Katy - Six months ago...

Six months ago I never thought I’d be where I am today. I am now 1000% sure that I can now call myself a Triathlete. I remember coming home from my first RTH meeting having some second thoughts, but I decided what do I have to lose?!?! I’m just gonna go for it!
The week leading up to my Tri, I had so many questions & concerns. Will I be able to make it? Can I even swim that far? What does a transition area even look like? WHAT DO I WEAR??(Thank you to everyone for being so patient and helpful to me)
The Morning of the Tri to say the least I was very nervous & scared. I got my borrowed wet suit on and got in line with everyone else in the water. The gun bangs, and I wait a few seconds to not get scratched, kicked, or slapped in the water. I didn’t get far from the shore before I panicked. I felt like I couldn’t breath, and if I was breathing I was swallowing so much water I felt like I was choking. I stopped and looked back at the dock. I thought to myself I could just go back and be done with this crazy idea. Then thought, this crazy idea of mine is going to be life changing for the better. And any change for the better with worth working for. So I did everything in my power to get out to the bouy and back to shore. Back stroke, side stroke, dog paddle…. You name it and I did it. Jogging back to the transition felt amazing. Amazing could be an understatement. I remember thinking, the worst part is over, all you have to do now it ride your bike the fastest you’ve ridden in years.
With my bike shoes and helmet on, I felt like I was home again. I had few worries or concerns while I was out on my bike. It was awesome and it felt amazing to blow by so many people….. “On your left!” My only worry was a very small one, well a very LARGE one actually. A bus that I some-how kept catching up to every time he stopped, then it was motor past me and I’d catch him again. And I felt privileged to have ALL the traffic stopped at all the intersections. The small things make me happy.
The transition from Bike to Run went great. I realized during this transition that I may need different cycling shoes if I want to get out of them in any reasonable time. All I could think of was “bike shoes off, socks on, shoes on, water in hand, power bar in mouth… RUN RUN RUN!!!!” If I varied from this at all I knew something would go wrong. But all went well and started to jog out of the park. I got a little dizzy once I got out on the road and I started to walk a little bit. A literally a voice out of know where said “Run, KTJ Run!” I knew who this voice was coming from. Hearing that voice made me do everything in my power to not walk and I didn’t stop after that. I just kept going. At some points it was a very, very slow jog. But I wasn’t going to stop now!!!! The run felt pretty good, it went by a lot faster than I ever thought it would. Coming into the park, I saw my Mom. She jogged alongside of me for a few yards and that made my day. J I knew the finish line was just around the corner and I could hear the music, people yelling for everyone. It was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line to know I just finished my first of many triathlons. It was a wonderful experience to have finished it with so many wonderful people there willing to give so much support. Finishing this race was one of my most proud moments in being an athlete.

Swim T1 Bike T2 Run Finish
12.48 2:58 53:51 2:10 45:00 1:56.49