When I first got there I was overwhelmed by all of the people preparing their transition areas and getting things set up - it was quite fascinating. When it came time to head to the water for the swim I started getting very anxious. I decided to start in a later wave but then started worrying that since I'm slow I'd be the last person to finish. Without thinking I somehow just walked myself out into the 3rd starting wave and before I knew it the horn blew and there was a mass of people flying everywhere.
I was so nervous I was practically hyperventilating so I decided to start slow and just sidestroke for a while to calm down. Water and near-hyperventilation just don't go together very well. I never calmed down enough to freestyle. The first buoy took FOREVER to reach. Once I got there I looked at my watch and realized I was going *really* slow. I flipped on my back and started backstroking, which was at least keeping me going a similar pace with other people. When I finally rounded the last buoy and saw the finish line I was ecstatic.
Once out of the water I had to run 250 yards to the transition area. Let me just say that for some reason when you immediately exit the water your body just has no balance. It's like roller skating for hours and then walking afterwards. I'm sure you get the idea. My transition went surprisingly well and I took off on the bike and had a great ride. There were a lot of parts of the ride where I was going well over 20 AND passing tons of people up the hills. Yes, I'm like Marcus and I love passing people (especially on hills). I feel that I made up a lot of time on the bike and got back to the transition area in around 42+ minutes.
My run transition was super fast and I was off for the final 2.5-mi leg. The run was uphill for the first mile before it leveled out. I think it actually helped to stretch out my legs though, as I didn't seem nearly as incapacitated as in my Friday practice. Before I knew it there was only a quarter-mile left and I threw it into high gear. I finished the run in I believe somewhere around 18-19 minutes. When I crossed the finish line my watch said 1:36-something.
I had a blast and felt proud to have finished the race today. My less than stellar swim just gives me motivation to work harder to become a better swimmer. If I could get a more competitive swim time (like 15-20 minutes) I could finish with a really great time. I just need to get much more comfortable with swimming. But overall I'm happy considering I only trained for 2-3 weeks :)
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