Team Tri-on is the name we have given our women triathlon team. Yes, the double meaning is intentional! This team started with Deb, Chris, Lisa, Rachel and me last year doing the Danskin Tri for the first time. Deb did the Wisconsin one and we did the NJ one.
This year we had a team of nine women doing the Danskin Tri. This year we all met and did the NJ one and boy, was it great!
Since that first Tri last September, I have done two Olympic-distance Tri’s (one DNF) and this latest sprint tri, Chris has done an Olympic distance and Deb has rocked the house with another sprint and an Olympic. In fact, Deb ranked 65 out of 1280 in last weekend’s Sprint! Of ther others in Team Tri-on, I think Julia has another Tri under her belt but the others were all newbies to the sport.
So, thanks to team Tri-on 9 women have completed 20 triathlons between them….awesome!
I had the best time at the Danskin Tri last week. I was wiped out from a crazy week at work. I was at a bachelorette party on the Friday night before and had to attend a work affair at the other end of the state on the night before the event. So, when the alarm went off at 4:30 on Sunday morning, I was not ready to get going. But get going, I did.
We drove from Asbury Park, where we were staying in a hotel straight out of a David Lunch movie, to Sandy Hook, the site of Danskin NJ. We arrived as dawn was breaking and as we got out of our cars, we were swarmed with NJ tough mosquitoes…it was worse than any camping I have ever done and worse because I had forgotten bug juice or my ever trusty bug clothes! It was also worse as we couldn’t swat them away while holding my bike and tri box!
A nice man in the line to the transition area sprayed Chris and I with Off! May that man have a very nice life.
We milled, we moaned and we made merry! Soon it was time to start and the excellent Sally Edwards was there to see us off…man is she inspiring! As soon as wave eight got into the relatively cool water, I was happy and ready to go.
The swim was shorter than the mandated ½ mile because of coastguard regs, it was a lovely swim, no waves and over in about 15 minutes! The bike ride was on a flat out and back course, Lovely out but head wind back. And the run, well it was only 5k so it was over in a flash!
My total time of 1:30 is a PR…woohooo, I have a PR in sprint tri’s now!!!
Of course, I could have had a better time if I wasn’t so tired and had actually done as I had planned to do, work on my speed in the run up to the race! But there’s always a reason to beat myself up.
So, this is the end of my tri racing season and while it was tough at times, I must say that the journey of training and the destination of racing are equally important and worthwhile experiences.
From now until the end of the year, the goals are to loose some weight, build some strength and get some speed. I think I’ll stay out of the pool for a while though! And of course, I’ll be getting a go-faster bike sometime in the next few months too!!!
