i’ve raced a triathlon (an 0ff-road triathlon that is) just once before. so, seeing as the malibu nautica international distance triathlon was my first “road” race, i guess you could say i felt… like a virgin – touched for the very first time. and although i was definitely more prepared this time around, once again it was exciting, exhilarating, breathtaking & absolutely terrifying all at once.
looking back, i still can’t believe i actually swam 1.5K (.90 miles) in the freezing pacific ocean, THEN rode my bike 40K (24.85 miles) along the pacific coast highway & still had enough energy to run a 10K (6.2 miles). i’m tired right now, just thinking about it. seriously, what was i thinking?
i definitely wasn’t the fastest, but honestly, all i wanted to do was survive, which i did. & thanks to my special edition black sparkle skirt – at least i looked pretty… not to mention i got way more cheers, compliments & enough guys picking up on me, to boost my self-esteem through the roof.
1.5K ocean swim: approximately 39 minutes
40K bike ride: approximately 1 hour 37 minutes
10K run: approximately 55 minutes
* i lost my timing chip, so times are based off of my garmin.
total time: 3:17:15
& while i definitely proved that slow & steady finishes the race, i was far from finishing first (or even second or third). in my age division i placed 34th out of 58, i placed 202 out of 311 women, & overall i placed 865 out of 1085. however, my hubby jeff performed amazingly at his first road triathlon. he finished the entire race in just 2:24:05, placing 12th out of 120 in his age division, 70th out of 774 men, & overall he placed 83rd out o 1085. & our friends elise & skyler, they came in 7th & 17th in their respective age divisions. they’ve definitely set the bar pretty high for me.
