First Triathlon

Monster Triathlon Race Report (300 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run)

A good friend and I finished our first triathlon this morning, and had a great time doing it. I still don't know our time, but I'm sure it wasn't particularly fast. Had lots of time to get nervous before the swim, with 750 of us lining up (sort of). Nice big pool with 50 meter X 8 foot lanes, and after waiting about 45 minutes for our turn, my friend and I were able to start one right after the other. We actually passed a few people! Considering that both of us were freaked out about just putting our faces in the water only a few months ago, we did pretty well. We did get held up behind a couple that missed the memo about staying right unless you are passing. They insisted on staying side by side, taking up the whole lane. While she attempted to breast stroke and side stroke, he swam along shouting encouragement whilst not letting anyone pass. Tried the left, no good, tried the middle, and they closed ranks, but finally got by! Other than that, our swimming fears have been laid to rest, and the swim was my favorite part of the whole thing, even though it was the part I dreaded. Go figure!

T1 was fine, and thanks to the volunteers, I didn't miss the timing mat on the way in like I tried to. I didn't test, and my CGM had not "found iteslf" by the time I started. The bike leg was good, but pretty hilly and quite windy today, so a bit tougher than we anticipated. Two loops, so we knew what we were in for the 2nd time around. We were both riding our mountain bikes, but managed to actually pass a few folks on spiffier bikes. Heard a high blood sugar alert from from my continuous monitor early in the bike ride, so knew I didn't need any carbs.

Before the swim, my BG was 181 and supposedly dropping. But by the time T2 came, it was at 340. Adrenaline + going anaerobic on the hills + being disconnceted from my insulin pump waiting to swim + plus the beginning of a cold = not a good combo for that. So I need a new plan for next time to at least replace the basal insulin I missed during the swim line up and swim.

Between that and the harder bike ride, the run pretty much sucked for me. Back tightened up like never before, and I had to stop to stretch it and walk a fair amount. My friend stuck with me, but I kind of wish she had gone on so I wouldn't feel bad for sucking AND holding her back. I think it was something like 34 minutes for the run/walk we wound up doing. It was her turn to come in ahead (long story), so I encouraged her to go ahead for the last 1/10th. I managed to run in the last 1/2 mile or so looking reasonably strong, and raised my arms in victory crossing the finish line.

Cool finishers medal, and nice long sleeve orange and black tech shirt to complete the halloween theme. Awesome support from our husbands, who carted our extra "stuff" around, took pictures, and put up with our pre-race nerves. My mom even came to cheer us on . Would I do it again?....yep....but not right now!

The Hay is in the Barn

This Sunday I'll be attempting my first triathlon. It's a relatively short one, with a 300 meter swim, a 12 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. This will be a fairly light workout week leading up to it, since the training I have already done is what matters physically. It's been a bumpy ride during the 12 week training program, with a 2 week cold/flu thing in weeks 4 and 5, being a few lbs heavier than I'd like to be, and now a tear in my right arch. As of today, I think I'm reasonably ready to complete it, though perhaps not as well as I would have hoped initially.

The training has consisted mainly of doing either a swim, bike, or run 5 or 6 days a week. On some days, I've put together biking and swimming, and on a few others, biking and running. But Sunday will be my first time putting all 3 together. Although that's fairly normal in preparing for a first triathlon, it leaves me with some lingering questions as far as BG management. I'm hoping my CGM will be in synch come Sunday so I don't have to test in the middle of the bike ride, but it may come down to that. I've had a couple of episodes lately where the CGM trend totally misled me. The swim is so short that testing after that in T1 won't do much good, and after the bike ride in T2 will be too late for any carbs I take in to do much good. I'll just have to play the CGM game by ear and hope for the best.

So I'm reminding myself this week that: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Prov 19:21). I've trained with a good friend who will be racing that day too, and our friendship is stronger and deeper as a result. My awesome husband will be getting up a 0-dark-thirty with me so he can support me and hand my pump back to me after the swim. God willing, all will go the way I would like it to, but if not, it will still be alright, and there is purpose in that too.