Monday, April 11, 2011

Iron Girl Count Down

So I have a little less than 3 weeks until my Iron Girl Triathlon...
I'm getting super nervous but excited at the same time.

This past weekend I signed up for a "Triatha-Fun" event
last minute for some extra practice.
The event was put on by this local triathlon group at Lake Las Vegas.

The distances were:
400 meter swim - 12 mile bike - 2.5 mile run

And just as I was setting up my bike and putting on my wetsuit this hardcore pro guy next to me with all this Ironman gear says "So are you going to win?" ... and I laughed "Ummm yes... But really this is my first time doing this" and then his eyes went big and asked "First time ever? Have you ever swam in the lake before... Open water?" And I looked at him saying "Well no?" Then his next response threw me... "And you're going to do the whole thing??" 

Well Mr. Lets Freak Out the New Girl.... Yes, I'm going to do the whole thing!

And here's how it all went down...
Getting pumped for the event...

My "Ohhh shizzz" moment before it started when my feet were already numb just standing on the freezing sand... for a moment I thought "Is there any way I could escape without anyone seeing me??"
But then I thought back to "Mr. Let's Freak Out the New Girl" and I had to do it.

My friend giving me some last minute advice before the start.

Check out this video of the swim start...

(Look for the person who actually did bail in the beginning)


Open water swimming is 100% different than my training in the pool. I tried to not focus on the freezing cold shock my body was feeling and focus on the fundamentals I've been practicing for months... but then when I put my face in the water to freestyle swim I got another cold shock to my body combined with not being able to see anything in the murky/dark water... I felt panicky and ended up swimming with my head above the water and alternating to the backstroke. I'm sure it'll get easier the more I do it... and it's definitely something I need to practice again before my actual race.

Running and trying to take off my wetsuit at the same time.
*Note: feet are still completely numb at this point*

First transition to the bike....

























Then as I passed a lady on the run she looked over at me and asked,
"So when does this actually get fun?"
We both laughed.
To me this is fun though... I love trying something completely new,
setting a goal and then seeing it through.
You only grow as a person when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

And I have to say that I totally finished!
I wasn't the last one out of the water OR crossing the finish line...
So I felt pretty accomplished!

Iron Girl- I'll see you in
3 weeks!

3 comments:

Chris and Shelly said...

Good job girly! You showed that bozo (the guy who tried to freak you out) who's boss! I'm glad you finished!

Foxs said...

Dang Amy, you are an All-Star!! Way to go!

Amy said...

Thanks girls!! Yeah I'm pretty sure that guy was finishing his RUN when I was finishing my bike and he came in like 2nd overall... hardcore status. But hey, I kept up and he totally high-fived me after!

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