Third Times A Charm

This was my third weekend in a row of triathlons. Today was the New Jersey State Triathlon...I had so much fun! I had to leave the house around 5:20am so I convinced Brad that he shouldn't come and bring the girls. I wanted them there in the worst way but it feels so selfish to put them through a morning that is three hours before they normally wake up!

I tried to stop at Starbucks and McDonald's on my drive out of town, but neither one was open...I'm not really a morning person so I assume that if I'm awake then everything else should be open!

I arrived in plenty of time and got my transition area set up. This race had about 800 participants in the Sprint and another 1,000 doing the Olympic distance making this the biggest tri in the state.

Lake Mercer is in a beautiful state park not far from Princeton University. The weather was in the upper 70's and the water temperature was 80 degrees...making it wetsuit illegal according to USAT rules. The swim was crowded and it was one of the first times I experienced truly being kicked and being swam over. It was also the first time I saw several people signaling the kayaks nearby for help.
As I was in the water waiting on my two minute warning I heard the MC talking about a special father/son team competing today...38 year old Ted and his 7 year old son, Brandon, with Cerebral Palsy. I thought it sounded too similar to the duo I saw at my triathlon last week. I turned around while treading water to see the same yellow raft I saw last weekend being carried by four men and put in the water with a small boy inside. The father uses the triathlons to raise money and support for CP research. Of course, I became emotional again...I learned it's easier to have a good cry on the bike then swimming! I was again inspired and motivated by this team and managed to get a picture of them on the run.
My swim went really well, despite the tears and the kick to the jaw. I felt strong and fairly fast. I ended up swimming the 500 in 11:49 which put me 354th out of 732. I transitioned to the bike and headed out on the 13.5 mile course. The ride had a lot of rolling hills that reminded me of my training rides and felt very comfortable for me. I passed a lot of people and frequently found myself maintaining a speed around 21 or 22 mph. My finish time on the bike was 47:04 and my average speed was 16.8mph...my goal was 17mph so I was close. I had a good transition to the run and set out with my loftiest goal yet...run the 5K in under 10 minute miles. I'm a slow runner and I've been working on picking up my pace. I think that I really won't increase my speed like I hope until I loose another 5 to 10 pounds, but I've still been trying to shave a little off my time. Two weeks ago I ran a 11:15 mile pace in Philadelphia. Last weekend I was down to a 10:30 pace. This weekend I managed a 9:59 mile pace...that is a good run for me and I was thrilled to finish the 5K in 30:56! My overall time was 1:34:44.
I really missed hearing "Go Mommy, Go Mommy!" at every transition. I love having Brad and the girls there to support me and motivate me...but I also knew they needed a good nights sleep after a busy weekend. I promised Mckenna I would take some "muscle pictures" for her.

The only nice thing about being there alone was that it gave me a chance to wander around afterwards and watch the Olympic finishers and do some people watching.

I didn't get to go to church this morning, which is a big negative to the Sunday morning triathlons. However, I felt like I saw God at work and experienced him today more then I do some mornings in the traditional setting. Today solidified my love of triathlons. It's a bunch of individuals in healthy competition that create this unusual community that encourages fitness and a healthy lifestyle and achieving personal goals. I love the fact that you can pass someone, and yet they say something to encourage you and motivate you to continue! Today I determined that this is just the beginning for me. I hope to do at least five triathlons every season. I also decided that it would be neat to see how many triathlons I could do in different states. So far I've done 3 triathlons in 2 states. With our military lifestyle I should be able to do triathlons all over the US.

I had fun this morning! A lot of fun. I usually don't say that about exercise...but I truly enjoyed myself today. I'm ready for a little break but I'm sad that I won't have another triathlon for awhile. I had planned on doing one in mid-August but now I'll be out of town for a wedding...I'm hoping to find another one later in the month before the Danskin in September.