I did it!
I am back from Chicago! I finished the triathlon with a time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 41 seconds. 4 minutes faster than my last race, which was amazing because the transition between the swim and bike was huge and I had to run at least a quarter mile with no shoes!
About 8000 people participated in the race, it is billed as the largest triathlon in the world. It was a great weekend, and I am so glad that I did it as a part of Team in Training.
The race began at 6 AM, which meant that I had to be up at 3 AM Sunday to get to the race site, set up my transition area and prepare for the swim. My wave started at 6:04 AM. (the race was divided into about 50 waves - some didn't start until 11 AM so I was glad to start early). It was still dark when the swim began. The swim was definitely my hardest event, I ended up doggy paddling the whole thing, but I had fun. Many people grabbed ahold of a safety rope and ended up pulling themselves along the lake rather than swimming - I probably would have been faster had I done that, but I wasn't about to take the easy way out. I swam the whole way (.5 mile). My parents were there the whole time yelling and cheering me on. It seemed like it took forever, but eventually I came to the end of the swim and the volunteers who were helping to pull us out of the water.
After the swim there was a run to the transition area to get ready for the bike. No shoes. Cement. Tender feet from the swim. It wasn't fun - but it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Probably because I saw a couple friends from work part way through. I got to the transition area, wet suit off, shoes on, helmet on - took off running with the bike to get to the area we were allowed to mount. As soon as I mounted the bike the chain started making awful noises but finally clicked into place. Unfortunatly, I think the noises were my gears because I tried shifting gears and I couldn't - the gear shift was broken and I had to ride in the same gear the entire race! Luckily it was on an ok gear, but it definitely freaked me out and I couldn't take advantage of switching gears. The bike was along lakeshore drive - it was pretty flat, except for an on ramp and a few small inclines. I ended up passing a number of people, which was a huge surprise to me. The bike seemed to fly by and before I knew it I was back to the transition area. Switched shoes and took off running. The run was pretty uneventful - the second mile took forever, the third mile was so quick I couldn't believe it when I was told the finish line was only a quarter mile away. I ran to the finish line - saw my dad there, saw friends from work and crossed it! My run time was only 15 seconds slower than my best 5K! It was so much fun!
My official times:
Swim: 31 Min. 39 Sec.
Transition 1: 5 Min. 35 Sec.
Bike: 54 Min. 41 Sec.
Transition 2: 4 Min. 0 Sec.
Run: 38 Min 45 Sec.
Total: 2 Hours 14 Min. 41 Sec.
Overall Rank: 1366 / 1718.
I will post some pictures soon!
About 8000 people participated in the race, it is billed as the largest triathlon in the world. It was a great weekend, and I am so glad that I did it as a part of Team in Training.
The race began at 6 AM, which meant that I had to be up at 3 AM Sunday to get to the race site, set up my transition area and prepare for the swim. My wave started at 6:04 AM. (the race was divided into about 50 waves - some didn't start until 11 AM so I was glad to start early). It was still dark when the swim began. The swim was definitely my hardest event, I ended up doggy paddling the whole thing, but I had fun. Many people grabbed ahold of a safety rope and ended up pulling themselves along the lake rather than swimming - I probably would have been faster had I done that, but I wasn't about to take the easy way out. I swam the whole way (.5 mile). My parents were there the whole time yelling and cheering me on. It seemed like it took forever, but eventually I came to the end of the swim and the volunteers who were helping to pull us out of the water.
After the swim there was a run to the transition area to get ready for the bike. No shoes. Cement. Tender feet from the swim. It wasn't fun - but it didn't take as long as I thought it would. Probably because I saw a couple friends from work part way through. I got to the transition area, wet suit off, shoes on, helmet on - took off running with the bike to get to the area we were allowed to mount. As soon as I mounted the bike the chain started making awful noises but finally clicked into place. Unfortunatly, I think the noises were my gears because I tried shifting gears and I couldn't - the gear shift was broken and I had to ride in the same gear the entire race! Luckily it was on an ok gear, but it definitely freaked me out and I couldn't take advantage of switching gears. The bike was along lakeshore drive - it was pretty flat, except for an on ramp and a few small inclines. I ended up passing a number of people, which was a huge surprise to me. The bike seemed to fly by and before I knew it I was back to the transition area. Switched shoes and took off running. The run was pretty uneventful - the second mile took forever, the third mile was so quick I couldn't believe it when I was told the finish line was only a quarter mile away. I ran to the finish line - saw my dad there, saw friends from work and crossed it! My run time was only 15 seconds slower than my best 5K! It was so much fun!
My official times:
Swim: 31 Min. 39 Sec.
Transition 1: 5 Min. 35 Sec.
Bike: 54 Min. 41 Sec.
Transition 2: 4 Min. 0 Sec.
Run: 38 Min 45 Sec.
Total: 2 Hours 14 Min. 41 Sec.
Overall Rank: 1366 / 1718.
I will post some pictures soon!
2 Comments:
At 9:36 AM ,
Kara said...
YAY!!!! I have been waiting anxiously for an update :) I am so proud of you and happy for you! Maybe we could do one together in the future....it definitely sounds amazing!!!
At 11:26 AM ,
Starfruit said...
Becky, that's awesome! I've also been waiting anxiously for your update. I'm so impressed. Congratulations!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home