My first triathlon: the bad, the good, and the ugly

[Velobambina]

That's great! I hope you celebrated your accomplishment! :-)

[Skeezix]

Congrats on finishing! Woo! Triathlete!

I completely understanding being disappointed about the running portion, it's the part I've got the most trouble with too.

Good job on the personal best on the bike! That is pretty kickass!

[divingbiker]

Congratulations, Nicole. I know you're too competitive to be satisfied with being a back-of-the-pack triathlete, but you're out there doing it. You'll have a great time at the Irongirl, and the open water swim will be a completely different experience from a pool swim.

[Tuckervill]

Hey, I've never ever had an aspiration to be a runner. In the Army, I hated running, and almost always dropped out of the formation and it sucked because I was punished for it. I like to swim and I'm good at it, and I like to bike. I have repressed my competitive side since childhood, and don't intend to let it out of its box any time soon.

But when I read reports like yours about how you fought and struggled and trained and overcame to finish, and then have the grace to post about even the hard parts, it almost makes me want to TRY IT! Not today, but I *almost* can envision a time when I might be persuaded to try it.

So, keep on keeping on, because you are definitely inspiring.

Karen

[mimitabby]

running after swimming AND riding your bike at an average speed of almost 18mph??? I think you did great!

but i'm curious; was the only thing that you ate those cheerios?

[HillSlugger]

i'm curious; was the only thing that you ate those cheerios?

No. At the site, before the race I had a bagel, juice, and gel. Between the swim and the ride I had another gel. On the bike I had juice + electrolytes. Between the bike and run I had one more gel. I'm pretty sure I wasn't bonking during the run.

[indysteel]

Hey, I've never ever had an aspiration to be a runner. In the Army, I hated running, and almost always dropped out of the formation and it sucked because I was punished for it. I like to swim and I'm good at it, and I like to bike. I have repressed my competitive side since childhood, and don't intend to let it out of its box any time soon.

But when I read reports like yours about how you fought and struggled and trained and overcame to finish, and then have the grace to post about even the hard parts, it almost makes me want to TRY IT! Not today, but I *almost* can envision a time when I might be persuaded to try it.

So, keep on keeping on, because you are definitely inspiring.

Karen

I'd like to be original in my congratulations, but Karen said it so well. Seriously, my hat goes off to any of you ladies who compete, whether it be tris, TTs, road races, crits, etc. I'm just so impressed with your hard work and dedication. Great job!!!!

[HappyAnika]

Congratulations!!!

Did you at least have fun? You're doing another one, so it must not have been that bad . . . Having the ankle injury so close to the race sucks, but now you have a goal for the next one, improving the run. Assuming the ankle is still doing fine, you'll be able to work on that over the next few weeks. And bricks! I like to think of the first race as a learning experience, so now you know what you need to work on to get better. Can't wait to hear about the next one.

[alpinerabbit]

Wooot, under 1:30 and with a recent injury!! I almost sprained mine on Sat and I thought of you....

The fall is weird but I saw people stumble at last december's city run so it happens.

[HillSlugger]

Congratulations, Nicole. I know you're too competitive to be satisfied with being a back-of-the-pack triathlete, but you're out there doing it.

Sure, I'd love to end up on the podium some time (in my dreams perhaps) but where I place in the pack really isn't important to me. What is important is doing my best. If I do my best and get beat, so be it. The swim wasn't my best, but swimming is still new to me, I was near the limit of my distance ability, and I just couldn't perform under the circumstances. So be it. It's the run that upset me. I wasn't anywhere near what I know I'm capable of.

Did I have fun? It's hard to call this fun. I still don't consider swimming or running fun, but I'm always excited to see myself improving. When I sprained my ankle during the 5k race it certainly wasn't fun but I still did really well, posting a PB by a huge margin. That was exciting. My bike result yesterday was exciting. The run just sucked! It certainly wasn't fun. It kinda tossed a wet blanket over the whole experience.

Yeah, I'm feeling a little sorry for myself, but tomorrow it's back to the pool! Iron Girl is in 4 weeks! No rest for the weary