The important news: I am still alive after the Olympic tri!! I am an Olympic distance triathlete!!! It was a sloooow performance, but it was hot. Way hot. And for some unknown reason, I was dead last on the swim. Now, I don't pretend to be a fast swimmer, but I had noooo clue that I was that slow. Small sigh there.
The good news is that I was absolutely NOT last on the bike or run. I finished overall ahead of three women, and one man was barely ahead of me (after their swim started 10-15 minutes before ours.)
And I FINISHED, which was really my only goal.
Here's the facebook note I posted, entitled "things I learned today":
The Ohio River smells like butt, and has surprise shallow parts.
The hills on Columbia Parkway are annoying. The bike course could not have been on Riverside instead because....???
Sports bras will collect amazing amounts of driftwood and river funk if you swim in them.
Sports bras also are great for holding ice while running on a hot day. (Yes, I absolutely did stop at a water stop and shovel ice into my bra. And my shorts. And it felt AMAZING.)
Adding to that, my butt apparently melts ice 1/2 mile before my breasteses do. (The butt ice was completely melted after only a half mile. THAT MEANS IT'S HOT.)
Even when you're slow, you're still beating everyone who's not out there.
Spectators who cheer for everyone are heroes.
Spectators who only cheer for their friends and then stare at you as you go by should be kicked. (Or even better, sit there and read their freaking newspaper. Do that on your front porch.)
And finally, if you can't suck it up and smile and hold your head up and keep going when you're in last place, you don't ever deserve to be first. (I did not come in last, but I was the last one out of the water on the swim leg. Makes it really easy to spot your bike in transition.)
And also....I have the official results from last weekend, and I'm happy.
Official time: 1:42:11 (ps - 11 is my lucky number)
99th place out of 195 total. (Top half. Ish. I'll take it!)
8th out of 19, 30-34 age group
Swim: 12:12, 16th place age group (that's at least 2 minutes slower than I usually swim. Hmmmm.)
T1: 1:43, 5th place AG
Bike: 53:29, 5th place AG
T2: 2:00, 16th place AG (stupid calf sleeves!)
Run: 32:45, 10th place AG
Overall: 160th place swim, 92 bike, 110 run
I'm switching my focus more to running now, but guess which discipline I'm going to really work on over the winter??? (And guess which one is my LEAST favorite?? LOL!)
congratulations!!
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