Jamie at Rex in August - revisited.

Over a year ago I did my first triathlon. I was excited to do the same triathlon again in 2010 - good benchmark and get me into gear to train.

But the race was sold out by the time I registered.

So, I immediately signed up for another triathlon on August 22nd (Rex Wellness).
Which I promptly forgot about.

I mean, it didn't totally slip my mind but I wasn't really in any sort of training mode. It felt like I just kinda showed up for this triathlon - nice and low key - an intense workout. My times definitely reflected my lack of training but I am all pumped up now (a little late in the season, admittedly) to do another one. Or two. Ideally a tri that doesn't involve a lake. I've been scared out of the idea of swimming in most lakes in NC thanks to a dead man found in a lake that was the swim site for a tri.

Making friends with the folks in my swim line before the start. Swimming is my strongest leg but I was closer to the front than I expected (#57!) and the women behind me seemed really hard core which made me a little nervous.
Perhaps that's why my hand is over my mouth.
Or I'm just yawning from the 4:15 am wake up.
And I'm off
And I'm outAs suspected, the women behind me were hard core. They both passed me(so much for my friendliness earlier) but my swim rank was 30 overall women and 5 in my aged, I mean, age group.

T1 time for my first triathlon was longer than my swim time. I went from a total wardrobe change to "one outfit fits all sports" tri suit and it makes a difference (though nobody looks good in a tri suit and looking at these pictures raises questions about vanity versus performance).

And I'm off. Again.
Hands down, my run finish was the best part. For starters, I did it with my eyes closed wearing a hard core face.
For seconders, the video below demonstrates how far a little bit of competition can push me to dig a little deeper. Watch how my pace increases when I realize someone is coming up behind me.Catch me if you can.