I bet you'd never guess that I was itching to race after having Desmond. Being able to train without a huge belly hanging off me was glorious and I was ready to test my abilities.
My first triathlon post-baby was March 31, 2012. It was the Xterra off-road triathlon in San Dimas. I had raced this one two years prior, so I had a benchmark. I know it was just four months since Desmond arrived, but to someone as competitive as me, I was ready to be normal again. And of course it didn't help that Carrie was racing too. We may be friends, but we both like to go fast too.
The swim felt wonderful. It wasn't as short as it was the first year and was probably close to the advertised distance (1/2 mile). I swam a 15:49 (2010 - 9:48, you can see a huge difference). As I came out of the water, I spotted Carrie running behind me. She is a strong cyclist, so I knew I needed to keep in front of her or I was done. T1 2:23, my dang wetsuit just doesn't like coming off (that was it's last race).
I had pre-rode the course on two separate occasions, so I knew it pretty well. If you can pre-ride the course, it is definitely worth it. I knew where to anticipate hills and gear changes. The bike course is two loops (15 miles total). I rode a 48:40 and 49:17 for 1:37:57 total (2010 - 49:02, 47:55, 1:36:57 total). Oh and did I mention it was raining? Cold and rainy are my favorite race conditions! T2 1:18, not bad!
I ditched my bike and hurried out on the run. Carrie is a super strong trail runner and she had already beat me in several trail run races, so I knew I was at a disadvantage. I pushed hard on the run (about 3.5 miles), despite the many hills and finished in 34:12 (2010 - 33:11). I was just racing to keep ahead of Carrie. If she wouldn't have been there, I might not have ran so fast. Total race time: 2:31:41 (2010-2:23:02). Results here.
I was so happy with my time, but even more happy to have Skyler and Desmond cheering me on.
Carrie and I got 2nd and 3rd in our age groups. Team Sparkle mamas rock!
This is just the start of my races for this year. I have a few more to catch up on. Oh and did I mention I'm doing a little race called Ironman. Yup! November 18 is the big day. Actually, it's exactly four months from today. Yeah!
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