Athens Triathlon

Yesterday I did a sprint triathlon in Athens, TX, about 90 miles from Dallas. The weather was perfect (NOT). Earlier last week we were having gorgeous weather, sunny and in the 80s, but then some rain moved in and stayed for a few days. On Saturday morning, it was about 40 degrees and raining. Yes, you heard me. Ugh. This is the exact same race that Phil and I signed up for last year but chickened out because it was 28 degrees! So hard to predict the weather in Texas in March. I wasn't exactly happy about the conditions this year, but I just went ahead and did it. (And I was glad I did.)

It started with a 300 meter pool swim. Why can't the swim be a little longer? It's my best and favorite part! It was seeded by estimated time and so I was #29 of several hundred participants. Someone about 3 spots ahead of me must have been really optimistic about her swim training and then never followed through with it, because things got jammed up after the first 50 meters (and that was with 10 seconds between each person!) I quickly decided I'd had enough and blew past three people in a row, and then the rest of the swim was a breeze because there was no one in front of me for 25 meters, and no one catching up to me. I was happy....

Until I had to get OUT of the pool and run outside, where it was soooo cold. I took a LONG time in the transition area to dry off and put on some tights, a long-sleeved shirt, a t-shirt, full fingered gloves... the works! I was glad I did because BRRR - once I got on the road it felt very windy. 

I only averaged about 14.5 mph along the 15 mile bike route. By the end of it, I couldn't feel my feet at all. When I pulled back into the transition area was told to dismount, I wasn't even sure whether or not my legs would hold me up! They did, kind of, and I proceeded back to my spot on the rack and sat down to massage my toes... feeling nothing. I changed my socks because my biking socks were soaking wet, laced up my running shoes, and headed out.

As I took off on the run course, I ran past Brittany and Phil, who were there to cheer me on. I grabbed a drink of water and yelled, "I can't feel my feet!" and smiled and then hobbled off. My lips kind of felt numb too... I guess that's the reason for weird face that Phil captured on camera...

I'm a seriously slow runner, but I didn't let myself walk which was a good accomplishment. Finally when I passed the "Mile 2" sign, I was able to feel every one of my toes, which was such a luxury! It was an out-and-back run course, and when I had just a quarter mile left to go, I ran past an older lady who was just setting out on her run. I smiled and said "Good job!" to her and she responded, "Courtney?" It was Diane, who swims at Baylor with my masters team and was a part of the group that went to Maui in 2007! It was so fun to see someone I knew and it definitely cheered me up for the finish! 

As I ran up to the finish line it felt like I was running on a trampoline, the grass was so soggy. It had been raining in the Dallas area for about 3 days straight! Ugh. Phil was there at the end snapping some more pictures. He is such a sweet and supportive husband!

 

Ta da! Done. It took me an hour and 40-something minutes, but I haven't done a sprint tri in so long, I couldn't remember if that was a good time for me or not. Who cares? It was fun!