mrs-roboto's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Danskin Triathlon 2004 Part II I awoke Sunday morning with a heaviness in my chest and a stream of mucus spilling out of my nose and pooling on my pillow. Yes, I sure was pretty. But you know what? Triathlons aren't about being pretty and I felt if I didn't do this, I would regret it terribly. So I showered, dressed, packed my bag, and headed off to the triathlon. Upon arriving, we learned that there were over 3400 participants this year and roughly 6000 spectators. It was very overwhelming to see such a crowd. I made my way to my bike and began to prepare for the swim. The two women next to me were old pros, this being their third triathlon. They were nice enough to take me under their wing and allowed me to tag along down to the swim entry area. This is where things began to get surreal for me. I think of myself as a strong swimmer. I love the ocean. I love to be in the water. I feel really safe there. Yet as I looked out at the first buoy, I felt my confidence sink. It was damn far away. I couldn't even see the second buoy and the swim finish, well it might as well have been in Canada. As I stood amidst a hundred women in red swimming caps, a women on shore gave a pep talk in which she shouted "YOU......CAN......SWIM!!!!!" And then the horn sounded and we all jumped in and the waters became a seething mass of elbows and hands and feet. I felt someone claw their way over my body. I took a deep breath and headed off to the right, out of the way. I swam every stroke I knew. A little crawl, the breast stroke, the back stroke, the doggie paddle, and something I like to call the Mrs-Roboto Sink or Swim. I never thought I was going to drowned but I will say I had some thoughts of possibly asking for help. I didn't do it though. I just swam as best as I could and I made it past the first buoy and then the second, and nearly forty minutes later I emerged on shore completely disoriented and somewhat delusional. I vaguely recall being met by Danskin representatives who said something like "great job" and then pushed me off in the direction of the bike transition area. I recall running a bit and hearing my name. I apparently looked up at Pete and smiled but I don't have any distinct memory of this moment. He showed me a picture though so It must have happened. I found myself in the bike area with but I had no idea where my bike was. It took every ounce of mind power I had left to lift the fog and recall where it was racked and when I did, I more ambled than ran to it. I managed to get my socks and shoes on and down a Pria bar, put on my Camelback (I have to say this is the greatest piece of equipment I've ever purchased), and head off towards the starting gate. From here, things get blurry. I rode along at a decent pace but I also tried to store up some energy for the run and I drank water like it was going out of style. I saw several women down from dehydration/heat exhaustion as I pedaled along and I decided I wasn't going out like that. The ride was pretty uneventful. Mostly flat, along I 90. There was a single steep hill and many women dismounted and walked their bikes up. I was pretty damn pleased I have been riding uphill to work for the last few weeks and thus was prepared. I can barely recall the transition to the run. I just remember running and dumping glass after glass of water over my head. I did have to stop and walk for a few minutes (my hip acted up) and my run was more of a trot but I did it. I made it to the end and actually crossed the finish line at a good pace. I felt so emotional as they called out my name and I began to look around for Pete but he was nowhere to be found which made me weepy. Someone handed me Gatorade and I thought it was water. I was very disappointed when I took a swig. I spit it out and sobbed heavily. And then I wandered off and found Pete. It took me about twenty minutes to get a hold of myself. I guess I was overwhelmed and physically maxed out and probably facing a calorie deficit as well. I was also very, very proud. Click here for more....... 12:45 p.m. - 2004-08-16 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||