Triathlon Mom take 2...

Last weekend, I participated in my second triathlon of the season - Race the River.  This was such a fun event and I was amazed at what I accomplished.  In this race, I was race-testing a new wet suit.  The water was a bit cold, and it gave me a chance to see how the wet suit felt in a race as well as practice in the transition zone.  I'll be needing the wet suit in the Olympic tri in August and I was really glad that I tried it out.  I was able to take almost 6 minutes off my swim over last year...I was off to a great start!

This race has a three-loop bike course which is pretty congested.  It's hard to find your rhythm in the race when you are constantly passing or being passed.  I felt good through the whole bike race though and finished faster than I did last summer.

I was speedy in the transition zone too.  A first-time triathlon-er commented before the race, on my transition zone.  Laughing, I realized that all the tricks I have are because I made mistakes in previous races.  This summer my big addition was an obnoxious striped towel.  It can be hard to find your transition zone {this race had over 800 athletes} so I arrive early to set up and display my obnoxious towel to help me find my spot.

I was off and running ... this race I also decided to try a Sport Skirt and I loved it!  I felt surprisingly strong through the whole race.  My run felt good, my feet felt good and all the aches and pains I have had in training seemed to disappear.  I had fun!

There I am nearly to the finish line.  There was a huge column of fans and athletes lined up to create a chute to the finish line.  It was awesome to hear everyone cheering and I felt great crossing the line.

I ended up taking 10 minutes off my time from last year.  I couldn't believe it!  The training has really paid off.  There are now 20 days until my Olympic tri...wish me luck!