Today I accomplished a goal that I really never thought I would ever do. But with the encouragement of my great friend, Kathy, and my awesome family, I set and accomplished it! It took a good year and half + of work, but I did it! This morning Kathy and I competed in the Sherox Triathlon.....yes, a triathlon!! 1/2 mile swim, 13.5 mile bike, 3.1 mile run.
Yesterday Kathy and I decided to make it our prep day, where we went to the Temple, to lunch (Olive Garden for some great pasta), then off to pick up our race packet and rack our bikes. When we got there, it became real to me. We then rented wet suits because the water was COLD! After trying them out in our pool, we felt ready. My nerves were a mess last night, and I didn't sleep much. I've never done any type of race before, so I had nightmares all night about getting lost on the race routes, finding my bike gone, and forgetting something important.
We had to be in Tempe by 5:45am to set up and get ready. The atmosphere was so fun! I started to feel better and knew I could do this! Then my family showed up before the race began! What an awesome act of love and support. They even made posters for me!
The race began with the swim. Although we had been training for a while, I started to hyperventilate when the horn blew and I was off to a really rough start. It took me 3/4 of the way to relax, but I was determined to get through it. Needless to say, the swim took forever for me. Kathy and I had made a pact from the beginning that we would do this race together no matter what, and when I got to the bike transition area she was there cheering me on and waiting for me! That, to me, is a true friend. We started the bike and I was determined to make up the time we lost, so we pedaled our hearts out and ended up passing many on the way. After the bike part, we had to do the run! Our transition time was just a minute then we were off. Even though our legs felt like cement at first we were determined. Both of our families were cheering us on the whole time. Dave even took great pictures throughout. (Do I have a great husband, or what?). We weren't the fastest runners, but we were steady and ended up passing quite a few women on the way. When the finish line was in site, we picked up the pace and, hand in hand, crossed the finish line together surrounded by cheers from our families! It was the best feeling! I finally did it!!
But the best part of the whole experience today was having my family there supporting and cheering me on! This was the best Mother's Day present I could ever ask for!
