My first triathlon was last September in the Seattle area. I wanted to see if triathlons were what I really wanted to do. I am already a runner and have been inspired by Sister Madona and her triathlon adventures. I did not have a wetsuit and barely knew how to swim. I took a lesson at a local high school (just one lesson) and had been doing laps for four weeks, one to two times a week prior to the triathlon. The swim was aweful! I dog paddled, breast stroke, and back stroked all the way. I saw my husband at the swim exit and all I keep thinking was "Just get to him". I made it and had a great time with my first biking in a race and the run was awesome. I was just so happy that I finished just under two hours. Since then I found a coach and a place to rent wetsuits for cheap and am doing a half Ironman in August! I'm hooked! Thanks.
Did an Aquabike sprint 2 years ago. The swim was in a fast moving river where we had to go 1/6 of a mile upstream then down. It was my first open water swim and my wife said at one point going up river I was in the same spot for more than 10 minutes swimming hard, but not moving. Took 40 minutes to get up river and then 10 minutes to get back down. Finished the race! Completed my 1st 70.3 two weeks ago and will be racing in NYC on August 7th in the US Paratriathlon Championships. I AM HOOKED ! For pics, please see my blog. http://teamcompmightyjy.blogspot.com/
My very first Triathlon was way back in July of 2007, and OMG what a sight it was, what an overwhelming feeling it was to be a part of such event. It all started a few months back while I was sitting on the hot tub over at the gym I used to go....Well one night I was watching the Master Swim class doing their thing and it hit me " I should learn how to swim well" so I approached the instructor and he just said " Sign up for a sprint Triathlon so you can have something to look forward to" That same night I went home and signed up for the NJ state Triathlon. I had 4 months to learn the basics of lake swimming, and also to sharpen my swimming skills so I joined the master's class. The day of the Tri came and I had probably the best time of my life and the scariest to say the least but I did it and I accomplished something no one in my family ever even dream of. Nowadays I'm still the same guy who has run 16 road races, done quite a few Tri's but I dedicate myself to help others onto the sport.
My first was the Foothills Feat mini sprint Triathlon in Littleton, CO. I wrote a post on it: http://bretstevens140point6.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/2011-foothills-feat-mini-sprint-triathlon/
I did my first triathlon on May 13th, 2006 in Mattoon, Illinois. I made the toughest decision of my then teenage life to give up playing team sports for my high school(s) and pursue the multisport lifestyle. So I upgraded my road bike, bought a sleeveless wetsuit on sale at my LBS, and signed up for a 500 yard swim, 13 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. My parents and I drove up and stayed the night before the race. I got to the race site in the morning and it was freezing! Well 53 degrees was pretty cold for May in this part of Illinois. It had been raining all morning and so I thought it'd be a good idea to use my trainer someone had given me to warm up on the bike before the race. I thought, they do it in the Tour de France right? Yeah I looked pretty silly! The water was actually warmer at about 58 degrees. The water was so cold for my first time in the open water, I couldn't keep my face down for almost all of the swim. I ran from the beach to the transition area for the bike and didn't put any socks or a long sleeve top on and rode as hard as I could. I was so numb I couldn't feel anything. I realized I was leading the only other girl in my age group who had been doing triathlons for a while. I got to the run and put on my shoes without socks (again), but managed to throw on an under armor shirt. My feet felt like I was running on pins and needles the entire time! The rain started again and I ended up getting passed by the girl and beat by a couple of minutes. I still finished under 60 minutes which was my goal. I proudly took that second place in my AG and a warm blanket in my parents' car post-race. Frozen or not, I was HOOKED! That same girl I raced against moved to Texas for college and then I did too. We went to school 1.5 hours apart and have raced against each other a few times again at the 70.3 distance. Now I am starting training for my first full Ironman triathlon in The Woodlands, TX that will take place six years after I first toed the start line of the "Mayhem Triathlon" in southern Illinois.
5 comments:
My first triathlon was last September in the Seattle area. I wanted to see if triathlons were what I really wanted to do. I am already a runner and have been inspired by Sister Madona and her triathlon adventures. I did not have a wetsuit and barely knew how to swim. I took a lesson at a local high school (just one lesson) and had been doing laps for four weeks, one to two times a week prior to the triathlon. The swim was aweful! I dog paddled, breast stroke, and back stroked all the way. I saw my husband at the swim exit and all I keep thinking was "Just get to him". I made it and had a great time with my first biking in a race and the run was awesome. I was just so happy that I finished just under two hours.
Since then I found a coach and a place to rent wetsuits for cheap and am doing a half Ironman in August! I'm hooked! Thanks.
Did an Aquabike sprint 2 years ago. The swim was in a fast moving river where we had to go 1/6 of a mile upstream then down. It was my first open water swim and my wife said at one point going up river I was in the same spot for more than 10 minutes swimming hard, but not moving. Took 40 minutes to get up river and then 10 minutes to get back down. Finished the race! Completed my 1st 70.3 two weeks ago and will be racing in NYC on August 7th in the US Paratriathlon Championships. I AM HOOKED ! For pics, please see my blog.
http://teamcompmightyjy.blogspot.com/
My very first Triathlon was way back in July of 2007, and OMG what a sight it was, what an overwhelming feeling it was to be a part of such event. It all started a few months back while I was sitting on the hot tub over at the gym I used to go....Well one night I was watching the Master Swim class doing their thing and it hit me " I should learn how to swim well" so I approached the instructor and he just said " Sign up for a sprint Triathlon so you can have something to look forward to" That same night I went home and signed up for the NJ state Triathlon. I had 4 months to learn the basics of lake swimming, and also to sharpen my swimming skills so I joined the master's class. The day of the Tri came and I had probably the best time of my life and the scariest to say the least but I did it and I accomplished something no one in my family ever even dream of. Nowadays I'm still the same guy who has run 16 road races, done quite a few Tri's but I dedicate myself to help others onto the sport.
My first was the Foothills Feat mini sprint Triathlon in Littleton, CO. I wrote a post on it:
http://bretstevens140point6.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/2011-foothills-feat-mini-sprint-triathlon/
I did my first triathlon on May 13th, 2006 in Mattoon, Illinois. I made the toughest decision of my then teenage life to give up playing team sports for my high school(s) and pursue the multisport lifestyle. So I upgraded my road bike, bought a sleeveless wetsuit on sale at my LBS, and signed up for a 500 yard swim, 13 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. My parents and I drove up and stayed the night before the race. I got to the race site in the morning and it was freezing! Well 53 degrees was pretty cold for May in this part of Illinois. It had been raining all morning and so I thought it'd be a good idea to use my trainer someone had given me to warm up on the bike before the race. I thought, they do it in the Tour de France right? Yeah I looked pretty silly! The water was actually warmer at about 58 degrees. The water was so cold for my first time in the open water, I couldn't keep my face down for almost all of the swim. I ran from the beach to the transition area for the bike and didn't put any socks or a long sleeve top on and rode as hard as I could. I was so numb I couldn't feel anything. I realized I was leading the only other girl in my age group who had been doing triathlons for a while. I got to the run and put on my shoes without socks (again), but managed to throw on an under armor shirt. My feet felt like I was running on pins and needles the entire time! The rain started again and I ended up getting passed by the girl and beat by a couple of minutes. I still finished under 60 minutes which was my goal. I proudly took that second place in my AG and a warm blanket in my parents' car post-race. Frozen or not, I was HOOKED! That same girl I raced against moved to Texas for college and then I did too. We went to school 1.5 hours apart and have raced against each other a few times again at the 70.3 distance. Now I am starting training for my first full Ironman triathlon in The Woodlands, TX that will take place six years after I first toed the start line of the "Mayhem Triathlon" in southern Illinois.
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