I'm a fat triathlete!!

A couple of weeks ago I DNF'ed my first triathlon, and I joked that I'd keep signing up for them and if I kept not finishing I'd become the Susan Lucci of the sport.  Then when I did finish one it'd be a huge deal and I'd probably get a parade and Barbara Walters special.  Well, that didn't happen.

Such a colorful medal!

Yesterday I raced in the Circle Triathlon's Mt. Morgan course (200 yard swim, 3 mile bike, half mile run), and I finished!  Here's how I handled the swim differently from last time.  Well besides leaving my goggles in the car...

• I left home extra early so that I wasn't rushed and had time to get in the water before my wave.  Brian left his helmet at home and we had to go back, but we still made it with some time to spare.

• One of the lifeguards asked me if I was nervous (I'm sure I looked like I was ready to pass out), and rather than say no, I said yes.  She told me where the walkable places in the pond were and reassured me that the kayakers wouldn't let me drown. 

  

  Thanks for this candid photo, Brian!

• While swimming out to the first buoy, I called a kayaker over just to say hello and let him that I'm not a strong swimmer.  He told me that he'd paddle next to me in case I needed him.  I did. We had a great conversation.

I saw Mike again after the race.  He was a wonderful kayaker and encourager!

The bike was a fun and flat course down a paved road.  I passed some spectators, mostly people walking dogs and carrying babies.  After the second transition, it was a quick run/walk on that same path.  I don't consider myself a runner, but I experimented with running for 100 steps and walking until I felt ready to run another 100 steps.  I liked it.

Black girls rock!
It's always the right time for Black feminism.

Immediately after our race was one for even younger athletes.  I had the pleasure of seeing them do their bike rides while I was finishing up my run, and were they cute!!  Some of them had training wheels on their bikes and some were dressed as super heroes.  I loved it!  After the race, everybody got to fill up on ham, potatoes, and blueberry pancakes.  There was even a guy singing and playing a guitar.  The directors thanked us for helping their program make a difference in girls' lives and invited us to come back next year.

This race was a blast, and (get this!) I'm definitely going to do it again next year.  The combination of racing with kids (they were so proud of themselves!), racing for a cause that's dear to my heart (mentoring girls and sending them to summer camp), and racing shorter distances made this the perfect triathlon for me!!

The Pumpkinman Triathlon (third of a mile swim, 15 mile bike, and a 5K) is this weekend, and I'm still debating whether or not to do it.  I'll give it another day or two.  While the race director assured me that there are no cutoff times, I think the swim distance is a bit much for me.  It's so important to be flexible when it comes to this stuff.  We'll see what body I wake up with on Saturday morning.

Afterwards I bought myself some sneakers in Kittery, so overall it was a great day for fitness, joyful movement, and using the body you brought with you!