Tri. Tri. And Tri Again......

I remember a little over a year ago I mentioned wanting to attempt a triathlon.  But then I changed my mind.  Too much fear of the unknown.  But I've kept that idea in the recesses of my mind for awhile now.  This summer the perfect opportunity arose and the idea became a reality.  I was going to be near Riverton Utah in June.  The time I would be there happened to coincide with a sprint triathlon that my sister-in-laws were considering.  We all decided it was time to jump the gun and just do it.  Before I left for Utah I rode my bike a few times, swam a few times, and continued running.  I wasn't as ready as I could've been, but I was somewhat prepared. 
My parents graciously watched my kids so I could drive solo down to Riverton and back without the hassles of finding sitters, feeding, sleeping, and all the other motherly duties taking kids with me would entail.  Darla lives in Riverton so I stayed at her house Friday night.  We were a bundle of nerves laying out all of our stuff to make sure we had what we'd need. 
Saturday early morning Rhonda and Anna picked us up and we loaded all of our bikes into the truck and headed to the transition zone.  I was so nervous it was crazy.  And.  It was actually cold for June.  Low 50's .  Luckily I'd brought a jacket for the bike portion or I would have froze.
Darla, Rhonda, Me, and Anna before the race:

My transition zone:

The number display (traditional triathlon poses):

Me and Anna:

You can see that we are all wearing jackets before we raced.  I was freezing.  Standing on the deck of the pool with my bathing suit and spandex on my teeth wouldn't stop chattering.  The water was warm when it came my turn.  Once I entered the water, being cold was the last thing I was thinking about.  After the swim we biked.  After the bike we ran.  It.  Was.  Awesome.  I loved it.  In some ways it felt a bit harder than a half marathon.  Only because when running a half your body gets into a groove and just moves.  In a triathlon, just as you start to get into some sort of groove, you jerk yourself around and change it up.  However.  Recovery from a triathlon is much easier than from running a half.  And I really enjoyed cross training this summer.  So much so that I ended up doing two more sprint triathlons before the summer ended.  Both with Christine:

I think I'm kind of addicted to these sprint triathlons.  After the second race, and trying to decide what to wear, I ended up buying a tri-suit.  Which is just essentially one big piece of spandex.  The inventor of spandex is making a killing at these events.  So much spandex it should be illegal.  But the only thing that works when doing these particular events. I have this constant fear of the unknown.  I was so afraid to try this new endeavor that it took me a few years to muster the courage.  I'm so glad I got over my lame fear.  I was missing out.  I'm also really hard on myself and what my body "isn't".  I'm getting better.  I'm trying to just appreciate the fact that I have a move able, workable, body that is strong.  When I'm doing a race like this I'm always amazed at what my body can actually accomplish.  This years season has come to an end.  I'm excited for next years season and what it will bring.