I FINISHED my very first off road triathlon and I'm really proud of how I did. I did not do it to race it or have super fast transition times. I simply wanted to finish and finish strong. It was definitely a much tougher race than the other road triathlons I had done in the past. The swim was emotionally hard on me. Even though I knew I could swim 880m without stopping no problem the water seemed thick and hard to get through. Every 100m I had to breaststroke above water for 20 sec just to survive and keep myself moving forward. Still, my time wasn't awful but definitely an area I need to improve. The 12.2-mile bike was definitely the highlight of the race. It was freaking awesome!!! I had a really good time on that portion. The run...let's just say it was the harder than I had expected. The first 2.5 miles were straight up the mountain. I am a strong runner, even running uphill, but this portion of the run completely threw me for a loop. It was so hot and I felt like I was overheating. I ran/walked like most everyone on this leg of the run. Once I got to the top I flew down the other side and was passing people left and right. The breeze on the way down felt amazing seeing as it was approaching 80F and I haven't really transitioned into hot weather running yet. The only accident I had was that I fell flat on my face as I was running down one stretch. I must have tripped over a rock. I was lucky and only scrapped my knee and tore open the corner of my thumb. It was a small price to pay for such a rugged course. My favorite part was the end as I saw Mike and the kids cheering me on. Peter even ran the last stretch with me. I loved that. I'm so grateful for Mike and the kids who supported me and waited the LONG period of time it took me to finish. I completed the 880m swim, 12.2-mile mountain bike ride, and 4.8-mile trail run in 2:24:14. I came in 6th in my age group. Too bad I wasn't in the earlier age groups because I would have placed in the top 3. My age group was definitely the most competitive with girls who used to run for Colorado State University. Shaving time off my transitions times and getting my swim a little faster will place me closer to the fast girls next time. Something to think about for my next race!!
