My goal for the first half of this year was to learn to swim well enough to complete a triathlon. If you know me, that’s a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) as water and I don’t usually mix.
I’ve yapped on and on about my struggles with swimming, Masters Swim, open water swim, you name it, I’ve shared it. So much anxiety.
Well triathlon day finally came. The day dawned wet. Very wet. Thunderstorms in the forecast on and off pretty much all day. Not to mention it was hot. With 90% humidity. No bueno. But I’m no stranger to tough conditions.
Caveman and I packed up Blanche the trusty road bike and settled in for the hour’s ride to Naperville, toward the blackest, most ominous skies. Joy.
If you thought gathering running gear was challenging, you ain’t seen nothin’. Triathlon takes a freaking village. Holy gear Batman. At the last minute I threw my mega raincoat on the pile too. I almost never use it but boy is it nice when it really rains.
I swear I am the extreme weather magnet.
Transition opened at 5am and since I was in one of the earliest waves (yay!) I wanted to be there to rack my bike, and we were. So was the pouring rain and crackling lightning.
The original plan was to rack my bike then go loll at Starbucks for an hour or so before doing a swim warmup. We quickly realized how foolish giving up our sweet parking spot would be, so we hunkered down in the downpour that never seemed to end. There’d be no pre-race coffee.
As the thunder rumbled, the race start was pushed back. The swim warmup was cancelled. No one was allowed near the water. Thoughts of having the swim cancelled danced in my head.
I made love to my Body Glide and squeezed into a wetsuit already sopping wet. Welcome to my world.
At 7am, we were ordered to clear transition and head to the beach. It was go time. I sucked it up, kissed the Caveman, maybe for the last time, and followed the wetsuit-clad flock, 2000 strong.
See me there right in the middle, pretending to know what I’m doing?
We stood in the mushy rain-soaked sand while it continued to pour as the waves started going off. I could see the Caveman front and center under an orange umbrella, watching like a hawk from the sidelines. As if he could save me.
The quarry is way more swimming pool than lake. The lake I did my open water swim in was all murky and green while this was all pretty and blue. There were even wide swim lanes! And they told us we could hold onto the lane lines as much as we wanted as long as we made forward progress!! So if I swam along the lane line, there’d be no reason to raise my head to sight. That became my strategy.
We went off. It was fine for awhile but I kept hitting the lady ahead of me with my hands. She was breast stroking. I grabbed the lane line for a sec and regrouped before resuming my freestyle.
We made 3 out and backs. The water grew shallow as we neared one end but halfway across it was 15 ft. deep, which I don’t have to tell you, freaked me out. I knew I’d have to settle down and get my shit together enough to handle the deep half.
My swim was pretty much a mashup of freestyle, sidestroke and backstroke. Not pretty, not the swim I had trained to do and it felt like freaking eternity but I kept going. There were “swim angels” on the course who stayed with those who were really freaked out. I totally expected one to show up for me but none did.
After 17 minutes that felt like 200 years, I emerged from the water. Alive. I wanted to leap into the arms of the emcee who stood at the swim exit but restrained myself and and settled for a high-5. I made my way through the sand, peeling off my wetsuit and heading to transition for the bike.
Because it was freaking pouring, I couldn’t lay out my gear in transition the way I’d have liked. Instead I wasted valuable time rummaging through my gear bag which I put inside a plastic garbage bag. I brought so many towels, which were essentially useless in this rain. I dried my feet in vain before putting on shoes for the bike.
I rarely ride my bike on so much as wet pavement so racing in a stinging, torrential rain storm was totally foreign to me. I’ve had my face rearranged in a bike accident before, that was NOT going to happen today. We were advised to slow down and be cautious because it was slippery and our brakes wouldn’t work as well. Joy. This was not going to be the day I’d shake and bake on the bike.
Crash-free was my goal. I wondered if Blanche’s chain oil would wash away, that’s how hard it rained. It was a blinding, splashing mess. I rode like an old lady and I’m fine with that, although I passed plenty of people. Live to ride another day. We did 2 loops totalling 13.something miles and I realized halfway through I forgot my GU. I was afraid to reach for my bottle but I finally did and got a quick drink but fueling wouldn’t be optimal for the run. C’est la vie.
When I dismounted the bike, I was home free. Just a tiny 5k remained. Of course the rain stopped now and it was a freaking steam bath for the run. My legs revolted as expected. Running off the bike is so hard for me, still. I wogged along making the best of it. I high fived kids, walked through the water stations and celebrated the fact that I didn’t drown or crash on the bike. By mile 2 my legs finally got with the program and I was able to pick it up. The finish was imminent. I wore no watch and there were no course clocks so I truly had no idea.
One final stretch across a stretch of really muddy grass and that was it. I am a triathlete!
Final words: This really is the perfect race for a first-time tri. As a newbie, I loved the super-supportive vibe and how kind all of the women and volunteers were to each other. It was fun to be in a wave with others in my age group. When you hit the half century mark, the field dwindles considerably, although there were 154 of us crazy ladies at Espirit de She. Yes, the conditions sucked but in an odd way that torrential rain bonded us closer together. I had no expectations for this race other than to finish and there were tons of things I could have done better (hello swim) but overall I am satisfied. It was a grueling and stressful but fun day.
What’s your BHAG for this year? Have you tried a tri?
I’m linking up with Jessica, Wendy and Lara for the Race Recap Linkup.
Congrats on the tri! Looks like challenging conditions! I was thinking I’d much rather have rain than hot sun for the run but looks like you were treated to both. That quarry looks like a nice place to swim!
I am so proud of you! That is a BHAG and you crushed it on a crazy crazy day! So glad that stuck with it despite it being a challenge. This does sound like the perfect beginner tri except maybe that it is in Napertucky!
Will you do another?!?
Hey there triathlete!!! You rock!
congrats!!!!! Wow, what a story! Impressive start and finish in those crappy conditions! I am proud to call you a friend! Would I try a tri- I am thinking not! LOL!
Congrats on a tough first tri. The weather conditions were unbelieveable.
WIll you do another?
Marcia, The Triathlete — Boom! Congrats for being so strong in nasty conditions. I love the finish pic!
So excited for you! You’re a rockstar and since you are a extreme weather magnet you’re totally used it! Congratulations!
Congrats on an amazing race, and battling that crazy weather!!! You’ve earned extra rock star status now!!!
You are so brave for going for it! Every time I read a triathlon review, I know more and more it’s something that I could never do! That is so very awesome that you even conquered it in those crazy rainy conditions! You are a triathlete! Of course, I need to ask…would you do it again? Are you now hooked? Congratulations again, you should be so proud of yourself!!
So proud of you, Marcia! Way to get it done. There is nothing more intimidating than riding in the rain–having the goal of not crashing was smart! It does sound like the perfect first-time race, too. Congrats!
Now…when’s the next one?
Congratulations!! Loved reading your recap. Go figure you’d have extreme weather during your race! I could only dream to do a triathlon (the swimming part scares me!). Hope you had a great celebration!
Way to go!!
My only triathlon-type e presence was a private one a friend put together. I’ve had a vague “someday” plan to do a real one, but it’s not something that calls to me. I don’t think k really have any BHAGs for this year…everything I have planned is the type of thing I’ve done before. Long-term goal is Tour Divide, a 2700 bike race from Banff to the US/Mexico border, but that’s still a few years away.
Awesome job to you!! I can only imagine how triumphant you felt, especially at the end of that swim! And I HATE riding my road bike in the rain.
Congratulations! And good to know that this is a good “first-timers” race–Maybe I’ll aim for it next year! Unless it is always Ragnar weekend, in which case, I’m already booked! Good thing you had on a wet suit for the torrential downpour. I think that Chicago has hit drowned rat status (aside from today, which is shockingly nice).
But many many congratulations on conquering your swim, not the easiest conditions, and becoming a triathlete!
Congratulations!! Oh my, what a tough day you had, but sometimes that does work to make every one “work together” more, be more encouraging. Hope that body glide held up and you could enjoy a nice hot shower after all that!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! I know how hard you’ve been working, especially for that swim, and am so amazed that you nailed it despite the crappy weather. You’re making me want to do a tri – eek! Now the big question is… would you do it again?!
You are still braver than me. That’s the ONE THING that is stopping me from doing a triathlon. After reading this, I need to put my big girl panties on and get it done! Great job!…My hair will not like this idea either…LOL! Nic
You are stylin’ that raincoat! Love your stories and sending you big congratulations! Awesome.
Whooo hoooo! So excited that you are now a triathlete. And under those terrible conditions?! You rocked it lady. I can’t imagine running after a bike, let alone that swim!! Totally an inspiration to me as you know that I feel the same way about swimming!
Amazing job!!! Im so glad it went well for you- although the weather sounds less than ideal. That must be such a great feeling to know you accomplished such a big goal!
Congrats triathlete! Way to rock the race!
You DID IT!!! Even with the weather conditions, it didn’t stop you! Congratulations!!!!!
You are fabulous! You confronted your demons head on and prevailed. Congratulations!
Yay, I knew you could do it, even in a storm! Many of the thoughts you had were those I have…especially the part where you’re hoping the swim is cancelled! I remember standing at the start of IronGirl one year in the thunder and rain thinking, “just cancel it already!” Of course, they didn’t.
Sounds like the perfect first tri, especially with the safety measures on the swim. Clearly, you did not need an angel because you knew what you were doing! All that training paid off!
So…when’s the next tri?!!!
Congratulations! What an amazing accomplishment. I’m someone who is just terrible at swimming and I find it so inspiring that you put in the work and completed this race.
I think that’s where I tried my first triathlon, too and it is a good location. We had the opposite problem – hot sun and no shade.
Congrats Marcia! Way to go and nice work in the yucky weather;)
As I always say – you are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What I do is nothing compared to you!!!!
Mad props to you Marcia! You did it!! Congrats 🙂
Congratulations! What an awesome accomplishment. From beginning to end, you gave your all and completed the race. Well deserved kudos! 🙂
I am so sorry that it poured rain. That really stinks, but I am so proud of you for sticking it out. WOOHOO!
The amount of credit I give you is through the roof!!! You definitely have some GUTS!!! Water terrifies me, so yeah, I certainly would NEVER do a Triathlon! ha ha!
Seriously – you kick some major butt!
Wow! Congratulations. You are fearless. You might say you are not a swimmer, but you are a triathlete! Thanks for linking up. Great recap!
Aww, so sorry you had to race in these conditions for your first tri. I would be hesitant to ride (and run) on wet roads too! Congrats though on giving it your all an finishing strong.
Aww, huge congrats! You did so well, and especially with the conditions! That is great they didn’t have to cancel the swim. And that you could use the lane dividers for sighting!
Awesome!!! Congrats on your first Tri and in crazy conditions too! I actually started swimming again, I actually did a lap without stopping. Baby steps for me but it’s a start. I think a tri is in my future! Way to go Triathlete!!!
Congratulations! Just think how much more you’ll enjoy the next one in better weather! Those wet conditions for the bike would have scared me for sure!
Congratulations on getting it done. I like the idea of separating the athletes out by age. So it was a sprint, with short distances? That actually sounds kind of doable, except for all that outfit and equipment changing, that must be hard! That and being out there with so many people.
I’m SOOO behind. CONGRATS!!! so proud of you!! I hit my BHAG with boston and honestly, the next one is planning a wedding :):)