Ramblin' Rose Triathlon

Triathlons have always intimidated me. I suppose it was the unknown, the fear of being judged, of drowning, crashing, not know what to do or where to go. Two weeks ago I was able to conquer that fear and competed in my first sprint triathlon! And by no means will be it be my last.

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. SO. MUCH.

If you are an athlete or runner and are looking to try something new, this is it. It tested my body and spirit in new ways and I can't wait to do another!

When I began thinking about doing a triathlon, I did some research to figure out what the heck it even entailed. There are several distances of races, much like running, so I decided to start with the shortest to see if I even enjoyed it. I don't have much experience with cycling or swimming, and I didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on gear and a race if I hated it. I chose a race called the Ramblin' Rose, which is a women only sprint series held in different cities around North Carolina. This particular one was held at a YWCA in Winston-Salem.

I honestly didn't do much training for this race, but was able to put in a couple of solid weeks mixing up swimming, biking, and running workouts, as well as a few brick workouts. (Bricks are when you do back to back workouts in different events the same day, like biking and then immediately going for a run.) Because of being a regular runner, I didn't find the training too difficult and was able to pick up biking and swimming fairly easily after a few workouts of both. Doing a longer race in the future will obviously require a better training schedule, but for this race I felt fairly confident.

The day before the race was packet pickup, which also included a free transition clinic for those who hadn't competed in a triathlon before or had questions about the race. It was a big help to visually see how to set up my transition area, how to rack my bike and lay out all the gear in order so I could quickly grab it and go on to the next phase. Triathlons are timed by wearing a chip around your left ankle, and your time runs from the moment you cross the first timing mat right before the swim to when you cross the finish line. There are different mats to also measure each phase, and the transitions from swim to bike and bike to run are timed, meaning you need to be hustling the whole time!

Race Sunday was very overcast and chilly, perfect for racing. Austin and I were able to get on the road to Winston right at 6 AM, which would give me about an hour and a half before the start and enough time to set up my stuff before the transition area (TA) closed at 7:45. We made it with no traffic, scored a good parking spot, and I went to pick up my chip and ankle strap and to get body marked with my number on my arms and legs. I found the right bike rack for my number, laid out all my gear like I'd practiced, and walked the transition area to figure out where my area was in relation to the swim finish, bike start and finish, and run start. That helped to know where I was going during the race to prevent wasting precious time trying to find my stuff.

Also, I feel I should mention the fact that I felt like I was going to puke and also pee my pants during the 24 hours or so before the race. I was so nervous and had no idea what to expect! Actually being at the venue setting up was extremely intimidating, and I couldn't wait to get moving. However, because it was a women-only event I felt a lot more comfortable, and there were all different types of people and levels of ability.

Swim:

To begin the swim, all the women were ranked by swim ability (by submitting a time to complete a 250m swim) with 10 being the fastest and 1 the slowest. We lined up in order with 10's starting, to minimize the need to pass or be passed in the pool. I ranked myself a 6 by submitting a time 30 seconds slower than my usual (I was scared), but in the end wished I'd ranked a 7 or 8 because I ended up having to pass a few people and had to wait till close to 9 AM to start the race. You race, you learn.

Once I jumped in the pool and started swimming, it was nice to work some nerves out and settle into a rhythm of breathing and counting strokes. I felt relaxed and was able to finish the swim easily (aka without feeling like I was drowning). However, one thing I didn't practice was sprinting after immediately getting out of the water. I felt a bit dizzy running back to the TA and had to walk a few seconds to recover and keep from falling over.

Transition 1:

Before the race, I decided to take my time with T1 since I wasn't racing for a specific time, only to finish. I grabbed a few gulps of water, towel dried off quickly, and pulled on some spandex shorts and my shirt with my bib number attached.

 Next were socks and running shoes, and let me tell you..it's much harder to pull socks onto wet feet than it looks. I had half-flipped them inside out to make it easier, but it was still hard! 

 Then I grabbed my helmet and bike, and with a wave and funny face at Austin, I was off on the bike course!

Bike:

The bike was HARD. I would go so far as to forget hilly and say it was mountainous. It was a loop we had to do twice, and the first time was exhausting, so going through the pain and knowing I had to do it all over again was scary! The course started with a small hill, going around a block nearby the Y and down a nice hill, then climbed up a HUUUUUUGEEEEEEE mountain headed toward downtown Winston. You may think I'm exaggerating with this hill. I am not. It was almost 2 miles long, straight uphill. A lot of people stopped to walk their bikes, but I was able to use the gears properly (I googled it..that's how little I know about biking!) and make it to the top with burning thighs. After going around the block at the top, we got to come back DOWN that hill, and boy was it grand! I'm pretty sure I reached some ridiculous speeds. I may or may not have pretended I was Lance Armstrong racing in the Tour, wind in my hair and bugs in my teeth. Sort of. I saw Austin at the bottom, then gritted my teeth and got ready to kill those hills again, this time knowing what to expect and looking forward to the ride back down!

Transition 2:

The second transition from bike to run was much faster than T1, since basically all I had to do was jump off the bike and rack it, switch out my helmet for a hat, and grab a few sips of water. Let me warn you though - running after biking makes your legs feel numb and like jelly for several minutes before they get their act together!

Run:

After making it up the mountain for the second time on the bike, I knew two things: that my legs were tired, and that I would survive to finish the race. Since running is my "specialty", I didn't worry too much about the last phase of the tri because I knew I was more than capable of completing it. After the initial jelly feeling, I got my land legs back about half a mile or so into the run and was able to keep a good pace. It seemed many other women struggled the most with this part. I saw lots of walkers, heard a "you're really moving!" and was able to pass a lot of people. I was happy to make up a bit of time I lost on the bike and just enjoy the run and thinking about finishing my first triathlon!

The course was a simple out and back on the greenway with a water station at the turnaround point. I knew once I was halfway exactly how much I had left to run, so I kicked it up and really pounded out the last portion of the race to the finish line. I felt strong and happy, and got a GIANT hug and exclamation of "YOU'RE A TRIATHLETE!" from the woman who handed me my medal. I spotted Austin and the first thing I said to him was "That was SO much fun!!"

I know there are other tougher triathlons out there, and I'm no Ironman (yet...) but I definitely recall what it was like to finish my first 5K or marathon, and this was no different. Austin really enjoyed watching it and found himself wanting to do one! We are going to look for one to do together soon. If you know me, and know Austin, you know I have been WAITING for this moment!!!!

Here are the distances and official times for each event, along with my placings in each.

Overall - 1:03:15, 126/429 total, 20/41 in the 25-29 age group

Swim (225m) - 5:44, 184/429, 23/41 age group

T1 - 3:05

Bike (8 mi) - 36:39, 209/429, 27/41 age group

T2 - 1:06

Run (2 mi) - 16:43, 24/429, 5/41 age group

Looking back on my results, I think what I'm most proud about is my run rankings. I knew going into the race it would be my best event, but having the 24th fastest time out of 429 people and the 5th fastest time out of my 41 person age group is something I'm really excited and proud about! I was also excited about my bike time - I had been averaging around 40-43 minutes on my practice rides for the 8 mile distance, so seeing me come in at 36 minutes was really great. I do realize that I'm slower than a little more than half the people in my age group in the swim and bike, but I'm ok with that.

If you're thinking about trying (tri-ing...har har) a triathlon, I definitely recommend it! I really enjoyed the mental and physical break it gave me from just running, and learned a lot about my body and a new sport along the way. And if you're nervous or just want someone to do it along with you, you know who to call!