Day 173 -- Waterloo Triathlon
Since yesterday was not-so-sunny and in the low to mid-50s, we postponed our family's plans to go to Grand Haven. We had originally intended to take off first thing Saturday morning, spend the day at the beach, stay the night in a hotel that we bought with a Groupon, then hit the beach again on Sunday before heading home. I was bummed because I was really looking forward to the trip, but we'll still get to go later and not become human Popsicles at the beach. The fact that we were going to be around this weekend meant that I could participate in the Waterloo Triathlon, which was held at Portage Lake this morning. I have heard about this triathlon for years, but for some reason or another have never been able to actually do it. I almost wasn't able to do it today either. By the time I realized that it was an option, registration was closed. Fortunately, my husband was able to sweet talk one of the nice ladies at Elite Endeavors into giving me a late registration yesterday.
The triathlon was a great opportunity for me to see where I was in my training and to practice transitioning from swim to bike and from bike to run in a real race situation. It was a 1/2 mile swim, 16 mile bike, and 5 mile run. I was so nervous all morning until I hit the water. From that point on, I felt great., Lake temperature at Portage was 74 degrees, so that meant it was cold enough for us to legally wear our wetsuits, but not so cold that our teeth were chattering coming out from the water. I completed the swim feeling the strongest I have ever felt in the swim leg of a race, which I attribute to the fact that I have done an exponentially greater amount of swim training this season. The bike was a beautiful rolling course around Portage Lake, 16 miles in all, and I was kicking it the whole way. I was feeling good and ready to dominate the run, but I made myself hold back a bit the first couple of miles at least, so I would finish the race feeling strong. The run course was absolutely stunning through the back trails of the Waterloo recreation area. Hilly and rugged were not what I was expecting, but I love trail running so it was a fantastic surprise for me.
All in all, this was one of my favorite triathlons that I have done so far in my career, in part because of the course itself and in part because of the way I felt throughout it. That's saying a lot because I have been lucky enough to do some pretty amazing triathlons. I biked through Wilderness State Park and swam in the Mackinac Straits at the Mackinaw Multi-Sport Mix in Mackinaw City and ran around Cleveland Browns stadium and finished under the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in the Cleveland Triathlon. But, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the triathlon today because it was so enjoyable and because it gave me a boost of confidence that I needed to continue my training.
Oh, and did I mention that I placed first in my age group? I did! :) That was just icing on the cake!
Thank God for the Waterloo Triathlon!
Lord, thank you for a great experience at a beautiful race this morning. Thank you that I was able to go and participate and for the people who helped to make sure I could (like Colby and Rob and the staff at Elite Endeavors). Help me to take from this experience, learn from it, and apply what I have learned to future races. Thank you for giving me the physical abilities to do things like this because I love it so much. In your name I pray, Amen.
The triathlon was a great opportunity for me to see where I was in my training and to practice transitioning from swim to bike and from bike to run in a real race situation. It was a 1/2 mile swim, 16 mile bike, and 5 mile run. I was so nervous all morning until I hit the water. From that point on, I felt great., Lake temperature at Portage was 74 degrees, so that meant it was cold enough for us to legally wear our wetsuits, but not so cold that our teeth were chattering coming out from the water. I completed the swim feeling the strongest I have ever felt in the swim leg of a race, which I attribute to the fact that I have done an exponentially greater amount of swim training this season. The bike was a beautiful rolling course around Portage Lake, 16 miles in all, and I was kicking it the whole way. I was feeling good and ready to dominate the run, but I made myself hold back a bit the first couple of miles at least, so I would finish the race feeling strong. The run course was absolutely stunning through the back trails of the Waterloo recreation area. Hilly and rugged were not what I was expecting, but I love trail running so it was a fantastic surprise for me.
All in all, this was one of my favorite triathlons that I have done so far in my career, in part because of the course itself and in part because of the way I felt throughout it. That's saying a lot because I have been lucky enough to do some pretty amazing triathlons. I biked through Wilderness State Park and swam in the Mackinac Straits at the Mackinaw Multi-Sport Mix in Mackinaw City and ran around Cleveland Browns stadium and finished under the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in the Cleveland Triathlon. But, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in the triathlon today because it was so enjoyable and because it gave me a boost of confidence that I needed to continue my training.
Oh, and did I mention that I placed first in my age group? I did! :) That was just icing on the cake!
Thank God for the Waterloo Triathlon!
Lord, thank you for a great experience at a beautiful race this morning. Thank you that I was able to go and participate and for the people who helped to make sure I could (like Colby and Rob and the staff at Elite Endeavors). Help me to take from this experience, learn from it, and apply what I have learned to future races. Thank you for giving me the physical abilities to do things like this because I love it so much. In your name I pray, Amen.
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