HAHAHA! I met my bike rack neighbor, Cami. She asked me how to rack her bike so, I helped her. We shared how nervous we were while spraying ourselves with Pam. I decorated my lil’ area just like they had taught us in the seminar, all organized like my compulsive self!

It was now 6:45AM they called all the athletes to head to the dock about a 1/3 of a mile away. There were about 13 waves before my wave could get in the hold. Shane, stayed with me for a bit, and Mel braided my hair. Shane swears I had tears of nerves at this point, but not one ever rolled out of the eye that means no tear no cry! He left me there a couple hundred yards before the dock. I saw Cami, and we talked training, and just getting pumped up. We decided we would jump off the dock the ladder wasn’t tough enough..LOL! We met another first timer Jen and they told the female first timers to get ready. The women rumbled, hooted and hollered! We jumped in to the 69 degree water with the sun shining. The water felt fine just a quick stutter breath when I came up. We swam about 15 yards to the start, and that is it we were off.

Swim: 15:06
I started off nice, staying on the side closest to the buoys on my left. I felt calm, and relaxed. I really never got trampled on; just a few kicks here and there. I guess that is the sweet thing of a first timer’s wave. I started getting tired, and for some reason threw everything I learned out the window. WTF!? I had windmill arms with my neck up like an ostrich!! I remembered to count the buoys to keep myself orientated to where I was. I talked to myself in my head a lot. Telling myself to keep going, don’t stop just get to land. I did finally, and they had a lot of crew telling you where to stop, help you stand up, hold you for a second while you gained your balance again.

T1: 3:55
I came out of the water really disoriented. I didn't know where I was, what I was doing. I did remember to unzip the suit and pull it down to my waist. I remember seeing the family cheering me, and Shane saying, “are you OK?" I am pretty sure I looked somewhat lost. Next, I was lying on the ground having my suit stripped. It was a pretty good distance from where we came in. I tried to run to the transition area. I just could not run. My head felt floaty like. Shit, I remember that I could barely walk.

Bike: 48:58
It went well the first 6.5 miles I hit a max of 22.3mph, and just felt strong. I was passing peeps continually. I lost my voice a bit. My on your left became a bit squeaky. The last half we turned to seawall by the ocean. The wind picked up, nothing uncontrollable, but defiantly difficult to manage for this spin class chick, who gets most of her rides done indoors! I was putting forth a lot of effort with little results. I keep playing tag back and fourth with Jen. I got drafted in for the last two miles. Where was that USAT official when I needed her? The drafter said, “I am not going to pass you.” This draftee said, “Nah your just going let me do the work.” I am almost shocked how relaxed I was on the bike, even riding deep in the drops. I guess I left all my nerves out in the bay on the swim. I was happy to arrive at the transition, after hammering it out as hard as I could.

T2: 1:40
I jumped off the bike, and took off running to my rack, and took off like a bat outta hell sucking on a GU. The legs, yea I dint feel ‘em at all. They were there, but it felt like I had no control of them. I figured the harder I run the quicker the feeling would return.

Run: 38:36
After ¼ of a mile running so hard, I was spent. I did a little jog/shuffle slow and steady. I saw Jen at this point. She was walking, saying she was going to walk it in. I told her no way, shuffle with me we will get there a little faster. We talked, and shuffled our way to mile 2. At mile 2 as we got closer to the water, I got the wonderful second wind. I told Jen I was feeling good, she said hammer it out, Viv! That is her saying, and I loved it! The last mile came at 11ish, and felt great! I was there I could here the crowd, and I heard my name Vivian from Spring Texas, is coming to the finish line. I clinched my fist, and felt like a champion. My family was standing there screaming for me, and giving me lots of cowbell!!

Bib 920 Vivian CXXXX Spring TX USA 34 F 1:48:18 Overall 134 Division 54/102

After stumbling around for 10 minutes I went to the party area, and saw Jen. She had a cold beer, and told her friends that she ran only because of me. Can you believe that I got her through the run. She had her buddy get me a cold beer, and we toasted to the fact that we were now triathletes!! I did not get to see Cami. I looked up her time, and whoa Cami was a runner, honey! She averaged 6:45 min miles and place 2/102. I posted a comment on her time page, and she commented on my time page that she will see me at the next one :-) I went to the food line, but had no appetite at all. My sister forced down some oranges and a bagel with peanut butter on me. We hung out for the awards ceremony, and saw the 1st place overall finisher Michael Lovato. My, God this man was an Adonis! I may have been dead tired, but never to tired to notice hotties. LOL! , and he was a good sport gave a little interview. He came off like a stand up guy. Lovato finished the course under an hour. Lovato’s wife would place 2nd the next day at the 1/4 iron distance.

We stopped off for Chinese food, and I must have been out of it since I ate a fortune cookie with the fortune inside. I forgot to pull out the paper…eww! When we got back to my parents, I chilled on the couch for a couple hours than I had mad crazy energy. I did laundry, cleaned out the car, reorganized all my gear, read blogs, and did dishes all while Shane was passed out...LOL! I was sore everywhere, but woke up Sunday feeling great with just neck pain. Do you think it had anything to do with the terrible form on the swim, ummm duh?! We went and had my celebratory dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, my favorite while watching the basketball game. I had a rough time sleeping last night. I think I finally crashed out at 4AM last night, and got 3 hours of sleep. I kept replaying the whole event in my mind. I have a lot of ideas on what I want to work on, and will post that later. I think I have bored you guys long enough!

Monday’s Workout:
5 Mile Run (12:42)