…Uh huh…my Triathlon is DONE!!!
What an experience. This was the first one I have done in 3 years. Injuries sidelined me and then just life got in the way with training. I was all too excited to get back at it!!
This race is the 2nd in a series of 4 sprint triathlons (Central Florida Triathlon Series) located in Clermont, FL, nestled between Orlando and Tampa. I’d never been to Clermont, so I was looking forward to being there! I was more nervous about doing a triathlon in July…in FLORIDA! My other races have been in October, when it tends to be cooler (believe it or not!).
Each race in the Central Florida Triathlon Series has a theme..
…..this one was “America” #merica
I didn’t dress in my Red,White, and Blue…simply because I don’t own any tri stuff in those colors. ๐
Clermont is about an 1 hour and 25 minutes from me in the Tampa Bay Area…so suffice to say…I left my house at a** crack of dawn so I could fudge in “getting lost” time and get to check in with plenty of time.
The Full Moon that followed me….
I checked in, got marked and went to the transition area to set up. Number 522, baby!!
My set up in the transition area had all my items needed for the race:
Bike helmet
Bike Shoes (and socks)
Running shoes (and socks)
Running shirt
Hat
Towel
Bag (with remaining items)
Fluids (Gatorade)
Energy chews
The cap and goggles stayed with me because I needed them for the first leg.
I waited for my girlfriend, Sam, to meet me
We workout at the same gym and she was the ONLY one of my friends that I could bribe convince to do this race with me!
This distance was a Sprint:
Swim: 1/4 mi (440yds)
Bike: 10 mi
Run: 3.1 mi
The wave times were posted
..and since I’m OLD (42!)..I had a pink swim cap and therefore an 8:00 am wave time. Sam was 3 minutes ahead of me in the green caps.
Swim๐
1/4 mile in beautiful Lake Minneola
From the sand, those buoys looked FAR AWAY! The swim happens to be my strongest leg, so I wasn’t really worried about it.
This was a lake swim which was a first for me. My other races have been in open water. Many asked me if I was scared because of our Florida gators (NOT my BELOVED University of Florida GATORS!) that swim in the lakes. I was more worried about amoebas and parasites and stuff like THAT from swimming in a lake! ๐
Time: 8:50
Bike๐ด
Whoa…not my strongest leg…EVER! I wasn’t looking forward to this part. I’m not good not confident on my bike. But how do you get better?? Get on IT!!!
I can now see WHY people gave me the “look” when I told them I was doing a race in Clermont. One word…HILLS!!! I’m a Florida girl and we don’t have hills. Well guess what?? We DO have hills in Clermont! I didn’t have my phone on me (SMH), so I can only show you some after shots and some representation of the ACTUAL hills…
Mind you, there was the biggest hill I have EVER been on, towards the end of the bike route!! #really. It wasn’t my beat bike, but considering there were THREE hills, I’ll take it!! Seriously….
Time:53:10
Run๐
Ok…I now have LEAD legs and I have to run a 5k. Oh yeah…and some hills too! #damn
I had to walk one part for the first time EVER! I didn’t feel good about it, but it is what it is! I felt good but my legs were tired!
Time:36:29
Transitions
That’s the “in between” between each leg in the race. This is an art, in and of it self! This should be practiced in some way, but in not sure how…
How well you do in your transition will help you smoothly move from one leg to the next. Having everything set up and easily accessible is the key to a great transition. That….and having a good “rack” neighbor. ๐
T1:3:41
T2:3:05
These times aren’t impressive at all…
Final time:1:45:13
Not great but not bad for a gal who didn’t do a LICK of training. All I did was CF and run. Not bragging, but I wouldn’t recommend doing “JUST” this for a race.
What did I learn?
1. Training is the key!!
You can’t expect your body to weather the demands if you don’t put the work in! I was about 10 minutes of my last triathlon time. Mind you…I was 3 years younger BUT I prepared and trained for it. I won’t let that happen in my next one!
2. Gear preparation
I made a list of the items I needed the night before. I was fairly confident I had everything. But I did forget to bring a little bin to put water in it to wash my feet off after the swim.
Ehhh…not too bad!
3. You have to start SOMEWHERE
I used this race as a baseline…some place to start to see where I need to improve. Which again…refers back to #1.
4.Loading during the race
You probably saw the Gatorade in my bike. Yeah…it didn’t get TOUCHED! I drank some before my swim and that was the last time something of food source touched my lips. I didn’t drink during the bike or the run. I had some energy chews
and didn’t touch them! It’s not like I forgot…they were out…I guess I just didn’t think about it. It was pure ADRENALINE that fueled me and kept me going, I guess. I surprisingly didn’t crash (mentally or physically), but I wouldn’t recommend it! I will make sure on my next one, to fuel up appropriately.
Who I do it again?
In a HEARTBEAT! I can’t make the race in this series in August, but I found one for September! Unless I can find one another day in August๐
I’d love to hear about your experience with triathlons…first or one hundredth. Any tidbits? Any training tips?
She left me a little note! #awwww. We keep missing each other and now with Spring Break coming we will miss each other for another WEEK! (Only because I will be out of town!). We will be back in sync in no time…..๐. At least I did get my 2 and change miles in! #runWH
Holy CRAP!!!! That’s ME in the ad! I immediately text my Tri buddy (she says she looks like the Coneheads) and let her know! BTW…pink is so NOT my color!!๐. She was just as shocked, as I was! Oh….the race!!! Girls on Fire is an all ladies triathlon on Mother’s Day, in Clermont, FL. Now I’m gonna HAVE to consider attempting those hills AGAIN since I see my mug on the FB ad!!
There you have it….
I’ve had this on my radar since I did my first on in 2010. I think this year is MY year. Of course, I have to check the basketball calendar before I commit!! Ahhh….the life of a basketball mom!!โค๏ธ๐. Hope I can make it work!!! 
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Mom, Miles, and Mishaps...... 