Camp Yuba Triathlon 2007
September 8, 2007

I am a triathlete! I say that with a strong sense of accomplishment. I completed my first triathlon in central Utah on September 8, 2007. It was an amazing experience! And, I'm excited for the next triathlon...not sure when that will be but I will be participating.

Through the blog entry I will try my best to provide just the right amount of detail so you're not falling asleep reading details such as, "...and then, I took my left shoe off..." I have created a video of pictures. The song, compliments of Megan, is one that I could play over and over...it gets me pumped.


To begin, let me tell you who was there to cheer me on. Dad and Megan were there to represent family. Sonia, Darla, and Jacques were there to represent my friends and colleagues. Sonia is the one to thank for the marvelous pictures. I cannot tell you how much it meant to have family and friends there to cheer me on. Their smiles, cheers, and just being there at each transition was truly what I needed to get me through to the end.

I had three goals going into this triathlon. In order: 1. Finish; 2. Don't come in last; 3. Finish in 2 hours or less. I met all goals: I finished in 2 hours flat and I didn't come in last.

Camp Yuba 2007 was at Yuba Lake in Levan, UT. Levan is the central most part of Utah. If you spell Levan backwards you get navel...navel being the somewhat center of a human body. Yuba Lake is beautiful and the weather the day of the event could not have been better. It was a bit chilly (48 degrees when I arrived) but as the sun come out it did get a bit warmer. The cooler temp made it nice for the athletes...I was plenty warm after the swim. When I arrived at the transition area the day of the race there were a few bikes already racked...all of them road bikes. Not knowing if I would want to do another triathlon after the first I did not invest in a road bike. I could fit the tires in the wooden bike racks so I fit it in between two of the racks. I also started to wonder if they would allow me to participate with a mountain bike. Soon after more mountain bikes started to show up so my fears were gone...at least about the bike.

15 minutes before the event started there was a pre-race meeting. Bullhorn guy went through each stage in detail and that is when the butterflies really started.

OK, now for the event...5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and their off.

The first event: a 1/2 mile swim. Buoys marked our path which created a triangle. As I walked down the boat ramp to the edge of the water I noticed the nail polish on my toes. For some reason it made me chuckle a bit that I had this bright red/pink nail polish on my toes as I was heading in to swim. The pack started and it was arms, legs, capped heads everywhere. I drank a lot of lake water for the first few minutes. Swimming in an open body of water is definitely different than swimming in a pool. I ended up swimming breast stroke and side stroke. Free style was pretty much out of the question if I wanted to stay afloat. Breast stroke is my strong stroke so I made pretty good time. Plus I used my arms more than my legs with the breast stroke saving leg energy for the bike and run.

Second event: 12.4 mile bike. The transition went well. I wore bike shorts for the swim and decided to just keep my swim top on as well. I am not one to parade around in skin tight clothing but in the heat of the moment/competition I didn't really care. Plus, it saved me some time. Shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on and I'm ready to go. The bike course was on a paved road and had only 2 short hills. Overall it was not bad. Because this was my first triathlon I was doing my best to pace myself so I would not wear out my legs so much that the run was awful. While on the bike course I was passed by riders and I passed riders but everyone was so friendly. We were all out there for mainly the same reason and doing what we could to encourage each other to pedal faster.

Third event: 3.1 mile run: This was hard. I must admit I walked some of the 3.1 miles. The run course was mostly on dirt trails which I was not used to. I trained on asphalt and treadmills...neither have uneven earth or holes that could twist an ankle. The last half mile was on asphalt so I really made headway from there to the end. I felt like I finished strong and I know I could have worked harder but my goal was to finish and finish I did. As I was nearing the finish line my months of training and the realization of what I was doing flooded over me. I nearly started to cry but took a deep breath instead and picked up my pace. I came around the last bend and on the right was Megan and Darla. Dad was on my left and I just couldn't contain my smile. Sonia was somewhere taking pictures.

Running across that finish line was so exhilarating. I DID IT! It is unlike anything I have ever done in my life.

A special thanks to all of you who put up with my endless chatter about my training and about this triathlon. Thank you for the support and sharing in my excitement. This is not my last triathlon so be prepared to hear more.

Lesson's learned:
1. Train harder
2. wet suit would have been nice
3. Road bike for the next tri
4. Take time to re-fuel between each stage
5. I need to get stronger and lighter (weigh less)
6. 2 towels for transition area