Ready, Set, GO!

Today, I participated in the a short Sprint Triathlon that was held in Litchfield Park. I say short, because the distances were shorter than a real Sprint Triathlon. It was a fun event. Check in began at 6 am, which of course meant that I dragged my family out of the house with me at 5:50 am. They were all really good about it (aah, the magic of McD's breakfast). The race began promptly at 7 am. We all lined up for our turn to swim according to how fast we could finish the swim portion. The swim was 300m. I jumped in the water (which was warm, thank goodness) and swam. I was definitely out of practice with my swimming. I could feel my leg muscles tighten half-way through. I guess it would have helped if I had practiced. My legs were in shock I think. Got out of the water. Tried to pull tight clothes over a wet bathing suit, not an easy thing to do. Hopped on my bike and pedaled as fast as I could. If you have ever been to Litchfield Park, you would see that it is a flat place. Well, after riding around for 8 miles, I beg to differ. There are some elevations in the road, they may be slight, but they're there. My legs can testify to that. I finished the bike portion and began running, which is a big improvement from the last triathlon I did. Last time I walked for almost a mile after doing the bike portion. After running 1/2 a mile, my brain and leg finally connected telling my legs that they were running now and not on the bike any more. I've been doing a lot of running, so I wasn't dying too much during that segment. The run portion was 2 miles. I crossed the finish line to the cheers of my family and friends. I was tired but not exhausted. It wasn't a "Sprint in the Park", but it was fun. I loaded up on carbs afterwards. I figured, I earned that 400 calorie muffin they were offering. I left before knowing what my time was. When I find out, I will post it. If you've never done an organized race, I recommend it for everyone, it is a fun thing (I hear the moaning, and you know who you are, just stop it) and a little addicting. Plus you get a free shirt (I've got a collection going).