One of the first ever blog posts I published on this website in 2017 had some “fun facts” about me. I’ll be honest here, I don’t know what they all are, but without referencing that blog post I know one fact still stands true. That is – I am most proud of my athletic accomplishments above all else.
I can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but perhaps it’s a deep sense of pride somewhere. My spirit oozes gratefulness to my physical body for pushing itself to do things it was not born to do.
While I can’t recall exactly which of us, me or Jeff, initiated the triathlon conversation, it was ultimately his goal to finish the race. As for me, I completed my first tri 11 years ago and I was just happy being able to prepare alongside Jeff for his first.
Day Before the Race
It was news to my ears that a cold front was coming into DFW. If you don’t know me, let me tell you that weather below 80° is my kryptonite. With this new information, I sorted through a box of clothes I planned to donate and found some old sweatpants and jacket *just in case* I needed them.
The bike rack had already been set up on my vehicle, which was moderately difficult to put on in the first place. I might compare it to setting up some ikea furniture. The hard part of set up was over with and mounting the bikes was a breeze.
A one hour drive later I arrived to the suburbs of Fort Worth to check into the hotel. The area was unfamiliar and there weren’t many dinner options close by so Fuzzy’s Taco it was! It was gross! Haha I wish there were a better way to put it but I wouldn’t feed that to my dog.
The hotel was a 5 minute drive to the race site and the parking lot closed at 6:45am. Working time backwards to leave room for getting dressed, breakfast, etc. meant a 9:00pm bedtime. I didn’t think I’d fall asleep so early but I did!
Race Day
My alarm went off 5:30am. I had breakfast at 6:00am. Made it to the race site by 6:25am. I laid out my shoes, towel, race bib belt all next to my bike and was kicked out of the transition area at 6:50am.
All triathletes of both the Olympic and sprint distances (I was in the sprint group) were herded towards the water for the 7:00am start of the Olympic swimmers. Swimmers were then lined up to get in the water one at a time. It was extremely inefficient and if there were ~300 triathletes and each person had 10 seconds before the previous person jumped in, it meant people were done well before others had even started.
Imagine all of these triathletes in their wetsuits or triathlon suits standing in a single line in 60° weather. People were barefoot, nearly naked, and shivering! Including me, even though I had sweats on. Luckily Jeff’s parents were with us and I was able to hand my clothes off to them. For reference of how long this took, the race started at 7:00am, I was in the middle of the line and didn’t get in the water until 8:07am.
The air temperature was cold but I felt immediate relief when I dove into the warm water. This was only my second open water swim ever with my last one when I did my first tri race, and I forgot how chaotic it could be. In a pool I can go 4-6 strokes before taking a breath, but to keep sight of the buoy and not veer off course I took a breath after every stroke. It slowed me down some and my final swim time was 9:11 where I finished this leg of the race in the top 15% between men and women. I was so proud!!!
After I made my exit from the water I noticed Jeff was still in line to get in. I got back into my sweats and went over to give him a pep talk. I told him the water was warm, not choppy at all, and most importantly, we prepared for this! I got to see him jump in and finish his swim, which was a PR by a couple minutes at least. The water wasn’t as good to him as it was to me and Jeff felt a little nauseous for some of what was left of the race.
From there on out we stuck together and took it easy. We had breaks where we paused on our bikes and let people go ahead of us. Then on our run we took walking breaks as needed to relive ourselves of the occasional leg cramp or side stitch.
Finally, we crossed the finish line! What an accomplishment! Even though I always wanted to do another triathlon after my first one years ago, I never thought I would do it again. The idea of this race wouldn’t have crossed my mind without Jeff, and I know the “gym bro” in him wouldn’t have committed to so much cardio in one day. To say I’m proud of both of us is an understatement!
What Comes Next
Preparation for the race started in March. We are now at the end of May! Since then I have had 5-6 runs, 2-3 swims, and one bike ride per week. I never stopped going to Orangetheory so I’ve just been doubling up on workouts. I am so tired and ready for a break!
A resolution of mine for the year was to do more yoga. Instead of triathlon training on Sundays I’ll be switching it out for a powerful flow class and a few beginner ones to get Jeff acclimated. There are no triathlons in the near future, but I have my eyes on a turkey trot in the fall!
I appreciate all of the well wishes on Instagram. Your support means so much!
XO,
Vivian