The Angell Herald: My Triumph!

I did it in 2002, but I never thought I would ever be able to do it again! But I did! And not only did I survive it, but I beat my goal!

I completed another Sprint Triathlon!

First, some background. Back in my prime (early 30's), I was a work out maniac. I loved going to the gym! I completed my first Sprint Triathlon in April of 2002. The leg distances were: Swim - 300 Meters, Bike - 10 Miles, Run - 3 Miles. Being my first time, I was thrilled with my overall time of 1 hour and 23 minutes.

But soon thereafter, my workout mode changed dramatically when my back decided it had had enough. Not only did I discover I had herniated discs, but degenerative disc disease as well. After many months of physical therapy, decompression therapy, magnetic therapy, drug therapy (yes, Vicodin was my best friend for a period of time), I am proud to say that I am now pain free with the help of my daily exercises and stretches, my ion bracelet, and my horseshoe cushion (my constant companion). Because of my back condition, my workouts now include swimming a mile twice a week, and alot of core strenghening exercises. I gave up bowling, racquetball, bike riding, and any other activity that was not back friendly.........until recently.

I made a new friend last year that loves to play outdoors. Kristel inspired me to get a bike so I could join her on her outings. Greg and I shopped around and found a "touring bike." It is very comfortable to ride because of the "tail bone friendly" seat we bought for it, and because I can sit upright. I felt like I was young again! I could go bike riding with Greg on a date, with the family, etc.

A few months ago, Kristel asked if I wanted to do a Sprint Triathlon with her. I figured "Why not?" Swimming is a breeze, I can jog 3 miles without struggle, and now I am biking again! So I signed up.

I had a great time training for the event........until..........I biked the actual race route. What a reality slap in the face! There I am riding those hills on my "touring bike" with only 7 gears. I get halfway through the ride (6 miles), and I am DONE. I can't go anymore. How am I supposed to ride 12 miles and then run 3 miles after that? Thank goodness Greg started doing the thinking for me. He decided he'd go buy himself a road bike, and I'd ride that instead. So, with only a month before the race, I had a 21 speed Schwinn to master. With a padded seat, padded gloves, and padded bike shorts, (everything padded that I could find) I hit the road as often as I could - the more hills the better. 2 weeks before the race, I could ride the entire 12 mile route in about 70 minutes. Now, all you bikers out there know that 70 minutes is DOG SLOW! Still discouraged, I decided my original goal of finishing the race in under 2 hours was ridiculous! I changed my goal to: just finish the dang race - but not in last place!

Ok, enough for the background! Let me tell you how it went! The night before, I tossed and turned because I was so nervous. I could not get my mind to shut down! I probably got about 4 hours of sleep. So much for being rested! The 5:30am alarm was dreadful! I did not feel well at all. I was only able to eat a banana and a bite of a protein bar. So much for filling the fuel tank! And the humidity and 80 degree temperature did not make the experience look very enticing. Thank goodness for a great support system! I had 2 friends doing the race with me (and both were very patient and encouraging throughout my grumblings), but my ultimate cheerleader was Greg. He was more proud of me than I was! (I apologize for all the screaming)

The swim in Lake Lanier didn't scare me at all, but I was not prepared for the sand variable. My first triathlon was in an olympic size lap pool. Yes, there were traffic issues, but a lap pool is my 2nd home! The 1/4 mile (400 meter) swim took me less than 11 minutes which I thought was pretty good for swimming in choppy lake water with zero visibility while trying to avoid being kicked and elbowed. The transition took me 9 minutes! It didn't help that we had to hike what seemed to be another 1/4 mile to get to our bikes! Then, I spent too much time trying to get the sand out from between my toes. Note for next time - a jug of water to rinse off.

The bike ride was phenomenal! I rocked it! I was passing people (and cars) left and right. Yes, that's right, we had to deal with car traffic as well. They didn't close the roads! But there were police officers helping to ease the traffic which was very nice. The hills that I had to walk before? I rode them out! It was in the lowest gear, and not much faster than the walkers, but I stayed on that dang bike the entire time! I finished the leg in about 53 minutes! Wahoo! So proud of myself!

The run? Well, not the best. I didn't save much for the 3 mile run. I basically jogged the declines and sped walked (is that the term?) the inclines. I completed the 3 miles in 37 minutes.

The total time? With 15 minutes of transition time, I finished the race in ......(drum roll, please) ...... 1 hour and 55 minutes. Which means I beat my original goal of under 2 hours! Wahoo! Not too shabby for my age and my back issues!

I thought it would be fun to dig up the pictures from my first triathlon 9 years ago. So enjoy the "then and now" pictures.

Sprint Triathlon 2002

300 M Swim

Swimming in a lap pool - so much better than a lake!