Salem Spring Triathlon

My oldest brother convinced me to sign up for a triathlon, other than the Women of Steel. He had done the Salem Spring Triathlon with our brothers and dad last year and wanted to do it again. This would be my first open water swim. The swim was also nearly 3 times longer than the other triathlon I had done. Open water and 800 meters....What had I gotten myself signed up for? We registered on New Year's Eve, thinking we had 6 months to train. I don't know about Steve, but my training was not what it could have been. This race also requires a wet suit. I had never swam in a wet suit before. Why not try a swim or two in it before the race, is what you might be thinking, right? Well.....that would have been the logical explanation, but I didn't do that. I just borrowed one from my good friend and figured I'd be fine. I knew I was most likely going to be the last one out of the water and I was fine with that realization. What I wasn't aware of was just how freaked out and panicked I would get when I tried to swim in a wet suit. I had heard my dad talk about how he feels constricted when he's in one and can't breathe, but since I had heard that, I figured I'd be fine. I knew (or thought I knew) what to expect and that I could just talk myself out of that fear. I was wrong. I got maybe ten strokes into the swim and totally freaked out. It was open water, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see the bottom of the pond, I couldn't touch. I panicked! I almost had them pull me out, but after treading water for a while and getting my bearings, I flipped over on my back and continued the 800 meter swim with the backstroke. It was slow and I felt really bad for the volunteer in the canoe who kept me on course, but I made it out of the water. I figured if I made it out of the water, I'd be okay. I wasn't nearly as worried about the bike and the run as I was with the swim. Curse the swim!

The photographer at the race had me and Steve pose for a picture so they could put it on facebook. I stole said picture to put on my blog. :) Look how happy we look, pre-race.

 Getting out of the water. If you notice, there's still someone behind me. I wasn't the VERY last person out of the water.

 Getting out on my bike. Look at all those bikes that are already gone...

 And I'm starting the run!

I'm coming in to the finish line!

Steve is coming in for the finish line! We made it! It was a great race. Thanks, Steve for doing it with me. It was nice to have my older brother there with me. And we weren't even the last two people to come in! However, when results were posted, we both had DNF (Did Not Finish) next to our names. We were a little upset because if we were going to quit, it would have been on the swim. But we both made it out of the water, so we were going to finish. My resourceful brother contacted the race director and they caught us on video and we were able to get our finishing times. Apparently the timing mats had gone out for a short time and it wasn't noticed, so when we finished, it didn't register us. But thanks to Steve, we didn't have the dreaded DNF next to our names. :)

 

Women of Steel

In May my sister and I did the Women of Steel Triathlon. This is the third year in a row that I have done it. This time I was able to do it with my sister, Courtney. I don't think she was super excited about me signing her up, but we made it through and she did an amazing job! The first year I did this, it was 40 degrees and raining that morning and the swim ended up being canceled. Leah and I weren't too upset about that because neither of us were super strong swimmers and it was our first triathlon, so we were really nervous. The second year, I did it with my sisters-in-law, Holli and Melanie. We weren't so lucky with the swim. We had to do it. The same was the case for this year. Courtney and I had to endure the pool swim. Courtney's little boys came to cheer us on, it was really cute.

 Here we are, coming up to the finish line and Courtney is going to give Carter a high five.

We finished!! Well done, Courtney.

So Cal Ragnar 2012

In April, I had the opportunity to run the southern California Ragnar Relay. I was able to run it with most of the people I do this race with. It was great fun. We drove to Vegas Wednesday night. Stayed with my friend's family (who are always so willing to let 12 random people stay in their home) and then drove the rest of the way Thursday. We got there early enough on Thursday that we were able to spend a little time at the beach. I wasn't expecting to go to the beach, so I didn't have any of my beach attire, but it was still fun to go and hang out for a bit. I have family in Southern California, so my aunt and uncle came and picked me up for dinner Thursday night and then took my to get Pinkberry (my absolute favorite!).

 Jess and me on the beach. We played a little sand soccer before they had to take me back to the hotel to meet my aunt and uncle for dinner. It was quite the workout!

 Pure joy, right here. I LOVE Pinkberry. It was delightful and my face shows how much I enjoyed it.

Then, Friday morning, we began our 200 mile adventure through Southern California. The starting line!

Here I am, ready to start my first leg! It was really hot that day, like 98 degrees hot, so we were a little behind pace. I think I started around noon and my first leg was about 5 miles. But I passed off to van two, right in the heat of the day. Poor van 2!!

 And I'm off!

Normally I'm not too worried about the legs I have to run during Ragnar, but I've usually looked online so I know what to expect. This race was a little different. I thought I was going to be a certain runner, but it got changed at the last minute. I'm pretty easy going, so I said sure. I got done with my first leg and got back in the van. We were going through what the next van had to run and I decided to look at my next leg. Holy balls! I was runner 6, so I was the last runner in our van. I know the picture is kind of blurry, but exchange 17 on that picture is where my leg began and I had to make it up that giant hill!! I was kind of freaking out about it. A nice elevation change of 1100 feet. What!?!?

Jessica, me and Krista donning our reflective gear for our night runs. The night runs are usually my favorite, but I had to get my legs up a giant hill, remember?

 And I'm ready to begin my trek up the ginormous hill... I'm just glad I didn't have to do that during the heat of the day. I may have died.

 I don't have any pictures of my last leg, but I had more hills to go up. It was through Torrey Pines, if anyone is familiar with that. My legs were already tired from my 8 mile run during the night, which had the massive hill. So, trying to make them go up more hills wasn't so fun. But I started out next to the beach, which was nice. I made it, but it was a little slow.

 We were at the finish line, waiting for van 2 to come through so we could cross the finish line together and there was this sign. So true! Ragnar has been a great experience, each and every time I've done it and I have made some great friends along the way.

 Taking in the beach scene while waiting for van 2 to finish.

 Here's van 1! Julia, Ryan, Rich, Jessica, Krista and me. We had a great time!

 We were driving home and I looked back and the others were really into the movie. I'm pretty sure they were watching the Burbs. That has become a Ragnar classic. Huntington Beach to Coronado Island. We made it!!