Things I Learned at My First Tri

After years of saying that I wanted to try a tri, I finally got a little taste of one this past Saturday at the Windcrest Freshman Triathlon. I LOVED it! It was so fun, and it was perfect for a first time tri.  

The first thing I learned that day was NOT to speed on the way to your race. We got pulled over on the way there. :) Scott was driving and didn't even realize he was speeding. We were only going about 75 on the freeway, but the cops were being sticklers that morning since it was the last weekend of Fiesta, a big party that happens every April here. My first thought when we got pulled over was, "Crap. We're going to be late for my race. I hope we make it." My second thought was, "Crap. We've lived here for TWO years and Scott still hasn't gotten his Texas license yet!" (Technically you have about 30-90 days to get your new license. Scott's going on 700+. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be getting it soon.) 

Anyway, the cop was really mean when we first rolled down the window, and I was so worried we were going to get a BIG FAT fine for not having a Texas license. He asked what we were doing out so early in the morning, and after I told him we were on our way to my first triathlon, he went from a gruff grizzly bear to a soft teddy bear. He let us off with a warning, and even wished me luck at my race. I couldn't believe it! I think once he realized we weren't partiers, he decided he better get back to catching those that were out partying, so he let us go quickly. 

I hope you enjoy these embarrassing pictures of me. :) One of the main reasons I chose this race as my first tri was because the swim was short (200 meters), and it was in a pool. Swimming was pretty much the only thing keeping me from doing a triathlon sooner. I finally took a few swimming lessons last summer and learned how to swim, but the thought of swimming in open water still freaked me out a little, so this little pool swim worked out great. 

One helpful thing someone suggested to me before the race was to get in the water and get wet before it was my turn to swim. I'm glad I did that so my body was already used to the temperature of the water when I started my swim. 

Just in case that last picture wasn't embarrassing enough, I thought I'd post another one. The swim ended up being much easier than I thought. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. I guess I've come a long way since my first swimming lesson last summer where I didn't even know my head was supposed to be under the water, and then turned to the side to breathe. I might even kind of like swimming a little bit now. :)

Another thing I learned is to bring my iFitness belt so I can have my number attached to it, and a little snack in it. I thought I was supposed to pin my number to my shirt after I got out of the water. I guess that's fine if you want to waste a lot of time. 

Luckily I realized this before the race started by talking to one of the race volunteers. I ended up pinning my number to an extra t-shirt I had in my bag before the swim, and then I threw that on when I got out of the water. 

The first thing I learned about the bike part of the race was that getting on your bike in the transition area and starting to ride is a big no-no. Good thing this tri was intended for first timers, otherwise they might have kicked me out or something. Now I know that I'm supposed to walk my bike to the white line and then I can get on and ride. :)

I entered the fat tire division, meaning that I rode a mountain bike with fat tires rather than a road bike with skinny tires. It's funny how many people thought I meant I was in some kind of heavy weight division when I told them I entered the fat tire division. One of my friends even thought I said "fat and tired" division. I got a good laugh out of that. Yep, I entered the fat and tired division, and I won too! Ha ha.

The option to enter a fat tire division was another main reason I chose this race. Road bikes are expensive, and I don't plan on buying one anytime soon. Mountain bikes are slower than road bikes, so that's why they have a separate division for them. I ended up riding Scott's mountain bike since mine has a baby seat attached to it. I had never ridden Scott's bike before that morning, and it was just barely too tall after we lowered the seat all the way, but it worked fine. I had a blast during the bike portion of the race! Riding bikes is one of my favorite things to do even though I don't do it very often.

I had never actually practiced biking and then running directly after, so towards the end of my bike ride I was wondering how that would feel. 

It felt a little weird, but the thing that felt the weirdest to me was not having my running watch on! I felt lost not knowing what pace I was going. I really had no idea if I was running a 10 minute mile, or a 7 minute mile (It ended up being a 7:30 pace). Since I had never run directly after swimming and biking, my pace sense was all thrown off. I think I would have pushed harder on the run if I had my watch, but it was also kind of nice not knowing what pace I was going. My Garmin has become a crutch. :)

Yet another embarrassing, but funny picture. Don't ask me what I was thinking, but I totally ran right past the finish line and everyone was yelling at me to go back. Maybe I was a little too hopped up on endorphines. That's me with my arms in the air realizing I had missed the finish line shoot. Ha ha. 

I turned around and made it back to the big giant sign that says FINISH. I was laughing as well as everyone else that was watching me. I was a little spastic the entire race. I was just so excited and having so much fun that I felt like a chicken running around with it's head cut off. 

(I'm blurry, so I like this picture!)

My time ended up being 1:01, although I have no idea what that really means yet (I was waiting in line to start my swim for about thirty minutes. That is why the clock in the background is 1:33). The distance of this tri was a 200 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and 2 mile run.  So it was just a little one, but perfect for seeing what a tri is like. My swim was 4:55, my bike was 38:05, and my run was 15:48, including my little detour. 

This is the last embarrassing picture of the post. I got a medal for finishing, and a medal for winning my division. 

Now that I've had a little taste of what a tri is like, I can't wait to do more, and longer ones too! I'm glad I finally took the plunge and gave it a try!