Wives Tri Too!...Guest Blogger Edition

Over the past year and a bit I have been doing triathlons and working out trying to keep in shape and my stress level in check and like all good things it draws others around you in. In this case my wife Michelle decided to try her hand at Triathlon and today's blog is her report of how the day went. Me and the kids are really proud of what she has been able to accomplish and even though being in a co-dependent multisport relationship can make the schedule hectic at times it is great to share this with her!! Here is her report...

For the past year and a half, I have gotten up early and wrangled both kids as we cheered on “Daddy” and/or “Uncle Brian” at their triathlons. In February, I decided that maybe I should sign up for the WIN for KC Women’s Triathlon in July and experience firsthand what a triathlon was all about.

On July 30, I woke up at 3:45 am and headed off to Smithville Lake for my first triathlon. We arrived in darkness, and didn’t bring a flashlight. My bike needed air in the tires, so we went to the front of the car, and aired them up with the headlights of my car. We wondered down the long walk to T1, where before I could enter I got 336 written on both arms and on one of my hands. It was at this point, that I had to leave David behind as I made my way to chip pick up and my transition spot.

I made it to transition, got my spot set up, who knew my bike wouldn’t even touch the ground when it was hung from the rack, and looked at the time, and still had over 2 hours to start. Over the next 2 hours, I managed to find my family, rearrange my transition spot a couple of times, and stop at the porta potties a few times. On one of my trips back to my transition spot, I realized a friend from college was racked next to me. This was unexpected, but, a lot of fun.

What happened next, no training could have prepared me for. A thunderstorm decided that it should rain on my parade. There was lightning striking down all over the lake, and we were standing there freezing in the rain. Although, I wouldn’t let anyone around me complain of the cold. The race was scheduled to start at 7:30 am, but, it was announced that we would be under a rain delay. From what I was told, they had 1 hour to get the race started or it would be cancelled. I was a bit stressed that I wasn’t going to get to do my triathlon. Well, at 8:30am, the first swimmer was in the water.

In this triathlon, the swim start was a time trial start. This meant that one woman went in at a time, with 3 seconds separating each one. I lined up with the 15 min group and waited around 30 min to get in the water. The swim went well, I kept reminding myself what David told me, “just keep moving forward”, and I did. I was happy to see the shore in my sights and soon I was on my way to T1. Managed a quick T1 and was off on my bike in no time. The bike is my favorite part of the race. Didn’t think when I started this process that, that would be the case. After the bike, it was time to run, and I knew I would be able to finish this thing. The run, was on a shaded path around the lake, and was very well stocked with water stations. I kept watching my time and distance on my watch, and I knew that the finish was close.

When I finished, I had no idea how well I had done. My goal for the day was 1:45, I managed to finish in 1:34 and some seconds. I think this was a successful first triathlon! Next up, the Olathe Woman’s Triathlon in September.