I came, I saw, I tried (get it? TRI-athlon? lol)

After months of talking, planning and sometimes training the day had finally come. It was a sleepless night prior to the race as I tried to imagine how the day would pan out and most importantly would I be able to have a ‘nervous pee’ before the start.

As our awesome Team Reve got our transition area set up and pretty much guessing what we should do next, it was time to go to the pool for briefing. Our team was super nervous and apprehensive about what lay ahead, none of us had done a triathlon before and to be quite honest none of us really trained properly (yes I feel embarrassed admitting I didn’t train very hard or long!).

Sitting in the pool area listening to the briefing it occurred to me that I had forgotten how to dive into a pool, I couldn’t remember the last time i’d had to dive into a pool. It turned out I really couldn’t dive as I performed a beautifully awkward belly flop in the water, well hey at least I added comedic value for those behind me in the line, and the people in the stands, and the guy down the street who heard a big slap and wondered what it was… it was my stomach!

I likened the swim to what I imagine a ship wreck might feel like, a whole bunch of people tipped into the water and thrashing around trying to make their way to safety, in this case the finish line. A few scratches to my feet, few elbows in the side but all fun and games!

After the swim it was time to get on the bike and head off for the next stage of the journey, even though the cycling was one thing I did practise beforehand, nothing could prepare my bum and legs for the pain they felt. Turns out my seat was too low and the vibrations on the bricks didn’t help. When I stopped being concerned and started cruising and enjoying the cool breeze I mounted a curb, yep up I went. I saw a team mate and let go of the bike with one hand to wave my arm about in motivation, then up I went, ohwell I had a good laugh and i’m sure everyone around me had a giggle too.

Off the bike I came and into the final leg of the journey, the run. It was a rude shock to all of us that the run included hills…how rude. Great on the way down a hill, not so much on the way up. By this time a light rain had started and it was nice and refreshing.

Coming into the arena was the best feeling ever, as I came up the final stretch my jog turned into a run and I got slightly hyper, I saw people I knew on the side lines and slapped their hands and “woohooo-ed” like I was on top of the world. I then saw some more people and got even more hyper with my slaps and squeels; to be honest I wasn’t really aware who I was slapping, sorry if you weren’t related to me. Metres from the finish line I stopped turned around to my boyfriend and said “keep watching!” then I proceeded to cross the finish line in a side gallop Gangnam style. I’m not kidding. Others may have wondered why I did it or thought hmm what a fruit loop but what they didn’t know is that my boyfriend dared me $150 to do it. I’m not letting him forget it 😉

What will I do differently next time?

• train, train then more training
• have my bike properly set up for a super tall person like myself
• learn how to dive into a pool (in my defense you had to dive at an angle)
• keep both hands on the bike as I ride at all times

The overall effect on the body was great, the different stages added variety and challenged different parts of  the body. Even though it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, it has certainly given me new goals to work towards and how I can improve for next time. Yep next time. Before the race the general consensus of the group was “why are we doing this again?” to which I replied “it’s fun!” (I was totally lying I had no idea) and it turned out it was. After the race everyone was already talking about ‘next time’.

Competing with a group was the best experience, there was a sense of support as we all started together, wished good luck. The support continued as you saw each other along the way and felt like a boost of energy. Crossing the finish was the best feeling ever and was totally worth every minute of it.

A massive congratulations to my ladies in Team Reve, you all did such a fantastic job and should be super proud of yourselves. I still can’t stop smiling from how proud I was. I am already looking forward to racing with you next time! 🙂

Triathlon Pink raises funds for breast cancer research. For more information on Triathlon Pink click here