We were racing in Martindale, Texas, an area just outside of San Marcos. We started off with a lake swim in some muddy water. Luckily, this time, the water was about 85 degrees, so it wasn't so shocking to jump in! I started towards the middle of the group and swam 300 meters in the lake. My time was 5:59 (which also included the short 30 second run from the lake back to the transition area), and I was the second person in my age group to finish the swim.
My transition time from swim to bike, which is improving, took only 2 minutes and 40 seconds!! Hopefully, I can get this going faster... We hopped on the bikes and started the 12 mile out and back. Within about 5 minutes of starting the biking portion, we had to go over a HUGE, steep hill. The rest of the course wasn't too bad; just gentle rolling hills. My time for the biking portion was 45:36, and I was the fifth person in my age group to finish the biking.
My last transition took only 41 seconds. It could have been faster, but I went back for my water bottle. It was so hot, and I was sweating profusely! I drank the entire thing on the 2.1 mile run, so I was glad to have it. The first half mile was extremely tough for me, as my legs were cramping pretty badly from the biking. (I guess I need to work more on going quickly from biking to running...) After about five minutes, my legs loosened up and I could go a little faster. I finished the run in 22:01, placing third in my age group for the run portion.
Overall, I placed fourth out of nine people in my age group!! The time difference between 3rd and 4th place was ONE second; between 2nd and 4th place was TWO seconds. I was SOOO close to being in the top three!! Pretty awesome! I almost got a medal!! (They only award the top three finishers.)
This event was really fun, too, because I had a cheering section at the transition area. My mom, dad, sister, Travis, and my friend Sarah came to watch and cheer me on! My friend Kristy also came and participated in the race with me. Her husband was there to cheer her on too! And, crazily enough, Travis ran into a friend from high school who was there cheering on her boyfriend as he raced. It's a small world! :-)
At the end of the race, the event organizers had a huge picnic set up under the shade of pecan trees along the river, so we all sat and enjoyed the food and shade while we waited for everyone to finish and the results to be posted. Then, we went tubing down the river again and had a great dinner at the Gristmill. Another fun and successful day!!
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