Greater Cleveland Tri (GCT) Teaser...

Official results are not up yet and I think I need a day to digest this event and provide a detailed race report. We all know how long-winded I am anyway, so I think this one would be record breaking! Therefore, I decided to break it into 2! :)

The very hard earned medal! (not sure what's up with the expression on my face)

Lessons Learned:

• Waves...SUCK!
• Wind...BLOWS (ha! I crack myself up...pun very much intended)
• And Running...well, running is not so much running as walking with brief periods of shuffling

About to finish...and approaching a small stretch of sand!

The Positives of the day:

• I finished my first Olympic distance (well mostly*) Tri!  *they cut the swim in half because the waves were so high and the water conditions were too dangerous.
• According to my Garmin, I believe I was within my time goal for the bike and only a few minutes over the run...but we'll see what the official results indicate.
• I have come to appreciate the fact that I may not be fast, but I am a STRONG swimmer! The swim was TOUGH, but I did it. I did it without hanging on to the kayak's or stopping to take a rest. I passed many people doing this. I also did not have one ounce of fear in that water with those waves...just thoughts of - wow! this is tough...where's the finish!
• Although I felt like I struggled through the start of the bike, I did better than I thought I might on the crazy downhills! Talk about white knuckles!
• And, although I struggled through the run (ahem...walk), I pushed through and never gave up. Did I walk more than I wanted?? Absolutely! But, did I give up and walk the entire thing? Nope. In fact, I negative split the run (which means that 2nd half was faster than the first)! And, even with the amount that I walked, my Garmin indicated an average rate of 14:36 min/mile - only 36 seconds per mile off my goal.
• And although listed last - for sure most important...I have the BEST spectators! Both my SIL and husband got up with me at some unGodly hour in the morning to then sit around for hours on end....in the rain...just to support my efforts (and take pictures)! My parents then came later with my children (who also had spent the night so that Drew could come early with me). My sister and her family were also there today. And my other sister immediately called my mom after lunch to see how I did. I am forever thankful for my awesome support system!

An emotional finish!

Negatives:
Well, I could list a ton of these. Or, as I was struggling through the Tri I could have listed a ton. But, then my family (specifically husband and SIL) informed me at the end of the race that someone was pulled out of the water and it didn't look good. They are thinking the worst, but based on some information I'm seeing now (on Facebook) perhaps there is hope. Regardless, this put everything in perspective for me. It's sad that it took such an incident to make me realize that all that matters is I'm doing it ....and I lived through it. Triathlons are no joke. They are a test of endurance, strength, and so many other skills. Who knows what happened to that man who eventually had to be dragged out of the water by fellow triatheletes? But what I do know is that I may be slow, but I have worked very hard to ensure that I can DO this. I can cross that finish line, even if it takes me longer than most people.

Oh...and another positive I forgot to add....I wasn't last! :) There were at least 3-4 people who came in behind me! All I need is 1!

Official race report (and probably a novel to bore you out of your skull) to come later......