Simply Sustar: Summer Recap 2013 -Part 2

Got Energy Triathlon
On June 9, 2013 I did my first triathlon in about five years, and my first triathlon since becoming a mama! It was my fifth triathlon I've done so far. I trained and did the race with my friend Michelle, who is also a mama and has a little boy, also named Henry, who happens to be only a week older than my Henry! I had a great race that day and may have even PR-ed but I don't know since I can't remember any of my old times. My time was 1 hr 41 min. My splits were- 1/4 mile swim - 9:51, 17 mile bike - 59:01, and 5K run - 28:47, plus transition time. I was happy with my time since my goal was just to feel good and stay with the pack. I ended up placing third in my age group and earning a "prize" (which was a coffee mug) and my friend Michelle placed second in our age group.
The day of our race was yucky and cold, especially for June, but it ended up being good racing weather. The only issue was that the water in the lake was very cold and very choppy. Many people started the race but only got a couple hundred feet out in the lake before they decided to turn around and call it quits. There were even a few people that needed rescue assistance from the life-guards in kayaks, but thankfully everyone made it back to shore one way or another. I've always considered myself to be a strong swimmer, but I wasn't even trying for time during this swim. I was just in survival mode, trying to stay above the waves and not drink too much water. I did end up passing a lot of people in my swim though, so I think years of swim team, and being a lifeguard gave me a leg up. My bike was the most challenging for me since it was so long and you are isolated for most of the ride. It really is a mental game at that point to stay with it and keep pushing. I purchased a new road bike (on Craigslist - so new to me anyways) that I used for the race, and I think it made a big difference in terms of being lighter and faster, and it made shifting SO much easier. The improved shifting was especially key on the hill climbs on the course! My run ended up just going ok. I had finished a GU pack right as I came off my bike so I drank a bunch of water and then took off on my run. For the first mile I had a horrible side ache (I think because of the water and GU intake) but just kind of plugged along and was able to kick it in at the end. Overall it was a fun race and I am glad I did it!

Getting pumped up and getting all my gear ready to go the night before!

Anticipating getting in VERY cold water. I was super glad I rented a full-body wet-suit. I felt really bad for the girls in swim-suits standing next to me. :/