Danskin: One Woman’s Saga
I just finished my first triathlon. It was the Seattle Danskin Triathlon and there were 4000 women participating! It was very inspiring to be out there with all of these strong women who represented every age in the spectrum from 12 years old to 70 maybe (?). I signed up with a group of women from my work. It was the second time I signed up for this triathlon. The first time was four years ago, but I was unable to actually participate because I fell off my bike and broke my arm about a week before the event. I had been intending to do a triathlon ever since, but I was always busy with other things or missed the opportunity to sign up. Finally, this year the stars aligned and I managed to sign up, train without major injury, and (thanks to Kim, the triathlon den mother) get everything in order for a great race. Here is my story.
1/2 mile Swim – My time: 19 minutes
The swim was the part I was most nervous about and the least ready for. I had only had one open water swim before the event and I had kind of freaked out during it. Standing at the dock with my 100 person wave, waiting to start, I made idiotic small talk and probably drove all the other nice 30-34 year olds crazy. Once we got started, I was much less nervous and it really felt great. As with so many of these kinds of events, it was a little difficult to actually swim at first because of all the other people around. I didn’t want to kick anyone or swim over anyone’s head and I didn’t want those things to happen to me so I began slowly with a lot of caution. Once we rounded the first bend, people really started to spread out, which was nice. I alternated between crawl and breaststroke. At one point I bumped up against a swimmer from the side. I popped my head out of the water to make sure she was okay just as another woman swam over her on the other side. She smiled looking a bit nervous and said, “That was scary!” She seemed fine so I continued on. The time for the swim passed more quickly than I expected it to.
Isaac, Hannah and Eli had arrived in time to see my wave start, but I hadn’t seen them before I began. Despite blurry vision, I saw and heard them as I ran out of the water toward the transition area. It was a pretty long run just to get to my spot, where I put on my helmet and bike shoes and got my bike. I was very relieved to get my glasses on. I might invest in some prescription goggles if I keep doing triathlons. As I started the bike ride I saw them all again, shouting for me and I blew them kisses as I rode off. The bike ride was uneventful, thank goodness. I had a headache as I started off, which sometimes happens to me after I swim. The bike route was very flat, aside from the short steep hill going up to the I-90 bridge. I felt fast and strong. It was a nice time to (sort of) rest between the swim and the run. Considering my relaxed feeling during this portion of the event, I feel certain I could improve my time on this portion of the race.
3.1 mile Run – My time: 27 minutes
Transitioning to the run, I felt pretty tired. Isaac took a picture of me over the fence as I ate a little too much food. I ran over to kiss him and the kids which was probably not the most competitive use of my time, but it felt great to get a little love. During the run, I felt sluggish and slightly nauseated, but was passing lots of people anyway. I kept thinking, I can do this. I ran a half marathon less than a year ago. This is just a tiny little run compared to a half marathon. Three miles is way less than 13. Things like that.
Total Time: 1:37