It's been a wild, crazy ride but it was fun.
Let me back up a bit first, bare with me. Our last weeks of classes rolled by and suddenly we were at the end, time is a sneaky thing. I went along with training and felt pretty good with everything, I knew I wouldn't break any land speed records but I knew I had come along way from the first class. I had a minor hiccup with an ear infection which landed me at the doctor's twice but I still felt good about it, it was an inconvenience but not that big of a deal. The last class we did a practice "triathlon" and I am glad we did because I learned a few things that would come in handy.
I started the swim and was doing good, then I began to pay attention to the others in the pool, and not myself. Big gulp of water and some aspiration, so coughing ensued. Ever cough under water? Not pleasant. So I learned to only think about what I was doing, look at the line and concentrate on yourself. Nothing good ever comes from being nosy! The practice bike and run went as expected, so I knew I could do this and felt so good about it when I left.
We had a week between the end of class and the race, she gave us our instructions, train until Tuesday or Wednesday, take it easy on Thursday and Friday. Hydrate, eat natural sugar and some carbs, that kind of stuff and said she would see us there.
Now I had a wild week, work was crazy, but I did all she said. Thursday morning I woke up and my leg itched and I had this bump, which I thought it was bug bite. I went in the bathroom and looked, HUGE welts all over the backs of my legs, on further inspection the welts were all over the back of my body! WTH?!?! At first, I thought it was a stress reaction (I am anal after all), I have had stress reactions in the past, but usually I reserve them for births and deaths. As the day wore on, it got worse, one on the bottom of my right foot actually hurt so bad, I had a hard time walking. I was freaking out. After much thought, I realized it was not a stress reaction but a reaction from the Amoxicillian I was taking for my ear infection. Even if you have taken Amoxicillian 100 times you can develop an allergy the 101st time and apparently this was what was happening to me. So it was Benadryl time, every 4 hours like clockwork, Oatmeal/Epsom Soak and then bed. Friday morning I woke up and my eye felt funny. The hives were better on my backside, but had now moved to the front of my body, new welts on my thighs, tops of my feet and my face. One huge one on my right eye and on my ears. I am like "What fresh hell is this?!" Benadryl again every 4 hours and by 2:00 pm, it caught up with me, I was a zombie and just plain high, but they were getting better so I suffered through the zombieness. Took a bit of a catnap for about an hour and by 06:00, I was feeling better. Decided to lay off the Benadryl for the rest of the night and hope it worked.
Got my gear all checked over, made sure my bike (all 34 lbs of it) was in order and loaded it up. Lost my car keys, had a panic attack over that, found them and felt foolish for freaking out. Bathed the 4 yr old, got his clothes ready and it was time for bed. Got it in bed, said a prayer and prepared to sleep. NOTHING happened, no sleep for me. To keyed up. So I laid there forever and eventually dozed off. 0500 am happened way to quick and it was go time and my hives were mostly better, so YAY for that. Had some coffee, made some breakfast, knew I couldn't eat it, so I packed it with the plan of eating in the car. Composed myself and got my clothes on, left last minute instructions with hubby about care of previously mentioned 4 year old and I was off.
Got to Y and there were already some people there, getting ready, I looked around and I thought, "Holy SH&T, I am really doing this!" The next hour or so flew by, I alternately felt excited and sick the whole time. Met this really nice lady, named Kathy, who was in transition next to me, and she helped me figure out what I was doing. It was her 2nd tri, so she was a little more experienced than me. Before I knew it, it was meeting time and then we were lining up to go. My start time was 0838 am, and when I first saw that I thought it was going to drag, but it didn't. I got my good luck kisses from my baby and then time FLEW. We watched the swimmers as they made their way through and then it was my turn.
At that moment, I heard nothing, and I saw nothing but the water in front of me and I knew I had this. I started and I was confident, all I saw was the water in front of me, only heard the sound of my bubbles and I went. My husband tells me I passed people, I don't remember that at all, all I saw was line on the bottom of the pool. About half way, a young boy passed me, which was fine, but then he slowed way down, and then his foot hit me in the head. Every time I tried to go around him and the swimmers in front of him, I couldn't because there was someone coming. Frustration ensued, I literally growled under water, I picked my head and looked around looking for another way around and nothing, so I sucked it up and just kept trying to pass, never could find a way around. At the end, there was serious bottle necking and rather than waste my energy I just stood up and waited, apparently I was pretty pissed about it, because Adrian said I threw my arms up. I remember looking at Tonya and Rich and telling them I couldn't get around, and them telling it was OK, just keep going, but I don't remember throwing my arms in the air.
Out of pool and on my way, I am still pissed, but I see Adrian and hear my friend Lori screaming and it is alright again.
In the transition, I get ready, I don't even dry off, I have to waste precious seconds putting on my gloves because my bike is heavy and I pull hard on it and it will tear the skin of my palms if don't wear them, ( happened before) and I still have some hives on my palms and they are sore and itchy too, that morning I contemplating not wearing them, but made the executive decision that I needed the protection or will be miserable if I don't, so I put them on, throw on my helmet and shoes and am off.
I dread this bike ride because I know how heavy my bike is and how hard it is going to be, but I persevere and make a joke with the traffic cop about how the ambulance with the lights on makes me paranoid. I pedal my heart out, but I know I need to save some energy for the hills coming up. I begin reciting a cadence on a 4 count, "I hate this bike", it keeps on me on a rhythm that serves me well. I get to the first hill, it is not steep but it is steady and long and I know it is the hardest for me because I have done it before and it is the one that always gives me trouble. Half way up I decide I am stupidest person alive and I am never doing another Tri again. I curse myself a thousand times for not getting a road bike. I get up the damn thing and I see cars getting ready to turn so I tell the volunteers to let them go, because I need a second to let my feet touch the ground and get a drink. They ask if I am OK, and I tell them yes, I just need a second, I count to 30 in my brain as I drink and I am off again. I keep it steady because I know there are 2 more hills coming and I need to be ready, I get up them slow and steady, doing my best and I even pass someone on the second one, I am kind of impressed by that. I know after the second one, it is the last big challenge for me, the rest is just miles and I am about half way done. I got this, I am no speed demon, but I am consistent. I know if I shred myself on this 34 lb bike, I will have nothing left to run with. As I come down the last stretch, I decide it's not that bad and I would do another one and that hey this is kind of fun, then I remember I have to run.....
I come down the entrance and I am worried I am last, there are people loading up their gear to go home. I even ask "Am I the last?" Then I see my cheering section, my hubby, my son, Lori, Abby, Tonya, Rich and my in laws and I am OK with being last because they believe in me and I realize the rest is just details. Give Tonya a high five and get to the dismount line. I get off the bike and I am a little jelly legged but I feel OK, my heart is full.
I literally throw my helmet on the ground and I throw my baseball hat on my head and grab my water bottle and I am off again. I am still a little wobbly and I know it will take me a minute to get my "sea legs" so I just start off slow. I increase a bit and keep consistent pace, as my personal goal was to run the whole thing with no walking. I am not fast, I am slow, and I know it but I keep going. I am amazed at all encouragement of the people who are coming down when I am going up, it actually makes me smile and I pretty much keep the smile the whole time. It is hot, but what is some more sweat at this point? I get to the aid station turn around and see the kids there, I get the water and pour it over my head and tell them, "I worried about being last, but I realize I don't even care anymore." They were so cute, "You are awesome, you are doing better than we would", I know they have said this a million times today and I don't care, I am happy. I pick up my pace a bit, and I see the man I spoke to at the pool, he is in a wheelchair, he has just swam and and hand biked and is doing it. I ask him if he is OK and he says he is, I tell him he is awesome and keep going. I am at the last bend when I see Martin, he took the class with me, and he has to come to check on me, my heart is even more full now, he and his wife are just plain GOOD people and he wanted to cheer me on, he runs with me(after he has already run his race) until we get to concrete and stops at his wife, who at this point is just screaming my name, giving me encouragement and telling me to go, and I go, giving it every thing I have left, and I get across the line, it is so quick, I almost miss it. I know I am almost one of the last finishers but I do not care, I finished what I started. Much encouragement, congrats and high fives and then I see him, the little blond boy who stole my heart 4 years ago, and he is crying, he runs to me and I just sit with him in my lap right there on the concrete and hold him and talk to him. He has been miserable all morning, they thought he missed me, and he was hot and tired. Turns out he wanted to race WITH me. When I explained it was for grown ups, he said, "I would ride on your back." You know what? I would of done it, carried that 50 lb, 4 feet tall little boy with me, if I knew he wanted me to.
So that was my journey. In my life I have done a lot of things, some good, some bad but this...this is definitely in the top 10 of the things I am most proud of. To some: they may say "It is just a mini sprint, why are you so proud?" To them I say, I am proud because:
I discovered how much I am truly capable of.
I discovered that there is truth to the saying: "if you want it bad enough and work for it, it will happen."
I discovered that my cheering section is awesome.
I discovered that I am loved.
I discovered that even though you are in competition, there is still room for encouragement.
I discovered that my husband believes in me.
I discovered that my little boy thinks I am Superwoman and that he believes I could carry him on my back for 11 miles.
I just get it now.
Until next time.
