There are so many thoughts I wanted to share about the triathlon. First, I must admit that swimming is a weak point for me. I have not trained too hard for the swim, but I've always been able to swim and I did go for a few practice swims before the triathlon. It should come as no surprise then that the swim portion was the hardest part for me. I was worried about the water being cold. Seriously. That was my biggest concern. Little did I know we had bigger fish to fry (<-- get it?!? eww, don't ever eat Detroit River fish.)
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So now you know... we swam in the Detroit River. The swim portion was half a mile. Now half a mile in running, biking, or walking is a breeze. Half a mile swim is the equivalent of changing human years to dog years... you multiply it by 7. Swimming half a mile is no joke.
The race started at 9:45 a.m. and surprisingly the water was a really nice temperature. The start of the water was shallow so I was able to run in the water for a couple of minutes before diving in to swim. Very soon into the swim I realized that the current was working against us. The weather was beautiful, but with a slight breeze we were getting some fairly decent sized waves and trying to swim against those. I literally felt like I was treading water for the most part. With the waves splashing against me I kept getting water in my mouth and getting pushed back. I didn't panic but I thought of the long swim ahead and knew I needed to mentally prepare for this challenge. Someone told me that when it gets rough just flip on your back and swim like that for a while. That's what I did when it got to be too rough.
I mentioned already that the weather was beautiful, but when you are surrounded by shaky waters and you are pushing through you don't pay much attention to anything else. I decided to swim on my back to catch my breath and take it easy. The sky was so beautiful...really, really beautiful. It was a clear blue sky with a few white clouds and you could still see the moon hanging above. I took in the beauty and drew strength from it. I was literally in awe that I was floating somewhere in the Detroit River and surrounded by this natural beauty. Shortly after a wave splashed me in the face and reminded me that I was in the middle of a competitive event. Back again I went to pushing against the waves and finally made it around the first buoy (it was a triangle shaped course with three buoys we had to swim around.)
From the first buoy to the second buoy the current was actually working WITH us. It was great! I was so happy and relieved it felt like the swim was super easy. I was quickly reminded of the verse, "Verily, with hardship there will be ease." (94:6) I was grateful and knew that I had to take advantage of this time of ease because after the second buoy I'd be working against the current once more. It's really a lot like life. When times are hard you just have to keep pushing through and moving forward believing that it will get easier. When the time of ease comes you use it to show gratitude and regain strength to be prepared for whatever trials lay ahead.
Needless to say, that last stretch of the swim was a killer. Going against the current once more I couldn't help but call out to the lifeguards on their paddle boats. I kept asking, "Am I moving forward!?!" They obviously said yes, but I didn't feel like I was going anywhere. Inch by inch I was trying to fight to the finish line. Once my feet could touch sand I took off for the transition into the bike ride.
I was so happy to be out of my wet suit! I quickly put my shoes on and jumped on the bike for the 12.4 miles to come. Nothing super eventful happened during the bike ride. The bike ride wasn't very difficult and I really wanted to make up time from the swim. The bike ride was three loops around the same course which can get repetitive so my mind was definitely wandering. I remembered that I had a subway sandwich in my car and got this burst of energy because I couldn't wait to finish and eat it.
*Side Note: It is absolutely true when they say a woman's dream isn't to find the perfect man. Their dream is to eat without getting fat. And it's possible to do that... as long as you workout really hard and very often:)
So the bike ride was over and I had to transition into the run. I knew running would be my strong point, but I wasn't sure how running would go after everything else I just did. My legs felt like jello when I first got off the bike, but shortly after I started running I was in my comfort zone.
I think I smiled the most when I was running. I also took note of all the volunteers who showed up just to cheer us on. I made it a point to tell them "thank you" every time I biked or ran past (even though it was the same people because we were looping around the same route.) I thought about what a kind and unselfish thing these people were doing. Seriously... they took time from their day to cheer on strangers and found happiness from our happiness. It's really a beautiful thing.
The triathlon had to come to an end and for me that end was after 1 hour and 47 minutes. I am proud of myself for finishing the event. I was not in competition with anyone but myself. Bikers kept passing me, but I knew it was about my own journey and my own destination to the finish line. I do this because it brings me joy and reminds me of the strength we all possess if we just know how to tap into it.
Thank you for reading this far if you made it here.
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