Well, my first triathlon was the most exhilarating experience ever!! I LOVED every minute of it. I met up with Kelly Spangler right away at about 7:15 and she helped me with every step. I had never set up a transition or transitioned, so she was there showing me how to do it and explaining what I would do at T1 and T2. She is my triathlon guardian angel!!! I love her.
I was so nervous before the start that I was shaking, visibly shaking, involuntarily. It made me laugh. The first start I had ever seen was that morning. I just watched each start and it actually calmed me down to see it happen. Thankfully, I love the water and grew up swimming in the ocean, so the warm up you suggested was really good for me to do. Once the race started I had one moment where I thought I was crazy and couldn’t do it, but I got over that with a short session on my back and a little deep breathing and then I just decided to go for it and finished that mile in the middle of my group which was very encouraging to me. My biggest fear was coming out of the water last. Coming out was awesome b/c I saw my family first and then there you were cheering me on. THANK YOU! I loved being cheered onJ I loved wearing the RTB suit b/c so many people I had never met, just cheered me on. I felt like a champion b/c of all the encouragement and cheering. It was a fun feeling to have.
The bike was a little challenging b/c of the weather, so I didn’t go as fast as I would have liked, but I did the 24 miles in 1 ½ hours, so I was happy with that. I have only been on a handful of long bike rides, so my goal was to do it in 1 ½ hours. I did get lost trying to find my spot in the bike transition zone. Thankfully my friend had just gotten there and she yelled to direct me to my spot. I was surprised that my bottom hurt so MUCH when I got off the bike. Kelly thought maybe it was b/c I was so nervous with the rain and it being my first race ever. I really was not sure I could run once I got off the bike. I popped a couple of advil at T2 and I think that helped. There was a nice man there that heard me complaining and he said, “ don’t worry, you will use totally different muscles for the run.” That was really nice of him to say. The run was great b/c of the cold. I am not a good runner in hot weather. It was so fun to run through the crowd and have so many people cheering me on. I really did not know whether I could really complete an Olympic Distance
race until I crossed the finish line. The most fun part of the whole race was sprinting to the finish line and passing two gals on my way!
Anyway, I am thrilled to have my first triathlon experience behind me, but I do hope my high from it will linger for a while longer. What an amazing sport this is. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
Maria Rippo
I was so nervous before the start that I was shaking, visibly shaking, involuntarily. It made me laugh. The first start I had ever seen was that morning. I just watched each start and it actually calmed me down to see it happen. Thankfully, I love the water and grew up swimming in the ocean, so the warm up you suggested was really good for me to do. Once the race started I had one moment where I thought I was crazy and couldn’t do it, but I got over that with a short session on my back and a little deep breathing and then I just decided to go for it and finished that mile in the middle of my group which was very encouraging to me. My biggest fear was coming out of the water last. Coming out was awesome b/c I saw my family first and then there you were cheering me on. THANK YOU! I loved being cheered onJ I loved wearing the RTB suit b/c so many people I had never met, just cheered me on. I felt like a champion b/c of all the encouragement and cheering. It was a fun feeling to have.
The bike was a little challenging b/c of the weather, so I didn’t go as fast as I would have liked, but I did the 24 miles in 1 ½ hours, so I was happy with that. I have only been on a handful of long bike rides, so my goal was to do it in 1 ½ hours. I did get lost trying to find my spot in the bike transition zone. Thankfully my friend had just gotten there and she yelled to direct me to my spot. I was surprised that my bottom hurt so MUCH when I got off the bike. Kelly thought maybe it was b/c I was so nervous with the rain and it being my first race ever. I really was not sure I could run once I got off the bike. I popped a couple of advil at T2 and I think that helped. There was a nice man there that heard me complaining and he said, “ don’t worry, you will use totally different muscles for the run.” That was really nice of him to say. The run was great b/c of the cold. I am not a good runner in hot weather. It was so fun to run through the crowd and have so many people cheering me on. I really did not know whether I could really complete an Olympic Distance
race until I crossed the finish line. The most fun part of the whole race was sprinting to the finish line and passing two gals on my way!Anyway, I am thrilled to have my first triathlon experience behind me, but I do hope my high from it will linger for a while longer. What an amazing sport this is. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
Maria Rippo
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