This weekend, mom and I escaped to Galveston (kid-less!!) for the Lonestar Half Iron Triathlon. This was my second race of this distance and it is officially my most favorite race! I had such an incredible experience. I was able to conquer a big fear; the 1.2 mile swim was in the ocean! With all of the swimmers around me (kicking me in the jaw and gut) I was not afraid at all. But it was an experience. Although the water in the bay is quite calm, it is not as calm as a pool (duh) so when I would turn my head to breathe, I would get a mouth full of lovely Galveston Bay salt water, gross! Also, the waves were just high enough that I could not site my swim by following the shore line, so I weaved back and forth like crazy. I made it out of the water in 39 minutes, which is not bad considering how crooked I swam.
this is the dock that we walked out on for our deep-water start on the swim
all lined up ready to jump in! the water was 65 degrees, yea for wet suits!
We were sent out in 7 waves, 5 minutes apart. This is my wave (red caps, females 30-34). We jumped in, swam to the start bouys and waited for the ready, set, go!
headed toward the first turn. The people on the surf boards were out there to help direct us (me) when we went astray
made it! I was so elated to have completed that swim. big day for me.
The wind was a little bit of an issue on the bike, but Pete passed along some great advice about my wheels and I was able to average 19.2 mph over the 56 miles. The course was totally flat, so it was really fun to just cruise along the coastline listening to the waves crash on the shore. I was very blessed to have no flats or mechanical bike problems; there were a lot of people stranded on the side of the road with issues like that.
coming into the half way turn around on the bike
The race was held in Moody Gardens, which is absolutely beautiful. Our 13 mile run weaved all over the grounds of the gardens which allowed spectators to see us many times. There were bands set up playing live music and aid stations at every mile which made the run really great. When you are 4 hours into a race, it is so nice to be cheered on like that. I finished with an exciting 8:33 pace with a total run time of 1:51.
coming into the finish!
finished!
This is my friend, Denise, who did the race with Team in Training in honor of her dad. They raised over $700,000 for Leukemia research
3 comments:
You always amaze me! Congratulations on the big accomplishment!
Girl, I got hives just reading about your ocean swim. I have a serious amount of counseling to undergo before I can do anything but a pool swim. And 19.2 mph bike! That's awesome. I'm going to be emailing you (again) later on to ask for some advice.
YEA!! Way to go, Sara! I am so impressed by what you are doing...I'm not sure that I could do it, but it sure is fun to live vicariously through you.
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