3 for 1

Finally! The triathlon story, complete with pictures! We woke up at a sweet 5am to get something to eat and head over to the rec center. For some reason the registration pick-up the day before ended at 5pm, so we had to get there early to get all our numbers and such. We found a spot for our bikes and headed over to get our little chip that took care of the timing. After getting the chip (which went on your ankle, as opposed to your shoe like the running races I've been in), and the normal number to pin on your shirt, we then received a number to put on your bike helmet, a number to put on your bike, AND you had your number written on both arms and both legs. PLUS your age and some random coding letter was written on your calf. I'll tell you one thing, I we fell over dead on the course they could definitely have figured out who we were - heck, they could have even told the ENTs how old we were before they ever called back to check registration numbers. We were very marked up and ready to go.

Oh, and I forgot to mention. My dad got us all (including our cheering section) matching shirts so we could find each other. It was extremely useful when you wanted to figure out if that really was Brandy you could see coming up the hill.

After waiting for about an hour (since we had to be there so early to register, we had a long wait time), we headed down to the pool to get ready for the start. Previously in the month we had to submit our 100 meter swim time so they could seed us for the start. Since we were swimming in a pool (one lap you swam in one lane, did your flip turn, went under the lane line, and then swam back down the pool in the next lane over...repeat 5 times) they needed to know how fast you were going to be so that there weren't a ton of people trying to pass you as you were swimming. I timed myself and told Brandy we should put 1:35 for our time. Having experience with runs where you always submit a faster time than you can do so that you don't get stuck in the back of the pack, we figured we should do the same. She suggested 1:19. I was a little concerned by this, but I figured, what the heck. Well a few weeks later she timed herself (since she was training with the people who set up the event she could register and submit her time a little later) and realized that yes, 1:35 really is how fast we can swim. We submitted a 1:25 I think for her time and tried to change mine, but to no avail. Hence the day before when Brandy went online to find out what our starting position would be I find out that I'm supposed to start 6th! (that is why my dad and I had number 6 all over ourselves). Yes people, 6. I was a little intimidated to say the least. My only consolation was that I didn't have to jump out and bike since my dad was doing that leg so I could try to swim a little faster and rest before the run. So, we line up down at the pool ready to start. The first person started, and then every 15 seconds the next person went. 1 minute and 30 seconds into the race, with a bunch of young high school kids and one woman before me I leave attempting to not get passed by all the people behind me.
By about lap 3 I realize that I'm actually holding my own and that with the exception of one person there is no one gaining on me. That guy passes me on lap 5, and I notice his number is 9, which means he WAY underestimated his time and I don't feel bad seeing as how I watch him pass the next two people in front of me. Then on lap 6 I pass the girl that started two ahead of me. By the 9th lap I'm still feeling good and no one is close behind me so I actually finished my 500 meters in the same position I started! I climbed out of the pool, grabbed my shorts from my mom (it just felt weird walking around in a swimsuit so we walked down to the pool in our shorts), and ran up the hill to my dad. We switched off the little chip thing that times us and off he went.
While I was waiting I helped Brandy and John both get off, and then drank some water and sat around until Dad got back. The rec center happens to be situated at the top of a hill, so the last thing you have to do is climb this hill after having biked 13 miles, which is just plain mean.

Needless to say, he made it, we switched back the chip and I headed off for a 3 mile run. Brandy started and finished the swim about 2 minutes behind us, and so she was right behind my dad coming in from the bike. I actually saw her coming up the hill as I ran down so she got a little extra yelling support. She dropped off the bike and headed out as well.

The run was actually quite enjoyable. You started going down the big hill, which is a nice way to get your legs going. Then you ran along this little greenway path, most of it being shaded, and all road crossings were staffed so you didn't have to check for cars. You ran out a mile and a half and then back, and shortly after I turned to head back I saw Brandy. Since I had been sitting at the top of the hill when all the bikers came in I knew that she was the second girl. Since I was in a relay I wasn't competing in the same category. So, as I passed her I told her there wasn't much until the turn and that she was really close to the front. Granted we later found out that there were a bunch of people that started much farther back because of swimming but ended up with faster times, but that's ok, it gave her motivation.

And so, at about 2 and 3/4 miles we were nearly done. All we had to do was run up the enormous hill to the rec center and cross the finish line. Ugh, that hill sucked. It was one of those where you go up, then it flattens out and then you go up again. Being that I never run hills since they don't exist in good old Charleston, it was pretty rough. But I remembered from days of cross country that you put your head down and you use your arms. My mom was standing at the bottom of the hill and I told her to tell that to Brandy, and about 45 seconds later heard her yell it so I knew Brandy was right there with me. Which, for some reason made it seem better - it must have been from all the marathon training, I wasn't used to running pain done alone.

Eventually, we got ourselves up the hill, and crossed the line, and even though we ended up being beaten in time by a bunch of people we were the second and third women to cross the finish line, so we got a little shout-out from the announcer, which was cool. Once we started breathing normally again we walked halfway back down the hill to yell for John as he came up. Poor John had trained the least of all of us and was not doing well by the time he got halfway up that hill. He had said that morning that he was just going to go until he puked...well, he called it. About 50 feet from the top of the hill he puked up all the water he had been drinking to keep himself hydrated. But being the trooper that he was, after a bit of stumbling and causing concern from all around him that he may fall over, he straightened up and finished the race.

We waited until most of the runners were done and then took the bikes down to the car, walked BACK up the hill (I hate that stupid hill) and got ourselves some free food. The did awards, and it turned out that Brandy got FIRST in her age group! It was pretty impressive for her first triathlon!
The only thing left to do was drive home and take a nice long nap!