TriPearl 2012

Last Sunday I was able to participate in a triathlon. I loved it!  It had been exactly 8 years since I last did a tri.  I completed the Danskin triathlon in Austin back in 2003 and 2004 but it was so long ago!  In a triathlon you always swim, bike and then run. All I remember from the Danskin was that I could hardly run at the end....I felt so slow.  In this triathlon I swam 400 meters in a pool, biked 17 miles and then ran 3.3 miles. The first part of my run felt slow and painful but after about a mile I got into a rhythm and was disappointed when it was all over ;-) My overall time was 1:38:13.  I was 5th place in my age and gender division.  Not too bad, right?! I'm contemplating an Olympic distance triathlon....am I crazy?!  yeah, maybe. But honestly, it sounds fun!  and challenging!  Here are a few pics from the race....

Waiting for my turn to swim...I was one of the last ones...

I think I stood along the poolside for 45 minutes.....ugh!

 In the water...my race has begun!

 It was a lovely bike ride through Brackenridge Park, by the zoo and down Broadway.

 The cloud cover made the temperature totally bearable for a run at the end.  

But I'll admit that the humidity was pretty awful.

I was so thankful for two sweet friends that helped me!  Elizabeth came with me the morning of the race and helped me navigate to the different transition areas to set up my gear...she ran all over town to cheer me on at different points in the race and took pictures for me. I'm looking forward to her doing the race with me next year!  Another precious friend, Laura, helped me by taking care of H & N  while I was at the race.  Paul was out of town and there was no way I could have done the race without her help. I appreciate these sweet ladies so much!