Windsor-Pelican Fest Triathlon

It has been a dream and goal of mine to complete a triathlon. Marathons just seem a bit daunting now with small kids, plus I’m getting a little tired of long runs, and I liked being more fit in different areas rather than just running. However, the idea of doing a triathlon was very intimidating to me. Before we left Westminster, a man in the bishopric, Brother Deters, told Jeff he should encourage me to do the Windsor Sprint Triathlon in May, once he found out we were moving to Windsor since he knew I was interested in doing one. With Jeff’s full encouragement and support, I signed up, but didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into. I brushed off my road bike and watched some you tube videos on swimming and started training. Sister Deters spent one morning with me at the pool and gave me a few pointers, which were huge for me because it helped me to know how to swim more efficiently and use less energy.

The week before the race the Deters, along with another girl from the old ward, came so we could do our open water swim in the lake. It was a frigid day and the waves had white caps on them. But they had made the hour drive and I had rented a wetsuit so we went through with it. I could hardly keep my head down and felt more like I was doggie paddling. I wasn’t sure I could possibly do it in those conditions so I prayed for better weather, plus it was so, so cold.

Thankfully on the day of the race the sun was out and the water was clear as glass. I was nervous about my swim and transitions though and still had a lot of anxiety before start time. The Deters helped us set up our transition station and gave some pointers and I at least felt like I had some idea of what to do. 

It's race time!

Once in the water there were times I couldn’t see very well due to the sun so I wasn’t sure if I was swimming in the right direction. I thought to myself I’m never doing this again. But once I made the turn to come back I had my rhythm and felt like I wasn’t as week a swimmer as I had anticipated I’d be. I hopped out of the water, though stubbing my toe really hard on some cement that took several minutes for me to feel like I could walk properly, and onto my bike. This is me very happy to be done swimming.

The ride was easy, though I did get passed quite a bit….some of those bikes are pretty high end and look made for speed. 

I thought the run would be a breeze since that’s more my strength. But after swimming a half-mile, riding 12 miles, and running 3.1, it was very tough and I was ready to be done. I kept looking for the mile marke signs on the run and was astonished when I hit the 1 mile because I was sure I had to be father along. But I finished strong and felt good about what I had done and was happy with my times, especially on my first race. 

It’s such a great feeling to have a goal, work hard on that goal, and then accomplish it! I was so grateful for the Deters though because I would not have had the confidence on know-how without them. They were very kind to be patient and teach me the ropes.

One of the highlites of the race was seeing this great group of people who participate with people with physical and/or mental handicaps. What an awesome way to race. 

I hope to do some more races in the future with even longer distances. I realize that fitness goals for me are a big part of my motivation for being active and being active is a big part of me being able to handle the stresses and demands of life. And I am especially grateful for Jeff and his encouragement because there were several times I would have given up on my goal if he hadn’t reminded me how important it was to me and how happy I’d be to have done it.