Family Jensen

Sunday, August 7, 2011

The morning of....THE TRIATHLON!!

We were up at 4 am to head to Cherry Creek State Park.  We were to arrive 2 hours before your start time.  Mom's start time was 7:12.  We had to park our car a mile away and walk into the park.     

Sunrise is the perfect time for a photo shoot! 

We found our "wave transition area" and left our bikes and gear.  We then walked around to all of the start and finish areas.  I was blown away by how far it was from the swim finish to our bikes...then to the bike start...from the bike finish back to the transition area...and then it was a ways from our transition area to the run START!  We ran a lot in between events even before we got to the run start....crazy, I tell you!

So, I thought I was prepared for the swim.  I tried to swim a couple times a week.  I swam laps in a pool~never in open water w/ 125 other women.  Take a close look at this picture.  We had to swim to the second buoy on the left hand side (the first one is being moved over and the second one is a small speck).  Then turn right to the next buoy (also a small speck in the picture), then right again and back to the shore.  Sounds easy, right?!?

Here is one of the many rows of "transition areas."  Look at all of those bikes!  

Mom at her transition area.  Some people brought balloons to mark where their spot was...not mom, she just used the sign!  : )

Mom was in wave 5.  Mandy and I participated in the "Buddies" category so we were in wave 22.  We wanted to try to race together (if possible) and this category allowed us to do that--I am 8 years older, so age categories would have split us up.  Here we are by our transition area. 

The triathlon was very organized.  Waves of 125 women left the swim start every 4 minutes!  The elite athletes went first, then cancer survivors, then the competitive wave, then age groups-oldest to youngest, then teams of 3 (each doing one leg of the tri), THEN buddies.  Yes, we were the last ones to go.  Some of the elite athletes were finishing the whole triathlon before we even started to swim.  Each wave had a different color of swim cap.  Before the swim, you would wait in the "cattle shoot" until it was your turn to get in the water.  

Swimmers waiting:  

My mom raced in the 60-64 year old wave.  She did awesome!  She was pretty pumped walking down for the swim.  She had the fastest swim time between the 3 of us!!!!  Mandy and I thought it was quite funny that her age group had silver caps!!!   

Ahhh, the swim.  Mandy describes it as "feeding the fish at Pizza Hut...you know, when they all flop on top of each other trying to get the bread you threw in."  I was not prepared for the craziness.  We were herded down to the dock and realized we were totally blocked in.   Women on all sides, in front and in back.  We literally swam over people to get going.  I would not call what I did up to the first buoy as "swimming," it was more "surviving."  It was not until I reached the 2nd buoy and turned right that I knew I could make it.  I did not end up using the freestyle stroke like I had planned~it was way too choppy and I couldn't get in a rhythm.  At the beginning I did side-stroke(!?!?) b/c it relaxed me and I could see where I was going/who I was hitting.  I ended up doing breaststroke for most of the time. Mandy beat me out of the water by 45 seconds.  She did the Elementary Backstroke most of the time (insert me dying laughing)...how she beat me, I don't know...but it makes for a funny story!!!

Click on the picture & see if you can see the splashes (I mean, women) swimming.  My mom is in there some where!  

Mandy and I started a whole hour after our mom.  Here we are before heading down to the swim start.

So Mandy beat me out of the water and was kind enough to wait 45 seconds at our transition area so we could bike together.  Mandy had borrowed bikes for mom and me.  Long story short, she got a roadbike for me with clips and shoes (which I had never used before).  I freaked out a little.  I sucked it up and figured it out.  Turns out, it was a super fast bike and I LOVED riding it!  We were flying and passing women left and right.  Mandy finished right behind me on the bike.  Then we had to get off and run our bikes back to our transition area.  I couldn't run very fast in my bike/clip shoes...so Mandy passed me.  I am behind her in this picture.  I love how excited she is here.  

My mom is already done with her triathlon and taking these pictures. Here we are putting our bikes up and getting running shoes on.  

Off we go to the "Run Start."  Yes, we are running.  No, the run part has not started yet.  We had to run to the end of this street, then turn left and go up a hill to the start.  Most of the bikes are gone in the picture b/c they are still on the biking part of the race.  We finished 11th & 12th out of 391 women racing in the buddies category.  

Here is the run start!  Mandy & I ran close together most of the race.  The last 50 yards she kicked it in and beat me.  My knees would not have been very happy if I would have tried to keep up with her.  It was so memorable to watch her finish and then finish a few seconds behind her.

Happy to be done!  It was an amazing triathlon.  I hope to do more.  I especially hope I am fit enough when I am 60 to finish one with Anabel.  

I am so thankful for everyone who helped out so we could do it.  Thanks Mandy for challenging us with the race.  I am proud to say I finished a triathlon with my mom and my sister!!!