Day 264 -- Rev 3 Cedar Point Half
Today I crossed the finish line in under six hours at the Rev 3 Cedar Point Half Triathlon. It was a little sad, because it meant I didn't win the free Yakima Bike Rack they were promising to the person who had the closest guess to their finishing time. Great, because I was under by over 15 minutes!
It was a great day. The waters of Lake Erie were crisp and calm. I had the best swim I've ever had in a triathlon. I felt amazing coming out of the water. And I laughed like crazy when the "professional wetsuit strippers" made getting out of my wetsuit about a bagillion times easier than it normally is. This is actual footage from today's race:
The bike was a bit more difficult than I expected. What? Northern Ohio has hills? But, there was beautiful scenery along the lake and through some of the nature preserves. It got warm, but I was smart and drank my entire Camelbak of water, 2 full Gatorades, and another plastic bottle-worth of water during the course. I also managed to eat like a horse, which I think really made a difference in the way I felt on the run.
By transition 2, I was flying high. As I headed out on the run I heard "Hip Hop Hooray" blasting over the speakers and I had to do a little dance for the spectators and volunteers cheering me on.
And the run? Forget about it! I felt like I destroyed the run. I eased my way into it, but by about mile 5, I was passing people left and right. When I got to mile 10, I knew that I had enough left to really pick up the pace, so I finished strong. I was proud of the way that I ran it smart, just like I'm always telling my cross-country runners to do. They would have been proud of me. :)
Crossing the finish line was an emotional experience for a couple of reasons. First, being the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Rev 3 did an excellent job of recognizing and remembering during the race. As I approached the finish line, a volunteer gave me the choice of running in with a giant American flag. That was really neat. Then, to actually finish, to cross that line brought me feelings of joy that are hard to explain. All of the hard work; all of the hours away from the kids; all of the long training sessions squeezed in between other obligations or after an already-busy day; all of the falls off of my bike, the blisters on my feet, the toenails lost, the leeches from Lime Lake -- it all culminated in that moment, breezing past the finish line.
I am so thankful and so blessed. I am thankful for the physical ability to participate in triathlons. I am thankful that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and who definitely gave me strength today. I am thankful for the amazing volunteers who did everything from strip wetsuits to hand out water on the course, and point the way so we didn't get lost. I'm thankful for my mom and Bob, who watched the kids for us at our home so that I could do this with my husband there to cheer me on AND made spaghetti and meatballs so that we could have some when we got home. I'm thankful for my husband, who has supported me tirelessly, without fail every dang day of this whole adventure; who got up so early on a Saturday morning just to be there for me; who hung out all alone for almost six hours while I raced; who took pictures of me and immediately put together a video for me as soon as we got home; who even now is warming up dinner for me, getting me drinks, putting the kids to bed, and making lunches for tomorrow so that I can sit at the computer and do this.
I am so blessed, I already knew that. Today was almost too much. I feel on top of the world.
Thank God for the Rev 3 Cedar Point Half!
Lord, thank you for today. You have given me so far beyond what I deserve. Thank you for every blessed minute. In your name I pray, Amen.
It was a great day. The waters of Lake Erie were crisp and calm. I had the best swim I've ever had in a triathlon. I felt amazing coming out of the water. And I laughed like crazy when the "professional wetsuit strippers" made getting out of my wetsuit about a bagillion times easier than it normally is. This is actual footage from today's race:
The bike was a bit more difficult than I expected. What? Northern Ohio has hills? But, there was beautiful scenery along the lake and through some of the nature preserves. It got warm, but I was smart and drank my entire Camelbak of water, 2 full Gatorades, and another plastic bottle-worth of water during the course. I also managed to eat like a horse, which I think really made a difference in the way I felt on the run.
By transition 2, I was flying high. As I headed out on the run I heard "Hip Hop Hooray" blasting over the speakers and I had to do a little dance for the spectators and volunteers cheering me on.
And the run? Forget about it! I felt like I destroyed the run. I eased my way into it, but by about mile 5, I was passing people left and right. When I got to mile 10, I knew that I had enough left to really pick up the pace, so I finished strong. I was proud of the way that I ran it smart, just like I'm always telling my cross-country runners to do. They would have been proud of me. :)
Crossing the finish line was an emotional experience for a couple of reasons. First, being the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Rev 3 did an excellent job of recognizing and remembering during the race. As I approached the finish line, a volunteer gave me the choice of running in with a giant American flag. That was really neat. Then, to actually finish, to cross that line brought me feelings of joy that are hard to explain. All of the hard work; all of the hours away from the kids; all of the long training sessions squeezed in between other obligations or after an already-busy day; all of the falls off of my bike, the blisters on my feet, the toenails lost, the leeches from Lime Lake -- it all culminated in that moment, breezing past the finish line.
I am so thankful and so blessed. I am thankful for the physical ability to participate in triathlons. I am thankful that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and who definitely gave me strength today. I am thankful for the amazing volunteers who did everything from strip wetsuits to hand out water on the course, and point the way so we didn't get lost. I'm thankful for my mom and Bob, who watched the kids for us at our home so that I could do this with my husband there to cheer me on AND made spaghetti and meatballs so that we could have some when we got home. I'm thankful for my husband, who has supported me tirelessly, without fail every dang day of this whole adventure; who got up so early on a Saturday morning just to be there for me; who hung out all alone for almost six hours while I raced; who took pictures of me and immediately put together a video for me as soon as we got home; who even now is warming up dinner for me, getting me drinks, putting the kids to bed, and making lunches for tomorrow so that I can sit at the computer and do this.
I am so blessed, I already knew that. Today was almost too much. I feel on top of the world.
Thank God for the Rev 3 Cedar Point Half!
Lord, thank you for today. You have given me so far beyond what I deserve. Thank you for every blessed minute. In your name I pray, Amen.
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Esther Byler