May 5, 2013

Today is definitely one of my top athletic days!

My morning started at 9am getting body marked for my first triathlon!  My good friend Heather asked me to run a relay in the Wildflower Tri, to which I was like of course; and then after was like what was I thinking? But then it all came together this morning, when I was getting my number marked on my hand…but before I tell you all about my AMAZING day, let’s step back a day…

I said yes without even knowing anything abut the race…So yesterday I learned it was about a 3 hour drive south and then you drive on to a village of tents..with hundreds of sporty spices with bikes and wet suits walking around…what was I doing here? I don’t have the right, I am no athlete…The day was hot, really hot…so I was hydrating anticipating heat today (sunday)..but that didn’t happen.  I woke really early this am to a cold fifty degrees…wow what happened…

I got dressed and headed down with the rest of the athletes, cold, concerned and still questioning my right to be with all these triathletes.  We had quite a wait since my relay partner couldn’t start swimming until 10:50 am and we waited and I was cold, very very cold…at one point i couldn’t feel my fingers or toes and according to my calculations I wouldn’t start to run until at least 1pm….But as I waited I saw the guy with 1 leg, the girl with 1 arm emerge from the swim and thought to myself, why can’t I do a tri one day?  Balance issues? These athletes are lacking a limb and they are going for it, why can’t I?  So finally my friend Heather jumps in and starts her swim, she gets it done and she hands the chip to Chad and he bikes…then around 1ish he returns and Heather slips the chip on my ankle…and I am off…but before I do, I say Heather I should be done in and hour and  a half…so i’ll see you at the finish!

Slow and steady I tell myself…everyone told me, this course is hard…set of rolling hills, so I I start off slow but strong, not stopping but just slowing down when I need to catch a breath.  You aren’t allowed to use headphones, so listening to my own breath rattled my run…then came the hill…the one everyone told me to walk…and I did and for a second I thought, I can’t do this…then I saw a sign “endurance” and I realized I have endurance….keep on going…

So I did, then at marker 6K my right foot really started paining and as I started to listen to my own thoughts, this woman runs by me and whispers…”don’t give up girl, you have this”..and I respond heck yeah…and I just start to run, pain and all.  I realized I had others relying on me, not only on the course but in my handicapped world in general…People reading this blog, who smile when they read it or get inspired and lace up to be their own athlete…so the jets kicked in and I attacked the last mile down hill…Right before I see the finish line, I inevitably cramp up, but who cares I tell myself, run through it you are almost there….

So how does this story end, I ran quicker than 1:30, ran a 12:50 pace, so awesome for me…and I am on my way to being a triathlete…I realized I won’t come in last in a race and finally realized somewhere on the course today, I AM AN ATHLETE!