Triathlon!

So today I completed my 1st ever "Olympic Distance Triathlon" -- 9/10 mile swim, 26 mile bike and 6.2 mile run.  Yeah, it was pretty insane...long...tiring...but FUN!! 

I was honestly completely nervous before it began--I did not sleep at all last night, and was feeling very UN-prepared...I am typically obsessive-compulsive about training, but I definitely bit off more then I could chew on this race...

You see on May 28th, I completed a short mini-triathlon in Nashville - 200 meter swim, 8 mile bike - 2 mile run--it was so short and quick, and I loved it--I could compete, and pass people...and let's just say I became a tad over-confident in my new found triathlon abilities...so I looked at the racing schedule for the southeast this summer, and even though today's tri was only 6 weeks away, I decided to give it a go.

Well, in total Leigh fashion, I really tried to fit too much into my life at once -- you see, over the past 6 weeks, I have had a busy travel schedule...

--Trip to Greenville, SC for my cousin's graduation with Tim, then on to Atlanta to visit my brother

--Trip to Wilmore, KY, for a festival for work

--Trip to Dallas for a festival for work

--Week long vacation with Tim & friends in Chattanooga

--Trip to Wisconsin for a festival for work

6 weeks, 5 trips...I trained in Atlanta, Wilmore/Lexington KY, Dallas, Chattanooga and Appleton, Wisconsin...swimming miles, biking a few hundred miles and running over 100 miles...insane.  But fun nonetheless!!

So the tri was a challenge--more so mental then physical--we (Tim, my 1 fan came with me) got to Chattanooga on Friday night, rested all day on Saturday, then we went to the race site at 6 am Sunday morning...after setting up my transition area, I was off to the swim start.

The swim was in a River, it was my 1st open water swim ever.  The water was not too gross, it was warm and there was a good current.  I tried my best to follow the bouy's, and actually finished in 32 minutes, my fastest time at this distance ever.  I got out of the water, and ran to the transition to get on the bike, telling myself to relax, and to remain calm...my heart was racing.

The bike ride can be summed up in 1 word -- HILLY!  There were honestly NO flat spots on the course...it was a long up and downhill...this was the toughest part of the race--and the longest.  I finished in 1 hour and 37 minutes, which again, was a great time for me, but very slow compared to my competition.  I mean, so many people passed me, I started to laugh about it...and it was a blow to my ego, but hey, my goal was to finish, so I decided to just gut it out.  It really was long though, and I am happy to have finished!!

And then the run...I was the most confident about my run, because that is still the easiest sport for me to train for...so I rarely will skip a run workout...I did it a tad slower hoped (64 minutes for 6.2 miles), but I passed 3 girls in the last 2 miles that I had my eye on, which boosted my confidence!!  The cool part about the run was that my Mom was volunteering at the 1 mile/5 mile water stop (the run was one where you run 3.1 miles then turn around and run back), so she was there to cheer me on @ crucial times...when I had just started going on the run, and when I needed a boost to finish well.  I finished strong, and my Dad and Tim were at the finish line cheering me on -- I was exhausted & glad at the end. 

I grabbed 2 bottles of water, and finished off 3 pieces of pizza within 15 minutes of finishing...I did not realize how hungry I was after working out for 3.5 hours!!

I had a lot of fun, and am looking forward to my next event...not quite sure which race I will do next, but I am so fueled to get better...my goal for this race was to finish and to learn...now that "Grandy" in me is kicking in to become the best ever.  (It never ends!!)

Well I hope you are doing well...I am happy I have a day off of work tomorrow to rest and recuperate...I will probably take 3-4 days off, then get back at it!!

Hope you are well!!

Leigh

PS: My pre-race photo, and my finishing sprint...