Gotta Tri

A week ago Saturday I completed my third Sprint Triathlon, a second-year appearance at the Bear Lake Brawl. I was joined by my older brother Dave (who did the Olympic distance), my BFF's husband Kevin, and 397 other excited triathletes.

I wasn't looking for a personal record this year, but wanted to finish strong and I was pleased with the outcome. I rented a wet suit this time and loved the extra buoyancy and insulation from the cold water. Also, Shem said I looked like Cat Woman. Can you see the resemblance? That is me on the far right, gazing toward shore, just before the race. (Sorry, that is as close up as I am willing to get.)

It was great to have family cheering from the shore. (Thanks Mom, Dad, and Uncle Dale for making the trip to support us!)

The swim was a water start with a slow start straight out from shore, against the current; a left hand turn, along the current; and an angled swim back to the start for a 750 meter (.5 mile) swim. I was so pleased that I didn't hate the swim. It is my weakest leg and I actually found some pleasure in it this time. My kids were my motivation and when I got tired I thought "Swim strong for Kate, swim strong for Kate." By the time I got through swimming strong for each of my kids I was almost there.

The bike came next and I was having some regrets for not borrowing my mom's road bike as I got passed again and again. At first I was getting a little down by it, but then I thought...hey I beat all those girls out of the water. It was when I started getting passed by the women who started in the wave after me that I had to change my strategy. I decided this race was all about me, and my best effort. I pedalled as hard as I could and got a few fun rewards. I biked by a friends' cabin (Bev and Ted Smith) and they happened to be out on the front porch so I yelled a greeting. Then on the way back Dave raced by me with his own enduring enthusiasm.

With the 20K (12.4 mile) bike complete, the 5K (3.1 mile) run was next. With legs more sturdy than I expected I gave my final effort and left it all on the road. I wanted to "run" the whole distance and enjoyed breathlessly chatting with a few other racers on the way. I joked with one girl that her walk was almost as fast as my run. One gal ran by and yelled, "Go 29!" (Everyone has their age written on their left calf.) I replied, "If we are the same age, how come you are so much faster?" Another 29-year-old paced with me for a while and explained that she can't run very fast because of a herniated disc. I replied, "I can't run very fast because I am fat."

You see in triathlons, to be an "Athena" triathlete you only have to weight 150 pounds. (The men qualify for Clydesdale at 180 pounds.) I wish I had registered in the Athena category, because with a finish time of 1:50:43, I would have taken 4th place again this year. I'll just have to stick with my 18th place finish for my age group and take the competitive satisfaction of knowing I beat my best friend's husband by 20 seconds. (Sorry Kevin, I'm just trying to make myself feel better at your expense.)

Thanks to my support team and my motivation to get fit!

Who's coming for Brawl 2010?