I've been training for my first sprint tri since June when I signed up for the Long Bay Sprint on 9/22. I've been following the local triathlon club on facebook and have run once with them and swam once with them. I struggled both times. But for some reason when they announced that their Garden City Sprint was open to guests Tuesday night at 10pm, I could not stop myself from signing up. Hey, it was free (well, they ask for a $10 donation). So I knew going into it that I would most likely come in last among a small group of actual triathletes. This race was a wee bit shorter than the one in September: a 500yard ocean swim, 13 mile bike, 5k run. I knew I could finish that.

Yesterday I was a ball of nerves. I went out for sushi and sat on the beach all afternoon. Got in bed at 10:30ish with everything packed and ready to go. Can't believe I actually slept! The alarm went off at 4:45 and I made it to the transition area and got registered in time. I met a veteran triathlete who convinced me to put some lube on my crotch. Only in the midst of a triathlon club in the dusky light of dawn would I ever unzip my tri suit and apply a vaseline-type substance to my groin.

Kick off was 6:30 am, the sun was up, kinda, and it was about 69 degrees out. Thank God the water was about 80, but honestly I paid no attention to the water temp as I fought to get out past the boueys. The waves were not bad, so I could actually do the free-style, unlike the time before when I went out with the club. I made it about 250 yards before I got tired. About 50 yards from the end, I noticed I was the only one still in the water. After that it seemed to take forever to get done. When I finally made it around the second bouey, all I wanted to do was touch the bottom. There was a strong undercurrent as the waves were building, and I had a hard time getting to the beach. Finally a huge wave swept over me and pushed me forward....Land beneath my feet! Yay!

At the transition area, there were only two others still there. By the time I hit the road, I couldn't see any other bikers. I felt discouraged. I knew I would finish last, but I started to think "Why am I doing this?" "Maybe I'll just stop after the bike so they don't have to wait around for me to get done." Going south with the wind behind my back, I was kicking it. As fast as my little used hybrid would go. I decided I might as well push as hard as I could. I figured I've got enough running experience that I will be able to run 3.1 no matter how hard I bike. As I passed the transition area, There were already runners everywhere, and I had about 4-5 miles left to go on the bike. I felt disgruntled, but I just kept smiling, and the runners who were now on their way to the finish were telling me "Good job!"

I finally made it back to transition, racked my bike and took off running. My legs felt heavy and I kept seeing everyone running to the finish. When I saw who I knew to be the last runner before me heading to the finish, I thought, well, I've trained by myself....I'll finish by myself. At the aid station, I stopped and choked down a little water. The nice guy said "The people at home are last." I laughed and took off again. This half of the run felt good. I think I made pretty good time, but for some reason my Mapmyrun app didn't translate to the website, so I have no idea how fast I really was on the bike vs the run. Finally I saw the end, I heard claps and cheers. Everyone was there smiling and congratulating me. A guy I work with hugged me. I felt like I'd won instead of come in last!

As I started the bike, I was feeling that this is not the sport for me. I was contemplating dropping out of my September tri. But after finishing, all I could think of is how I'm going to get faster. The next sprint is a half mile ocean swim (yikes!), so I'm definitely going to work on my swim! The bike is 14 miles, and the run 5K. So, I must say I'm worried, but if I keep up my training I should be able to do it. I can see how it's addictive. I guess there's worse things that pushing ourselves to bigger and crazier things!