June 25th came around and Jeremy and I drove up to Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. I checked in and racked my bike. I went to a couple different talks about transitions and the race coarse. We went to check out the lake and look at the swim. I was definitely nervous. The swim looked really long but I thought I was ready.
In the morning we were up at about 4:45 so I could get to the race center and set up my transition area. The race started at 6 and my wave was scheduled to leave about 6:30. Jeremy, my mom and dad were all watching as I nervously entered the water. As our wave left I felt OK. I was trying to concentrate on my stroke and breath. I made about half way through the coarse and someone knocked me under. I came up coughing and chocking on lake water and couldn't catch my breath. After that it seemed like everyone who swam by me was pushing me or swimming over me. I seriously didn't think I was going to make it. Then this very kind soul named Glen came to my rescue. He swam beside me and tried calming me down and literally helped hold me up in the water while I coughed all over him. About 50 minutes later I finally emerged from the lake feeling like I had been beaten for hours.
I walked slowly to the transition area and pulled off my wetsuit. I could see my mom, dad and Jeremy all cheering for me by the sidelines but all I wanted to do was cry and go home with them. I put on my biking gear and took my bike towards the road. I thought I would be able to regain my composure on the bike and make up a little time. But, I had inhaled and swallowed so much lake water I felt short of breath and nauseous the whole time. I made it a few miles on my bike and had to stop and throw up a bunch of gross brown water. Finally I finished the ride in an hour and fifty nine minutes.
The run was awaiting me. I had said from the beginning that I would always be able to get through the run. However, I didn't take into account not being able to breath. I started out on the run with a slow jog and made it maybe 1/4 mile before I had to stop and catch my breath. I decided the only way I was going to make it through was to walk. So that is just what I did. I found a girl who was content to walk with me and we finished the run in an hour and forty five minutes. We were the last two to cross the finish line. But we did it. I finished my first tri in an embarrassing 4 hours and 43 minutes.
I fell into my moms arms at the end feeling very defeated. I thought that my triathlon career was done already. However by the time I got home that night I was forgetting the pain. I was ready to try again. I went right to the computer and signed up for a sprint tri on July 10th back in Pleasant Prairie.
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