This past weekend I had the GREAT pleasure of competing in the Mini-Musselman Triathlon. This is a pretty big deal for me. I casually competed in tris years ago, and got the itch to do them again a couple of years ago. And obstacles kept creeping in the way of my ability to compete. An illness here, an injury there. You know how it goes. This year I was determined to recover from yet another injury (a herniated disc and torn hamstring) and I was GOING TO COMPETE in a triathlon.
I registered for the Mini Mussel in April; at that point I was still unable to run after my injury, which happened in December! In June, I began running again (on trails), and July 4, I ran a 4-mile race just to see if running was possible - and I didn't do all that bad - 32:40. My legs were killing for four days though b/c it was my first time running on pavement since the winter. I rolled them out on a foam roller and felt good to go when we left for Geneva, NY on July 10.
I had a wonderful fueling meal the night before the race (I BROUGHT MY RICE COOKER WITH ME). I had steamed asparagus on brown rice with rotisserie chicken (sans the skin). I also had a big salad with mixed baby greens, cucumbers, olives, and avocado.
In the morning, bright and early, I had some hearty granola with rice milk. And at 9:04 AM, I was OFF in Seneca Lake. I took the swim slow (500 yards in the water and about 100 yards into the transition area in just over 11 minutes). The bike was hard, but I passed quite a few people on the climbs, which made me feel strong. I did the 15.7 miles in 56 minutes. And the run was difficult - I haven't even done a brick workout this year so I totally forgot that jello-leg feeling. My 5K was 28:00. But I did it and placed pretty decently in my age group! Next year, I'm aiming for a total time of 1 hour 35 minutes, now that I know what to expect. There will be one or more tris this year. I'm just so psyched to be healthy and competing again!
I think everyone should TRY A TRI (even if it's just once). It's so much fun!
