Tomorrow will be my third year in a row to compete at the reverse sprint triathlon.
I don't have any pictures - great, good or okay - from that first year. It was pouring rain. Pelting rain. The whole triathlon was a muddy, wet blur. I real blur because it was raining so hard on the bike leg that I had to squint and only look out of one eye at a time to be able to see. My time? Well, I am not really sure. They couldn't find my time at the end of the race. For some reason my chip didn't work. Maybe it was water logged. Eventually, they said my final time was 1:26:13, but they didn't have any splits for me.
I didn't care. That first triathlon was a blast! And the triathlon raised money for the U.S. Men's Water Polo Team (and since my boys played water polo it seemed like a good cause to support).
2011 - I signed up for Race on the Base again thinking it would be a lot of fun and again, it was for a good cause. A couple of my friends also signed up. Then my boys said they wanted to compete also. Well, one boy hurt his back and could not compete. The other had just got a job and couldn't take the day off. My friends dropped out and it looked like I was going to be competing at Race on the Base all by myself.
That was okay! My goal was to just go and compete and match or beat my 1:26:13 time. Hey, at my age I figure that every year if I can just keep my fitness or manage to better it just a tad, I am doing okay.
My guy, who had competed several years earlier in Olympic Distance triathlons involving ocean swimming, stepped up and said he would go with me. Luckily, they let Robert take one of my boys' entries.
My time? Well, I didn't match or better, but then again, the course was different. Instead of a 5k run, it was more like a 5k plus quite a bit run. Overall, I completed the course in 1:35:57:4 (run 30.55/T1 2:28/Bike 51:49/T2 4:18/Swim 6:25). At least they didn't lose me last year and they had my splits!
I came in 8th place out of 29 women in my 50-54 age group.
2012 - This year I want to match or better my last year's time. I think I have learned a lot this year. Robert is competing again. Our friends Carolyn and Gary are also competing, as is my friend and client Jeanne. The event still raises money for the U.S. Men's Water Polo team.
My knee has been a bit stiff, but I am sure it can take me the 3.7 miles of this year's run. I know I am a much better cyclist, thanks to my friends pulling me up GMR, Robert riding with me up Skyline on the mountain bikes, and my Triathlon Connection friends dragging me along the Santa Ana River Trail.
I am hoping that my swim lessons with Coach Tony will get me through the swim in a decent time. I know I need a lot more lessons and practice, but last year I backstroked through part of the swim.
Not this year!
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