I FINISHED!

Ok, so I met my #1 goal for my first triathlon...I finished! I am a little disappointed that I was unable to meet the #2 goal of running the entire run, but maybe next time. Just for the record, I was able to run most of the run (although I am certain I could have walked faster).

I am amazed at the camaraderie of all the athletes during the triathlon. It was awesome! Everyone cheered for everyone. It really made it a lot easier to keep going.

I am not going to make any excuses for my finish time (even though it was roughly 26 minutes slower than I was hoping for). However, if I were in the business of making excuses, in this case I would totally blame my bike and my goggles.

My trusty old goggles kept fogging up. Not a big deal because you cannot see anything anyway. But it did make it difficult to keep an eye on the orange thing in the water I was trying to swim to. I have already invested in a new pair of goggles. So no excuses on that one for next time.

Second, my bike is not made for triathlons! I have a hybrid commuter bike. It is a great little bike, but just could not handle the hills (or in my opinion MOUNTAINS) of Cumberland, MD. My chain popped off a total of three times. Every time I downshifted to go up a *mountain, it popped off. Finally, towards the last 4 miles I decided to just leave it in a high gear. It took too long to fix. The downside to leaving it in a high gear is that it was quite a work-out on my legs...the same ones I needed to use to run the 5K.

But like I said, I am not in the business of making excuses. I am in the business of helping politicians make excuses for broken campaign promises in the last election so that they can get re-elected. ;)

So with one triathlon under my belt, I am ready for my next one! I have already began a more intense training schedule and regimen. As of next week I am going to start a more intense (as in more nutritious) diet. Oh boy...not looking forward to that part.

My personal trainer, John, kicked my butt yesterday. Today I met with a different personal trainer, Dan, at the new gym I joined and he kicked my butt too! After I spent an hour with Dan, I went for an hour long swim. Not sure if that helped, or if it is a contributing factor in the pain/soreness I am currently experiencing. Meeting with John again tomorrow morning...

Have not edited the photos from the triathlon yet, but will post soon!