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puzzle pieces

Monday, July 18, 2011

Race Report

The Olympic Triathlon
 1.5km Swim / 40km Bike / 10km Run 
~~~

It seems as though I can be full of a lot of hot air here on this blog.

It WAS all in my head. 
It was.

But....it took a lot of effort in the legs, arms, and lungs department too....
~~~~

Sunday morning was beautiful.
And the lake was calm...a good thing.
It was full of weeds which they supposedly "mowed" before our race, but I still ended up with a few covering my cap and goggles as I swam. I just kept thinking about groceries I needed when I got back home.
Really. That's what I thought of.
Oh....
and I also had to watch out for the (rather large) guy who didn't know how to sight while swimming. 
He zigzagged back and forth in front of me....swimming over top of me and hitting and kicking to find his way to the turnaround buoy. 
For some reason I couldn't shake him. 
He crossed me at least 6 times over a 500m distance.

Other than that- I really did enjoy the swim.
(Swim Time: 36:41)

Transition went okay.
I did have to sit down to take off that ridiculous wet suit.
It was either that or fall on top of the guy's bike next to me.
I'm sure that thing was worth more than my vehicle. 
And no- I'm not jealous;)

It was a 3 Loop bike course.....a bit disheartening every time you rode past the volunteer yelling:
"Lap here" or "Finish here"....and I knew I still had to turn right for 2 more laps.
But bike seems to be the easiest leg of the race for me, so I  didn't mind the pedal by canola fields with the mountains off in the distance....3 times in a row.
(Really...I wasn't sightseeing on the bike.
But it sure was a darn pretty ride:)

(Bike Time: 1:10:31)

Last and my least favorite,
was the run.

It wasn't bad to swim 2 laps of the lake course.
And even the 3 loops on the bike was manageable.
But I now know how a hamster feels running on a wheel.
FOUR laps of a running loop was not a good thing for my mental state after all I had already done.
Each time we did a loop on the run we had to actually run BY the Finish Line. 
(Note the signs behind me.
I didn't like them until the 4th lap.)

3 TIMES I ran by that finish...listening to names being called out by the announcer. 
Names of people who had already run the 4 loops.
It was quite the mental challenge (for me).

So... being
the "optimistic blogger/runner/pretender" I had to yell out at every other person I saw on the run...
"It's All In Our Heads!!!"

(pffft!)

I don't think any one believed me.
At that point- I didn't believe it myself.
And neither did my legs or lungs.

But yes. 
I did eventually get to the 4th round.
~Run Time: 1:02~
(not happy with that time at all...but I wasn't going to do it over;)

It's funny....
I'm glad that race has come and gone. 
But I'm left sitting here wondering what I do now.
It seems all those hours of training
for 2 hours and 49 minutes of race time was quite an ordeal.

I can't quit thinking....
*Maybe I should use up all that training for a few more races.
*It wasn't all that bad.
*The run could eventually be my friend.
*I felt actually pretty good after I caught my breath.
*I think I could do a few more over the next month or so.


Then again, 
maybe it's just all in my head...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


(A HUGE thanks to all of you who encouraged me and believed I could do this thing. I actually thought of you as I ran and didn't want to quit because I didn't want to do a blog post on quitting;)

And another thank you to all the other Blogger/Triathletes out there who are such an inspiration for me. 
You HIM and IM people are Amazing to go those distances!!!)

51 comments:

Nathan Veldhoen said...

"i didn't like my time but I wasn't going to do it over..." that made me chuckle. Nice job thought...every race is a learning experience

Sharon said...

I think you did a great job of it! Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

awesome awesome awesome
you are my hero!!!
you did good girl...really really good
and don't be so hard on yourself about that running time, consider what you just did
and man do I hate loops...I really hate loops
knowing you have x more to do and yet you just past the finish line...not fun!!!

love and light

Jeff said...

You did it! Congratulations!

Joe said...

Good job. We never doubted you could do it :).

Brandy Marie said...

Great Job!!! We knew you could :) Congrats :) B

Gail said...

Great accomplishment!

The only tri I can handle is go to work, come home, sleeep...repeat.

Buttons Thoughts said...

CONGRATULATIONS DAWN : I never had any doubt you would accomplish that goal. You are my inspiration.
I love the way you describe the race and your feelings while in the middle of it, it makes it more real for me.
Relax now and get some groceries. I am sure there is another race in your very near future. Congrats. B

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Congrats first! I am proud of you finishing....I like the way you were thinking of things as you went through the race:) I would guess "the thing was probably worth more than your car"!

Michelle said...

Congrats to you! I can't imagine competing in that!

Leah J. Utas said...

Good for you.

Out on the prairie said...

Hopefully you did good time in your class.There is a big one in Iowa Labor day,the Hyvee triatholon.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Congratulations!!! I think you're amazing even though you weren't thrilled with your run time (I can totally see how 4 laps would be a mental challenge). I couldn't imagine a 10k run after a swim and bike ride...wow!

Well done my friend! Can't wait to read about the NEXT race!!! :) ...If I know you, there'll be one!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Congratulations! You did great! I'm always so impressed by those who do tris. I'm way to wimpy to do those brick workouts, and I don't swim. Well, I can swim, but not very far! ;-)

TexWisGirl said...

you, my dear, are a rockstar! 4 kids, husband, critters, job, and you still kick absolute frickin' butt! in my next life, i want to be like you!! :) congratulations, dawn, on SUCH a huge accomplishment!

Judy said...

Woohoo!! Congratulations, you did it.

Clint said...

Congratulations! You are an inspiration to me and many others.

Rambling said...

Good for you!

Changes in the wind said...

You are one of FEW....pat yourself on the back my lady.

Farm Girl said...

I kept thinking about you and wondering how you did. I think it is so funny you kept going because you were going to have to write a blog about it. It is funny how blog posts become a motivator to keep us doing things we might not have tried or given up. I am impressed!

Anonymous said...

Wow wow wow! What an achievement!

Jack said...

Dawn, you are a marvel. I am exhausted after trimming the hedge, and you run, bike and swim for two hours and 49 minutes. You are a brave soldier. Good for you.

bon bon said...

you are truly amazing! what a feat. there's no way i could even fathom such an undertaking! (especially since i can't swim.)

congratulations!

our little love nest said...

I don't know how you do it! serious coolness, cousin!!! xo

Bev said...

Amazing...loved the pictures... Don't know how you do it girl... I know you said anyone could.... but I don't know!! xo

trump said...

You had me already tired just reading this post,lol. I dont know how you do it. Richard from Amish Stories.

Zuly said...

¡Mi admiración para usted!
¡Qué gran trabajo hizo!
Zuly Castillo

Ransick said...

Way to go Dawn! That is quite an accomplishment. Smokin fast bike split too! Four loops on the run is down right cruel.......

Oh, I think you should do a couple more races since you put all the hard work in to get to this point.

Horst in Edmonton said...

Congratulations, glad you made it to the finish line.

Ransick said...

haha, yep on the run leg of every tri I do I think "why do I hurt myself like this" then within a day or two, I'm over it and searching for the next race :-).

Randy said...

You should be very proud of yourself. There are alot of us out there who probably wouldn't have made it past the first round. Good Job!

Debbie said...

you rock dawn....awesome pictures, i am so glad someone was there to capture it all so you could share it with us!!!

did you hear me cheering on the sideline?!?!

Janie said...

Great job! I'm amazed that you could do all that. Your time seems pretty darn good to me!

darlin said...

YYYYEEEEEESSSSSSSSS! I knew you had it in you! Way to go Dawn! Thank you for sharing your experience with us here, you're one amazing lady!

Lynette Jacobs said...

Very well done Dawn...I could never do that.

Pat Tillett said...

I'll tell you what's in my head. You are awesome! You might even inspire me to get off my rear end...

Jason said...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my race report, but you seemed to have done an amazing job yourself.

Congrats on the strong finish and don't stop at the Oly. Take it to the next level. You have done all the training and now you just need to mentally focus on the longer course.

pig parade said...

you did great!! it was fun to come and watch you! i think your time was great!!! my time would be 3 weeks and i would NOT want to do it over
( did the guy ahead of you in the swim run into the bouy?:)

Jimmy said...

Congrats Dawn, I am so impressed with your accomplishments as there are so few people with the determination and stamina to complete a race such as this (myself included), you should be proud of yourself because we all are proud of you.

Jo said...

Dawn, you rock. I can't even begin to tell you how much I admire you. Keep doing what you are doing.

A Prelude To... said...

You rocked it!!...just like I knew you would.
Your bike time was FAST! I can't believe they had to "mow" the swim course??
I don't think I could do a loop course - I just don't like them AT ALL.

ya...what ARE you going to do now? I think you better sign up for a couple more!!!!!!!

Hilary said...

Oh.. excellent! I'm so impressed! Good for you. :)

wayne15575 said...

Way to go Dawn, you are truly an inspiration.

Tiggeriffic said...

I think it's amazing that people can get geared up and trained to do this type of thing.. Congratulations ~! You did good~! I loved the pictures~! I chuckled and just imagained what that would be like to have someone big running over me in the water.. Glad he didn't bite. Yikes~!
Have a Tiggeriffic Day~! ta ta for now..from Iowa:)

Nancy said...

Congrats, Dawn. :)

Lowell said...

I'm in awe! What a gal! I really don't know how you can do that! Kudos to you!

And you kept your sense of humor.

You are an impressive person!

GardenOfDaisies said...

I think you did great!! Keep it up!!

Reena said...

Outstanding Dawn. My son is a marathoner as well ... lots of training and discipline! After he did the Boston last year, he said he wasn't ever going to do that again ... but you know what I'm going to say ... he ran it again this year. LOL

Alan said...

I'm so in awe, I can't think of anything witty or amusing to write. A big WELL DONE!! A great achievement!

Unknown said...

Amazing determination and effort Dawn, that not everyone possesses or even aspires to. All in all I think it's pretty amazing and inspiring.
: ) Congrats!

beth said...

wow....i am more than impressed. seriously, you just totally amazed me with all of this !!

and made me feel bad about not exercising very much and that i should be dong more than i am....

but hey, this is about YOU and way to gooooo !!!