Plan to race Hopkington Sweet 16 Tri-- wish me luck! This race wasn't on the race list, so I'll just write about it here. My first triathlon! I finished! And I definitely want to do another one. The swim was in a lake with a wet start due to some jagged rocks close to the shore. I was in the very last wave with the other newbie women. I felt really strong during the swim, and was out ahead of most of my wave and lots of men from the wave ahead of me by the time I climbed out. The bouys were enormous (with advertisements) so I had no problem swimming towards them. I breathed every three strokes, and then looked up after every fifth breath or so. It was a longer run than I expected across the beach, through some trees to the transition area. There were mats down to run on through the mini forest, so that was nice on my bare feet. My time into the transition area after the swim was about 9:30. I felt really shaky during the first transition. I swam in a bikini bottom and sports bra with a swim suit on top, and remembered to take my swim suit off before putting on my shorts, shirt, socks, and shoes. My fat hybrid tires were too much for the bike stations they had set up, so I used my trusty kickstand (laugh if you want to! It came in handy!) and just had my bike set up at the end of a row. I put my helmet on and ran my bike out of the transition area and to the start of the bike course. That transition took about 3 minutes, which is longer than I wanted it to take. I think it was nerves, and concern that I'd forget something there. The bike makes me the most nervous. I was afraid I would wipe out (it rained all last night and the roads were still wet) or blow a tire and not be able to finish. I was not out to break any records. For training, I'd been going a pretty consistent 12 mph, but I finished the 12 mile course in 52 minutes today! I think it was the adrenaline, and the push of so many people passing me and me wanting to keep up with them a little longer. I know I need to work on the bike and learn how to best use my gears, and build up speed and power for the hills (up and down. I'm such a 'fraidy cat on downhills!) A woman had mentioned before the start that there were no more big hills after the Smokey the Bear sign, so I really tried to push the last 3 miles or so after I passed Smokey. On the last downhill before the transition area, my mom was waiting with my daughter, holding a big "Go Mommy" sign and ringing the cowbell. I saw my daughter's lips moving, too, so I know she was cheering for me. That made my day. I don't know how long the second transition took, but it couldn't have been too long, since I didn't change my shoes or shorts. I'm a simple girl. I started the run at 1:04, and ran immediately up a hill. That was a challenging way to start, but I'm proud to say that only one person passed me during the run. At first, I was afraid that I was the last person out there, but after the turnaround I saw that there were others. After a mile or so I felt like I was in a good rhythm, except for the last hill. That was a challenge. I didn't walk at all, though, and finished at 1:35:10, which means it was a 10 minute mile pace. I'm very satisfied with my first triathlon experience. The people were great, all very helpful and encouraging. The course was well marked and well organized. I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I didn't get lost or too confused. And now I can say I completed a triathlon! I'm already getting excited about the next one. Between now and then, I want to work on bike speed and handling, as well as learning about basic bike maintenance. I want to continue the swim and running progress I've been making with the 2x per week workouts, and maybe increase the bike workouts to 3x per week, or just make the bike workouts longer. I definitely need to refuel a little better during and after the next triathlon. I had pb toast and some apple slices for breakfast, which was great, and then some more apple slices about 45 minutes before the swim, and I drank water and finished my apple after the race, but then all afternoon I had a raging headache. Water helped, but didn't make it go away completely. I think I need some kind of sports drink in addition to water next time.