black ridge triathlon...

So, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I became addicted to triathlons this summer! I am by no means a pro, but I guess I am addicted to the idea of pushing myself, the feeling of adrenaline, and the pure sense of accomplishment I feel when crossing the finish line. I know it sounds lame, but I love it!

So right after I got home from the Women of Steel Triathlon I signed up for the Black Ridge Triathlon in Herriman. I was feeling great and ready for the next challenge so I thought the open water swim would be just what I was looking for. Boy was I in for a surprise! Let me just start out by saying, swimming in the open water is NOTHING like swimming in a pool! There are no clearly marked lanes, no crisply painted lines on the bottom of the pool, no walls to push off, no passing etiquette, nothing.

It is dark, you certainly can't see the bottom of the lake. The water tastes like fish. You get kicked, flicked, punched, and smacked...and that's if you don't end up alone, on the other side of the lake! It is SO disorienting...you have no idea what direction you are swimming in since your face is in the water, and you can't even see you own hands and feet under the water so you're pretty much just hoping you're going the right way...fun times right :)

Oh, and did I mention the water is freezing? One wouldn't need a wetsuit in July right? 65 degrees sounds warm?...Well it's not!

Such a pretty morning, it was almost race time and the sun was just coming up...and I was kinda still wondering why I was up :)

The sun is out and it's RACE TIME!

(notice I'm the only one with OUT a wet suit...they all thought I was CRAZY :)

nervous smile :)

Ok, I will admit it, although it sounds like a death sentence, it was the most fun of all 6 races I did this summer! I'll be honest though, I kinda wanted to cry right before we got in the water when the wind picked up, it was just barely getting light outside, and I sat there shivering waiting for my age group to be announced...I thought of my nice warm SAFE bed and wondered what the crap I was doing! But, by then it was too late...

ready, set, GO!

just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

And I made it!...And I didn't even end up on the opposite side of the lake, and no major injuries to report!

husting in T1, bring on the bike!...now if only I didn't have to finish the rest on the race with sand in between my toes :)

(this is one of cute Judd's out of focus photography efforts...at least he tried though. Him and the boys were cheering for me all morning, LOVE them!)

I can't seem to find the rest of the pictures from my run and my cute cheering section at the finish line, but when I do I will post them.

But, I finished!...and I did surprisingly better than I thought I would. I ended up finishing 7th overall in my age group, which I definitely didn't expect!

One thing I learned from this experience is to never let fear get in the way of accomplishing a goal. When I set the goal of doing my first triathlon in January I had never swam a lap in my life. I didn't even own a swim cap or a pair of goggles, I had a $100 mountain bike from Wal-Mart, and I could barely run a 5k. Honestly, I don't really know why I even thought I could do a triathlon, but I didn't give up, even when I wanted to. Even when I was discouraged and totally terrified of swimming in a freezing cold lake with a bunch or crazy people and no wet suit, I didn't give up...and to me that is the biggest accomplishment of all.

2011 was the year that I became obsessed with triathlons, but it was also the year that I learned more about myself than I had ever known before. There's just something so rewarding about pushing yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally farther than you ever thought you could that totally empowers you, and I guess that is what I am addicted to!