Balanced Man Triathlon

And so it began ....

Our names were changed for a few hours. My daughter became 176. I became 166, as in, "Good job, One Sixty-six!" Thank you, SigEp Frat Boys, for your enthusiastic encouragement!

We bravely hung our bikes on a rack and looked around to see what other more seasoned athletes were doing in preparation for the big race. We should have had a hand towel to dry our feet before donning our shoes and socks. We opted for our large bath towels. They actually came in handy as we were able to cover our shoes and socks from the inclement weather threatening from the north ... and south ... and east ...and yes, west! It seemed more important at the time than a dry towel for showering after the race.

Then a "safety" discussion and overview of the course. Proceeding to the pool I discovered my seldom used swim cap was older than I thought. It began to tear from the back. The advantage of being a strong swimmer, but not an extremely swift swimmer is that one is quick enough to avoid the first heat (these swimmers begin at the sound of a horn) yet slow enough to ensure additional heats behind him. The timer begins timing when the swimmer chooses to push off. The faster heats to follow give one the impression that she is actually ahead of other races when she transitions to the bike leg of the race - a much needed emotional boost.

Biking. All I can say is some people are really fast! And ... I am grateful for the use of my husband's road bike. Oh ... and there really was a killer hill!

A little hail fell during the bike leg, however, we did not!

Running. Difficult. It felt slow - really slow. However, our times were good. I can think of a couple explanations. Either, it wasn't a true 5K, or cross training and Jelly Belly Sport Beans really work, as well as, the sound advice I've always given my children before a competition, "Prepare. Hydrate. Carbo load. Pray. Do your best."

Was it my best? I don't know. I'm going to have to try again to find out, because, you see, I'm hooked!

Check out our results here.