I DID IT!!!!

Wow!! I can’t believe it! I actually did it. I finished the race. I was praying pretty much the whole time, but I finished. My unofficial time is 1:39:50. It was the most intense thing I have ever done. Also, the hardest thing I have ever done. It was all worth it though and I’m hooked. I’ve already started searching for other triathlons. Now, I just need to get a bike of my own now. I think I’ll rest up this week and start over again on training.

The scariest part of the race was the beginning: the swim. One guy said it best when he said, “It’s like swimming in a washing machine.” I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it. People were running into me, I was running into them, and it was crazy! Once I finished, I was a lot more wore out than I thought I would be…and I still had to bike 14 miles and run 3.2!

The bike was fairly easy…compared the rest of the race. I was able to rest up a little and get my breath back. I got passed a lot, but also passed a few people myself. Mostly on the downhill. That was the only time that being fat helped me out…I go a little further and faster with the help of gravity. Once I got to the transitition point out of the bike, I thought I was gonna fall over!

The run was the hardest part. I came out of the transitition and one guy that was running beside me said, “Hey, only 3 more mile to run, and we’re done.” I was thinking, “ONLY!?!?!” It was the toughest run I have ever done, but I ran the whole way. I kept telling myself, “Just keep running. Don’t stop. You can do it.” That combined with a lot of prayer. I have never been so happy to see the end of something as I was to see the finish line. When I came to the last stretch, I heard Amy and some friends calling my name and telling me to push it out and finish strong. So I reached down and pulled everything I had left and ran for the finish line. It was awesome.
I can truly say that God got me through this race, because there is no way I could have finished it on my own. I almost started crying when Amy and I were packing up and going to the truck. I can’t believe that I made it. It was awesome being able to set a goal and then attain it. I am now a triathlete!