After being nearly drowned the day before running ( the Be The One Run 5K and 4 miles with my team in the torrential downpour) I was like bring on the swim! Guess what? It was my first (indoor) triathlon!
Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon: Eagan Style!
Pre-Race: Ok, like the OCD person I am I got my gear ready the night before and packed it into my bag. And checked it all after I was done. Debated if I should wear my new tri-shorts (Pearl Izumi Elite In-R-Cool 7"inseam trishorts=fricking awesome to wear) on the way to the gym or change at the gym. Decided to wear to gym to make sure I had plenty of time before my wave started (even though I had to be there at 8:30am for my 9am start, nerves!). Anyways I got there ran into my friend Paul, who had just finished his swim, and congratulated him and then went and checked in and got my race bib:
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| Mullet Militia!. |
The whistle blew then it was my turn to get a lane. I lucked up and got a lane with just yours truly in it and didn't have to share. Next to me was an older guy wearing one of those banana hammocks...really? At a pool? Those should be reserved for European men. Anyways, I had to don a swimcap (which if you have met me in real life I have a giant basketball shaped head) was a little difficult and weird feeling. I went over in my head my gameplan: swim a lap, then rest for 30 seconds and repeat. I listened to the official tell the rules: cant hold onto the buoys, and if the whistle blew while we were halfway back to the start it would count as a full lap AND you could walk the whole thing if you wanted it was allowed. Hmmm...I didn't know that (which is a good thing it was allowed! Read on!)
Ok, the official counted down and the whistle blew and I was off! First length was good, but I admit I was anxious and nervous, and couldnt get that nice relaxed feeling in the water I had been working on. Combined with all the running I did the day before = me really trying to hard in the water. After 2.5 laps, I was really tired, and I gave in....I walked halfway down the lane then swam to the end, turned around walked/ran underwater to the middle point, and then swam to the end. The last 6 minutes I ended up doing this. Proud? Not really. But I figured I didn't won't to flail around so much in the water and get tired before the end. One older woman in my wave didn't event swim at all she jogged back and forth the whole time. And I know my limitations....I am getting better at swimming, but a lot of work to do on that. So, after 10 minutes I did 18 lengths or 9 laps in the pool. It was more than I thought, but I know I cannot touch the bottom of the lake when I do the Mpls Tri in July, so I resolved to practice 3X week plus my Master's swim class (which I have been doing!). That was my main thought as I hopped out of the pool and went to the locker to transition to the cycle upstairs. My PI tri-shorts managed to be only damp after I dried off and wrapped a towel around my waist as I threw on my shirt and shoes, grabbed my water and Gatorade and went upstairs to tame the cycle.....
They had a photographer taking pics and he was doing his thing while we swam. Thankfully he didn't get any photos of me swimming but he did get my hand:
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| Me and my #69 on the back of my left hand in the top left corner |
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