Yesterday, my team and I competed in our 4th Pumpkinman Triathlon. We had a blast. We have participated in this for the last several years without shattering our time. This was the year to do it. Since we have lost a lot of weight and have been hitting the gym, I expected my time to improve. However, going into the race, I was not so sure. I thought I was pretty comfortable with the swim and knew I would be fine on the running due to training for the half. The bike on the other hand was another story. I think I only rode my bike 4-5 times for 12 miles. I conquered the 18 miles with Great Hill only once which was several weeks ago. So I was not as prepared as I hoped. Instead of going in to break my record, I had to change my thought process to just complete it. I knew that I could do it but it wouldn't be pretty.
The Adairs picked me up in the morning to make our way over to Spring Hill. It was cloudy and humid out. The exhilaration of all the racers and volunteers was amazing. We drove into the lot and there was a swarm of people in orange shirts as well as the racers. The line to check in and become body marked was frighteningly long. Luckily, we picked up our packet the night before. Gano had to bring his bike to the Papa Wheelies tent due to a flat tire before he even started to ride.
After receiving our timing chip, then getting body marked, we proceeded into the transition area to line up our bikes. There were 500 athletes there all waiting for the race to start. It was exhilarating. We saw many people that we knew which was encouraging.
I was in the 5th leg of the race. I was able to cheer on Marcia and Gano as they entered the water. Now it was time for my heat. The call when out "Go, Go, GO". I was in the back of the pack while I made my way into the water. Slowly, I was able to start swimming. I tried to stay to the far right so that I wouldn't get kicked or splashed to much. I was actually more wearisome of the wave of swimmers behind me. I knew I would be passed by one or two waves. I was right. I was overrun before I made it to the first buoy. The water was extremely choppy from all the swimmers. It was hard to get into my groove. Every time I tried to swim, I choked on water. Unfortunately, I was only able to do the breast stroke, which slowed me right down. On the back stretch, I did swim freestyle before I was overtaken again by the next wave. When I was able to round the last buoy and finally stand up, I was elated. The swimming part was over. I looked down at watch and 19:33 minutes had past. Not good. This was my worst swim yet. Fortunately it was over. Now onto the bike.
During the bike ride I wanted to make up time from the swim, however, I didn't want to burn out my legs. I tried to keep a steady cadence. There were many hills that made it impossible to go fast. Sometimes I was riding at 22mph, next comes a hill and I'm down to 14mph. Great Hill was averaging about 6 mph. On the first set of hills, I kept lowering my gears to conserve energy. I looked at my time. I needed to finish in 30 minutes to break my record. So I started to stand up and pump up the hills. No more down gearing for me. I was determined to come in in less than 54 minutes. I was pedaling strong. Now to conquer Great Hill and then I am in the clear. Up, up, and up, I down gear to the lowest possible gears and pedal. My legs are on fire. I hit the crest and had to stand up to power over the hill. I made it!! I am so close to finishing. I hear the announcer calling the elites names that have already finished. Around the corner, up another hill, and I made it to transition. I look at my time: 51 minutes and 31 seconds. Holy Cow!!! I shattered my record. I jumped off the bike, racked it, and changed shoes. Off to the final leg, the run. I am strong in the run but my legs are sore. I am watching the clock. I know I can run a 10 minute mile but my legs are toast. I feel like I am going extremely slow. I round the last bend. Just over a mile to go. I can hear the cheering. Upon running into the parking lot, I hear them call my name. Soon I will be finished. I run harder and faster. Almost done! Down the hill and across the finish line I go. I look at my watch and finish in 1:43:55. My time on my run was 27 minutes and 26 seconds. I ran a 9:08 minute mile. I have never run that fast before, even in my road races. Excitement coursed through my veins. I finished the triathlon and broke two records. Yeah!!!
It was my original goal to beat my time (minus the swim :( ). I can't believe that I did it, especially since I didn't train as much as I would have liked. I went in the race just to complete it, but then decided I wanted to conquer it. You can conquer it too. Whether it be your first 5k or triathlon or an exercise group, it doesn't matter. Make up your mind that you can do it. Don't talk yourself out of it. It is too easy to give up. It takes a stronger person to persevere though the tough times to reach your goal. Never give up.
