I started out strong. And by strong I mean: I was able to get my swim cap on without any help from Hubs. (Laurie was standing there and I felt an overwhelming need to feel competent.) We had about an hour from the time Hubs started until our heat so we discussed our ‘strategy’ (well, in all honesty Laurie was discussing her strategy and I mostly smiled and nodded):
Laurie: Ok, now what do you think the best way to do this is?
Me: What do you mean?
Laurie: You know, what’s our plan?
Me: My plan is simply don’t drowned and finish.
Laurie: Ok, right, well, I think we should start at the front of the pack so we won’t be swimming OVER people…
Me: (Looking at her)
Laurie: I don’t like touching people so I think we should just swim in front
Me: Ok. You do that. I’m going to start in the BACK so I don’t get swam OVER!
Laurie: I think you’re underestimating your swimming skills…
Laurie finished her swim in 10 minutes and a few second. I took significantly longer (although I don’t know my actual time since they mixed up Hubs’ and I timing chips.) I’m calculating “significantly longer” on the amount of swimmers still in the water when I exited---ONE.
So after the swim I hurried walked over to transition, got my bike, shoes, helmet and headed out for the easy 12 mile bike (I’ve been biking 12 miles fairly easily for a few months now) when the tummy cramps started (flash back to Mexican food.) Oh my. I thought I was gonna die. So, I stopped, sat down on the side of the road (don’t worry, it was totally safe…there was only one other bike behind me) and took a minute or 5 (it’s hard to calculate actual minutes when your stomach felt like mine felt.) Then, the fart heard round the world. (Hubs would have been proud.) I started to feel better so I hopped back on my bike and focused on catching up with Laurie (she was on my mountain bike so I thought I would be able to catch up to her pretty easily.) I managed to catch her with a couple miles left and we pretty much finished the bike together (way more fun.)
Then it was time to run. The run was hot and I forgot to get a drink before we left transition so I was whining from the get-go.
Me: I’m sooo thirsty.
Laurie: Yeah, I know, but let’s just run for a little while.
Me: Laurie, seriously, I need a drink. I can only focus on getting water
Laurie: Let’s just focus on running. And then when we see water we can focus on getting the water.
Me: You go ahead. I’ll catch up.
At about that moment Hubs runs up behind us---with a bottle of water in his hand (have I mentioned how much I LOVE Hubs?) He generously handed me the water and ran on. (I’m still walking of course and Laurie decides to run on with Hubs.) I was perfectly happy walking and sweating and trying to keep myself from getting heat stroke. After the aid station, (1 water , and 2 Gatorades) I was feeling pretty good so I started running (slowly) my Garmin watch said I was running 16:45 miles…please, I was walking 17:30 so I basically gave it up and walked. In true Jillian fashion I did manage to get it together to run the final 200 yards (you know, the 200 yards where all the spectators were sitting and yelling) so I didn’t look like a total loser as I crossed the finish line! Yay.
I’m not exactly sure how I stacked up to my times last year since they mixed up our timing chips and it looks like Hubs did the Olympic distance in the time it took me to do the Sprint and it looks like I did the Sprint in the time it took Hubs to do the Olympic…so hopefully we will have our times straightened out later today; otherwise, I'm going down in history as the last place finisher at Midwest Mayhem 2010....lame.
When I asked Laurie if she had fun she was a little hesitant to say yes and if you read this blog regularly you know I have a bittersweet relationship with triathlons myself......so, we are kind of talking about doing a relay on the next one. Laurie would swim. I would bike. And her husband would run. Win. Win. Win.
I will say this though: With the abbreviated race schedule (we've pared it down a couple times) I'm enjoying the races that we ARE doing more. Yes, they are hard and put me way outside my comfort zone but with only doing a few it makes it much less overwhelming. We don’t have any other races until the end of August...so by then, I might have forgotten how badly I hurt today.....
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