The next morning was very cloudy and drizzly - perfect racing weather! I got my transition area set up, got all my body markings and my timing chip, and was ready to go. I couldn't wait to get the swim over with!
I knew the swim would be my biggest challenge. Since I do not enjoy swimming, I really didn't train at all for the mile-long swim in the Rappahannock. I took it slow - REALLY slow - and the tidal currents made the swimming tough. I got swept off-course at one point and really ate up some time getting back on-course. Here is my wave (all women - pink caps) waiting for our start...
Here I am coming out of the water after the swim...
I knew the bike route was notoriously challenging. In fact, one e-mail I received said, "The bike route builds character - LOTS of character." I was very nervous about it after driving the 26-mile route the night before. I was sure we had taken a wrong turn in the car because I thought there was no way it was humanly possible to climb some of these hills on a bike. But I ended up having great fun on the bike (as I almost always do).
The first half of the 6.2-mile run I felt pretty good. Then I crashed. I walked a lot the second half, but I was so proud just to finish the race.
Although it was pretty grueling, I am glad I did this race because I learned a lot about myself. I'm not sure if I'll do another Olympic distance triathlon (the Sprint distance ones are much more pleasant!), but I will definitely continue racing!
