Southern Indiana Triathlon

My first triathlon of the season was Sunday. It was also the first time for this triathlon. I signed up for it because it started about half a mile from my house. Amy signed up for it with me. The swim was in the Ohio River which concerned me a bit. I didn't want to get a wetsuit, but Amy and a guy I work with, Don, who has done many triathlons, convinced me I should. I ended up renting one from XTerra. It came the week before the race and the first time I tried it on, I couldn't get it up. I tried again later that night, pulling the legs about half-way up my calves before trying to get it up the rest of the way. It fit and I was pleasantly surprised that it looked pretty good. Getting it off was almost as hard as getting it on the first night, but I practiced until I could get it on in less than 5 minutes and off in less than 1 minute.

Amy stayed the night with me Saturday night. I made us waffles for dinner. Sunday morning we got up early, rode our bikes to the start, checked in, and set up our transition areas. Then we walked back to my house, ate breakfast, used the bathroom, and put on our wetsuits. We walked back to the transition area for the pre-race meeting. The swim start was about 1/2 mile from the transition area (towards my house), so we spent a lot of time walking around in our wetsuits. My parents and her mom met us at the swim start to cheer us on. We got zipped up and into the water. It was cold, but didn't seem that bad in the wetsuit. Unfortunately, my wetsuit leaked, so I probably lost some buoyancy. The swim was harder than I thought it would be. It was all down river, but seemed to take forever. I also cut my finger on some rocks towards the end. When I got out, I was bleeding freely. I asked a spectator for a bandaid and she gave me some. I ended up not using them, but another racer cut herself and I gave her one.

My first transition was slowed by the bleeding. I was also worn out and not thinking clearly. I put on one bike glove before I put my shoes on. I made it onto my bike and started the ride. I ate a few of the Clif Shot Bloks immediately, but my legs still didn't feel good. After the turn around and eating some more Shot Bloks, I felt pretty good and the second half of the ride was faster.

My second transition was pretty good and I took off for the run. I felt pretty good on the run, but did have to walk a little. I think the course was a little short since I set a new PR for a 5K on the run, which seems unlikely. My overall time was 15 minutes faster than my goal. I made up most of my time on the swim, which took much less time than I expected. There were a few issues with the race, but overall, it was a good time and I'll probably do it again next year.

Next up, is a relay triathlon with Amy and Jennifer. I'm doing the cycle portion. Then in August, I'm doing the Tri Indy. I had considered trying the Olympic distance for that one, but was so glad to only be running 3 miles at the end that I think I'll stick with the sprint distance.

Relay for Life

2 years ago I didn't really know anyone that had cancer. Then a good friend of my mom's was diagnosed with leukemia. Lynette wrote a blog about her experiences and I followed it, learning about the personal side of cancer and crying when she died.

Last year, my cousin was diagnosed with leukemia. Krishana had been trying to become a missionary for several years and I had been supporting her, but the diagnosis and her moving home drew us closer. I was able to be there for her first run after being cleared by her oncologist. She was declared to be in remission and in February, moved to Austria for full-time mission work.

In March I got a call from Amy that a friend of ours from TaeKwonDo had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Sue hadn't been having symptoms for very long, but she was told it was a fast growing cancer and she probably only had 6 months to a year to live. She actually died about 2 weeks after the diagnosis.

Because of these wonderful, inspiring women I choose to participate in Relay for Life this year. I love the American Cancer Society's "More Birthdays"  slogan. A world with more birthdays seems like a great place to me. I don't want anyone else I know to lose birthdays because of cancer. I'm not really big into fund-raising, but I put a link on my facebook page and asked my parents to donate. I raised $235 and I'm very happy to be contributing in a small way to a world with more birthdays.