The Race

The Mission: To conquer an Olympic distance triathlon before the end of the summer to raise money to end bullying in schools

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Ok, so I did it. The first major step toward my goal of completing an Olympic distance triathlon is completed. On June 21st i ran the Wisconsin Triterium Sprint Distance Triathlon and I couldn't be happier. What a crazy day of emotions and triumphs.

I awoke early with alot of nervous energy and got to the race site with over an hour to spare before the race start. I pulled my bike out of the car only to find that the innertube was flat! I was thanking my lucky stars that I learned how to change a tire the week before and used my skills to get it done. With the tire changed, I headed over to registration, got marked, found my place on the bike rack and set up my transition station. I learned that I was in the first wave of swimmers. I was assigned a bright pink swim cap! (awesome)

I entered the water when they announced go and started swimming. I cannot tell you how much excitement was filling my body and I had to remind myself to slow down. I swam a wide net around the buoys to avoid the clamor of the other swimmers and it seemed like I would never get around. My goal was to swim crawl stroke the entire time and to finish in 15 minutes. My breathing was irregular but I just kept thinking of the reasons why I took on this challenge and it forced me to keep my head in the water and push forward. I walked out of the water and looked at my watch - 11 minutes! I was energized at my time.

I ran to the transition zone and completely freaked out. I hadn't practiced transitions and so I just kept fumbling with my gear until I finally got my socks and shoes on and grabbed my bike. I ran my bike to the start line and started pedalling. I had biked the course before and so knew what to expect - hill after hill after hill. The myriad of other bikers around me ignited my competetive spirit and I pushed hard up every single climb. Before I knew it, they were signalling the half way mark and I was surprised. I completely forgot how much my thighs were burning. My goal was to not have to walk any hills and to finish in 1 hour. I got off the bike and headed to the transition zone in a mere 40 minutes!

I was feeling unstoppable and ready to crush the run until I actually started running and felt my legs cramp up. I had not trained any brick days and so going from bike to run was new for me. I had to run slower than I wanted to until my legs warmed up, about 1 mile. After that, I moved into high gear and began passing my competition. My goal was to not walk and to finish the run in 25 minutes. I only stopped for gatorade and finished in exactly 25 minutes.

I was ready to be done as I turned the corner toward the finish but I felt as exhausted as I thought I should. I felt as though I had done well but couldn't imagine doing an Olympic distance. Inspiration for training I suppose. I ran toward the finish line, they called my name, cowbells and applause ringing in my ears.

With so much behind me and so much more ahead, I am reminded of all of the hard work that GLSEN has done in the past to help kids have a safe school environment in which to grow as well as all of the hard work that they have left to do. There is no sprint to the finish in that race just steady efforts to pass milestones and crush goals one after the other.

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