the tri before THE TRI

So I did my second triathlon of my life this last weekend. I can now with more confidence (because you know I said it before) say that I am a triathlete! My home town of McMinnville (but I prefer McVegas) TN held its 7th annual triathlon and me along with two awesome triathlon chicks from Atlanta (Karen the Bomb Meadows and Hayley the Cruiser Bennett) joined me in the festivities of swimming, biking, running, and sweating!

The swim was a pool swim HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! and was 350 yards long. My time 6:52 -with run out please note.

The bike was 15.25 miles of rolling hills. My time 52:23 (17.5 mph- which is good for me! but yes, I know, still slow)

The run the-hills-from-hell run was a 5K. My time was 25:40 (with 2 water stop walks and 1 one I'm-gonna-walk-for-40-seconds-so-I-don't-puke-going-up-this-killer-hill stop. That was a lot of hyphens.). So not bad.

So overall my time was 1:27:59 with transitions and all. (I'm so glad it wasn't 1:28 that would just be embarrassing!)

I am pretty pleased with this time considering the course (minus the swim) was way tougher than the FL course last year. This swim was shorter and nothing that could eat me lurked in the water, except maybe #74 - she looked kinda scary- just kidding Karen. The bike was more interesting with the course and do I dare say it, the hills. But, I swear the bike is what kills me! I will be at the bottom of hill getting ready to climb and look behind and there is no one for at least a 1/4 of mile and as soon as I take that first pedal stroke up it's like bikers are popping out of the ditches or something because I am getting passed left and well left because that is the only legal way. But anyway, I am getting passed! I did pass a few people....but only one on a hill and okay maybe he was putting his chain back on.

The run on this course was straight from that place! If it had been hot, thank goodness it wasn't I really would have thought I was in the lake of fire and brimstone. Steep hill after long steady hill, after winding steep hill. It was crazy. My legs felt like stumps, my breathing sounded like I was in labor, and my pace seemed ridiculous.

But guess what?????

Did you guess???

I came in 3rd in my age group!!!! YEAH!! not overall mind you those crazies were around 1:12....show off bikers.

But I did it! Ariel, Kendall, and Emily weren't there so I was able to do it! (Karen only decided 2 days before that she would join in and still did totally good and this was Hayley's first and she rode Bessie and still did awesome!)

But I WON! Can you tell I'm excited!?! They had an awards ceremony (which all my fam had already gone home so I don't even have any cool photos of this part) and all the other winners went up there and just smiled all solemn like. But, ummmmmm not really me. They said something about the division and announcement and apologized but I couldn't really hear what it was and then they announced my name in third place and I thought I am going to be composed and walk up there and smile all normal like. But the closer I got the giddier I got and I couldn't help it. By the time I was there, I was shrunk down into my shoulders saying "I'm so excited! I'm so happy!" over and over again and then I struck this big pose because I was all by myself (that must have had something to do with the announcement) on the podium with my left arm flung out high and my right arm flung out low to the side while doing some sort of crazy hip pop and saying really loud "I'm so happy! YEAH!". Of course people laughed because I probably looked like and sounded like a fool. But hey, it may never happen again! SO I SOAKED IT UP WHILE I COULD!


Anyway, on to FLORIDA and another two weeks of training. now I'm tired.

bonnie