Goalus Terminus
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: we are the champions
Topic: On the way to Triathlon
ok, I did it. AND LOVED IT. It was harder then I thought but so much fun. It sucked but it was great. Hard to explain.

The goal:
The goal was to 1. not drown 2. finish the race.
I was not worried about transition time.

The Results:
50:37 overall time.
37 out of 87 in age group 20-29
237 out of 425 total?
bib 8170

http://www.chicagotriathlon.com/act/results.htm


The check-in:
It definitely paid off to get to the checkin and get everything out of the way the day before. I was definitely freaking out there. When I got marked for the race, I was like, wow I'm gonna do it. I was so scared! I got to talk to some pros and felt better afterwards. Also picked up a pair of quick-dry shorts that wisk away sweat, and a headband. Sweet. Nice and coordinated with my other running gear. Need new shoes badly.


The race:

the swim:
water was 68 degrees, we were told. with pockets of 63. It felt, despite the wetsuit, like it was 63, with pockets of 60.

we didn't actually swim much. it was mostly running, because it was really shallow - 5' at the deepest point. I did get a few storkes in. Oh yeah, there were waves. (I felt soooo stupid - I felt like I was just getting wet for show. Even so, the swim kicked my butt need to work on that a lot more)

Met Holly during the swim start, and now I have someone to train with for the NEXT tri.

Learned that for the big tri, you have to jump into the water from the pier. ouch.

Wet Suit worked out great.

I was in wave 4.

Race was delayed by 30 minutes due to weather.

Transition:
I had the wet suit half off and the swim hat and ear things out by the time I reached the bike. Took my time with shoes and socks and wiping down. Had number pinned already to the clothes. Put on gloves. Put helmet on backwards. oops. Obviously, some things to improve on. Oh yeah, when I left the house in the morning, I forgot my bike labels and swim cap. Next time must double and triple check all gear.

Bike Ride:
OUCH did this suck. Then endophins kicked in and it was fine. First loop was definitely the hardest. I think I did really well on the ride. Too bad can't get split times, but working on it. Can't balance well on the bike. But the bike is great. not really the right size for me, but it's great anyway. I got no higher then like 3rd gear and I was going almost as fast as the people with the very fancy bikes. I think I did best on the bike. Mostly passing and not really being passed but by about 10 people that had ALL the gear and the elbow rests and all. I think you don't need all that fancy stuff, but I'm going to try to get cleat pedals or at least the hoop thingy so that you can use both the up and the down motion. Dang the hamstrings hurt afterwards! Also, I was like talking to myself during the bike part. It was like this "Push Push Push Push Push Push" the whole time. Pain is good.

The Run
Running back to transition with the bike was weird. Legs were definitely like sphaggetti. This never happened in practice, but I knew this would happen and I knew that you just keep moving and it'll go away. It was a surreal feeling. Got to transition and bolted out of the gates. Next time must check for run start area in advance, lost about 15 seconds looking for it, at least. Maybe more. Ran slowly at first, but kicked it up past the half mark, because it didn't matter at this point. Started sprinting too late. Really should figure out to start sprinting about a half a mile away. Definitely the longest 1.5 miles I've ever ran, but then runners high kicked in at about 1K. I was running and thinking - wow I'm almost done with my first triathlon! I did it I did it! I was so happy. Not to tears but very happy.

The Kids Race

Wow it was fun to watch the kids, they were great! Some were so good. Others would come running in only one shoe, or no shoes. Or their jersey was on with the head through the armpit hole. So funny. Their facial expressions were great. There were two twin girls, about 8, blonde with matching outfits that ran into finish holding hands. Too cute! There was a little boy that came running past the finish gates and his daddy grabbed him and put him on the right side of them, the kid never stopped moving his legs through it. There was a child with a shirt that said "i love the smell of chlorine in the morning." This was great. Next year I want Anna to be in it, she'll love it, and dominate.

the aftermath
Immediately upon getting home I was looking for the next race.

Priya's surprise
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: One World Reggae
The one thing Priya always wanted is to go to a reggae show. Chris and Addie picked a restaurant in Naperville that we decorated with a giant palm tree that was Gina's height and had coconuts that intimidated Chris. Hal, Bill'n'Kristen, Jen, Reed, Nao, Marita, and Liz were also in attendance. Priya wore the Reggae hat with hair that I got and loved it. The party was great, Priya was genuinely surprized. Liz got hit in the eye with silly string. Food was great. Afterwards we went to Wild Hare and took in some great reggae. I was hacking up a storm cuz I was still sick.

nemo's paws
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: pets
This is what Nemo does when I'm in my bedroom with the door locked. He tries to open the door and then lays there with his paws under the door so that at least a part of him is in the room....

grand rapids
Topic: Joblog
had a great interview in grand rapids. the drive was painful.

metallica
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: unforgiven
saw metallica at allstate with Addie. show rocked.

tire bang
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: On the road
Yuck. Tire blew up on expressway. Had to go get new tires, and still need to replace the hubcap.

race
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: On the way to Triathlon
woke up early, hit spin class, ran a mile, did weights and stomach, and hit the pool for an hour. Ready or not, the real race is Saturday.

arthur macarthur
Topic: Joblog
i had a job interview today for JG here in chicago. The recritier things I'm a better fit for a different position for the company. The recruiter also told me a great story about his son's name. His wife is phillippina and so his son is half irish half phillippine. Dad's a big Civil war buff and I learned something new about the battle for Chattannooga. General Arthur McArthur, father of Douglass McArthur, is the one that said "I am Wisconsin", which is now the theme of UW anthem. Anyway, the recruiter thought this would be a fitting middle name for his son. After all, Douglass and Arthur both played a major role in the Phillippine campaign in the city where his wife is from. MacArthur. Great story.

Tuesday Night
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Friends
Reed Jen and I went to our usual Tuesday night gathering. This time it was Jen's pick, and a very good one at that, Cafe Matou. A bit pricy but delicious. Great chocolate beer and champaigne. We had desert there, but then we went to margie's for candy for desert #2, and Marche for dessert #3 because I thought they'd have the cherry soup but it's seasonal. Overall a great time. Next week, we go to some italian place Reed suggested, followed by very Green Mill.

Fynn
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: happy b-day
Topic: Friends
my unkle Dmitri's b-day. Also a B-day for Jackie'n'Dan's firstborn "Fynn was born on Monday, Aug 23 at 10:07pm. He came into the world weighing
6 lbs 9.5 ozs and was 19.5 inches long" Mom and kid doing well.