Tri-ing very hard!

I did my very first Triathlon! Given my recent health kick, I nonchalantly mentioned I would do a triathlon... with no particular one in mind... just one day. I received message from my gym that there was to be a women's only triathlon in Richmond in a couple of weeks. Being assured that it was a really fun race, I started to give it some consideration. I checked the website and there were some 50 places left. I checked it a little later, and there were fewer places. As I procrastinated, the cap of 550 places was being reached. I spoke to Paul about it. He assured me that I didn't have to do the race if I signed up for it... but if I didn't sign up, then I couldn't do the race. With 10 places left, I succumbed... then felt very nervous giving myself only a couple of weeks to prepare.

The Pink Power Triathlon was a sprint: 400m swim, 11 mile bike, 5km run. When I told people I was doing the race, they all noted how 'easy' it would be for such short distances. Paul has competed in a number of Olympic distance triathlons and I have several friends in Brisbane who are super-competitive and have Ironman races in their sights. I, however, have never been the sporty type and have been quite happy to be the spectator of the crazy pursuits of others. These distances seemed a little long to me!

Damage done, I had to prepare.

Very slow transitions, a botched swim - where I thought I was going to have to be dragged from the water, and a morbid fear of crashing my bike, falling off or being hit by a car were overcome by a faster-than-expected run time. I had a blast and finally understood that post-race-euphoria. I now have a 'time' that should be easy to beat with a bit more training and experience. I am now really keen to get the kids involved. Paul and I think Nic will be a natural once he loses his fear of the water!