But then, life got a little crazy. Well, insanely crazy & we quickly realized we did not have the time to train like we needed. So we waited.
We waited until January 2011. We added the Pittsburgh Triathlon to our yearly list.
Then, our baby joined our lives in February. Then, we had a lot of trouble finding a cheap pool pass. Then, Joel worked crazy hours in the month of July. Then, I worked a lot. If you have ever trained for a long distance race, you know it takes a tremendous time commitment. The list goes on, but the result is the same: we did not train the way we knew we should have. Yet, we knew people run marathons without training, so we could complete a triathlon with little training, right?
July 31, 2011-Race Day
I woke up at 3 am feeling just awful on race morning. I knew a lot of it had to do with nerves, but I was literally almost panicking. I'm not one to panic. EVER. Even after a summer of "swimming", I still did not know how to swim. Panicking in a huge body of water + not really knowing how to swim can never be a good idea. Joel & I were in different start waves which meant we could not swim side by side. Swimming 1 mile is really far, especially out in the middle of a big river that I had never swam in before. All of our training had been in water that we could touch our little toesy's to the bottom.
I did the unthinkable when Joel's alarm went off at 5:15. I told him I was out of the swim. I think telling Joel that I was failing was the hardest part. We had chosen to do this race together and I was backing out. He accepted my swim race withdraw graciously and promised me he was not disappointed in me.
1 Mile Swim
Joel rocked the swim in 50 minutes. We knew this was our weakest area and hoped to finish the swim in an hour. I met him when he came out of the water to run to transition area to grab our bikes for round 2 of the triathlon.
25 Mile Bike
Pittsburgh's bike course consists of a 12.5 mile bike course in the HOV lanes of a major interstate that the International Triathlon participants loop twice. 6 of those miles are a steady uphill climb. This is a Pittsburgh hill which means it's steep for a girl like me. It was not easy. This was the part of the race where we laughed. Laughed at everyone's $2,000 road bikes and our $30 Wal-mart mountain bikes. We laughed at the fact that everyone around us was 3X's our age. It was a little funny, but we held strong, stayed with each other, & kept reminding ourselves this race was not about our place, but rather the journey that brought us here. Some people choose the Cheesecake factory for a date, Joel & I choose a triathlon.
6 Mile Run
We placed our bikes into the transition area and headed off onto our run. If you've never tried running after a 25 mile bike ride, you should try it. Your legs ache. It's not fun. Everything inside of you is telling you to just stop. I ran the first 1.5 miles, then let Joel run ahead. He ran the middle 1.5 without me and then we ran the final 1.5 miles together, crossing the finish line holding hands.
We met up with Joel's parents & our son and enjoyed a few snacks in the hot sun before heading home. We enjoyed a lunch of Chinese food, then I headed to the pool to complete my 1 mile swim in the afternoon.
Recovery was MUCH faster than recovery from the marathon!! Joel's parents stayed with us and did a fabulous job of caring for our little man all day. He loved all of the extra attention from the grandparents.
I didn't reach my goal. Honestly, I feel ok about it. I have zero plans for trying again in the future. Joel and I made a lot of memories this summer and that was the plan all along. We love taking part in activities together and this is one goal we will probably laugh about for years to come.
Next year I plan to cheer Joel on at whatever race he chooses. I'll be his biggest fan before, during, & after training, but for myself, I plan to take the summer off from any crazy races. Joel on the other hand continues talking about 1/2 an iron-man...
I did the unthinkable when Joel's alarm went off at 5:15. I told him I was out of the swim. I think telling Joel that I was failing was the hardest part. We had chosen to do this race together and I was backing out. He accepted my swim race withdraw graciously and promised me he was not disappointed in me.
1 Mile Swim
Joel rocked the swim in 50 minutes. We knew this was our weakest area and hoped to finish the swim in an hour. I met him when he came out of the water to run to transition area to grab our bikes for round 2 of the triathlon.
25 Mile Bike
Pittsburgh's bike course consists of a 12.5 mile bike course in the HOV lanes of a major interstate that the International Triathlon participants loop twice. 6 of those miles are a steady uphill climb. This is a Pittsburgh hill which means it's steep for a girl like me. It was not easy. This was the part of the race where we laughed. Laughed at everyone's $2,000 road bikes and our $30 Wal-mart mountain bikes. We laughed at the fact that everyone around us was 3X's our age. It was a little funny, but we held strong, stayed with each other, & kept reminding ourselves this race was not about our place, but rather the journey that brought us here. Some people choose the Cheesecake factory for a date, Joel & I choose a triathlon.
6 Mile Run
We placed our bikes into the transition area and headed off onto our run. If you've never tried running after a 25 mile bike ride, you should try it. Your legs ache. It's not fun. Everything inside of you is telling you to just stop. I ran the first 1.5 miles, then let Joel run ahead. He ran the middle 1.5 without me and then we ran the final 1.5 miles together, crossing the finish line holding hands.
Recovery was MUCH faster than recovery from the marathon!! Joel's parents stayed with us and did a fabulous job of caring for our little man all day. He loved all of the extra attention from the grandparents.
I didn't reach my goal. Honestly, I feel ok about it. I have zero plans for trying again in the future. Joel and I made a lot of memories this summer and that was the plan all along. We love taking part in activities together and this is one goal we will probably laugh about for years to come.
Next year I plan to cheer Joel on at whatever race he chooses. I'll be his biggest fan before, during, & after training, but for myself, I plan to take the summer off from any crazy races. Joel on the other hand continues talking about 1/2 an iron-man...
3 comments:
I love the picture of you and Joel! I think you did great Amy. And I just read your post on Zachary's birthday and it almost made me cry. Because I remember calling you this same week last year and we were both miserable in our new homes. And we laughed and cried together about your horrible Pittsburgh grocery shopping experience and police officer run in. God can change a lot of things in a year. Love you friend and I'm happy for where God has you right now with your little family.
love the picture of you two running hand-in-hand, huge smiles on your faces!! Such a great example of your marriage!! Congratulations on tackling a huge goal! Nothing attempted, nothing gained - and it sure sounds like you gained! well done!
I'm remembering the three mile long hockey runs in the blazing August heat...and the fact that I haven't run more than a fifty yard dash since then...:) Well done!
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