Triathlon relays are so much fun!

Triathalon Relay 048

Ryan, Megan, and I made a great team. The relay really played up our strengths and we finished our Olympic Triathlon in 2 hours, 37 minutes! AND I finished a 5.6 mile run in 49:49 minutes. THAT’S RIGHT – 8:48 MINUTE MILES FOR 5.6 MILES!!! This is the first time I’ve run more than 4.0 miles in THREE MONTHS! Woo hoo!

Race morning started off like any other race day — alarm went off and an ungodly hour and I stumbled to the kitchen for coffee and oatmeal.

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I had banana oatmeal with coconut and blueberries. Mmm! I was out the door before the sun came up and arrived at Moss Park as Megan was setting up her bike.

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Megan, Ryan, and I walked to the beach so Ryan could listen to the swim rules. The sun was just beginning to rise and it looked so beautiful out.

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Ryan looked pretty calm for a woman who was about to swim 1.5K in a muddy lake! She swam in college so I guess she felt prepared. 🙂 Since the men start before the woman, we chatted while we waited for her wave to start:

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And… then the gun went off and Ryan swam off like a mad woman!

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Megan and I pretended to swim with Ryan. I much prefer swimming on dry land! 🙂

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And then…. suddenly Ryan was BACK! She was SO fast. She swam 1.5K in about 25 minutes, 43 seconds — I was floored at her speed! I cheered so loudly for her as she came out of the water and ran towards transition. The run into transition took her 2 minutes, 10 seconds.

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I pretty much pavarazzi-ed her all the way to the transition zone. She probably felt like a famous celebrity triathlete! 🙂

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In the transition area, I took the chip off Ryan’s ankle as Megan put her helmet on. Then, I velcro-ed the chip to Megan and she raced off!

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That’s the ONLY non-blurry one I got of Megan on her bike – she was moving pretty fast!

Megan had to ride 40K (or 24.8 miles), so we had some downtime during the bike ride.

That’s when I spotted another relay team. I tried to psych them out by giving them the evil eye. I don’t think it worked. 🙂

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And Ryan changed out of her swimsuit, which had some VERY interesting mud spots!

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Since it had been 2 hours since breakfast, I drank 1/2 a MyoPlex shake because I could feel myself getting hungry and I didn’t want to be underfueled for the run.

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I also taped my knees. 🙂 They feel OK, I am icing them as I type.

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After a 1 hour and 18 minutes ride, Megan came screeching around the corner! She was super fast, too! I grabbed the chip off her ankle, tied it to mine, and off I went!

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I was a little disappointed because they announced at the beginning of the race that the run distance had been extended from 5.15 miles to 5.6 miles. Normally, that wouldn’t bother me, but I haven’t run more than 4.0 miles in a long, long time and I already felt like 5.15 was going to be stretch.

I focused on pacing myself and keeping any negative thoughts at bay. It’s so easy to let yourself slip into thinking “This is hard, I am tired, it’s hot, I’m thristy… blah, blah, blah.” Every time I felt myself sinking into that hole, I forced myself to think “This is GREAT! I’m running, I feel strong, this is fun!”

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I also repeated Meghann’s favorite mantra: “I am a machine, I am a machine!” 🙂

By the time I came around the corner and could see the finish line, I was looking rough AND feeling pretty rough.

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But I finished strong! My offical chip time was 49:49 minutes — under 9:00 minute miles!! I am very proud that I can still run that fast (that’s fast for me!) after 3 months of taking it easy!

Our total time was 2 hours, 37 minutes, and 28 seconds, which was good enough to win our division!

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Alright, we were the only ladies IN our division, but a trophy is a trophy! 🙂

After the award ceremony, I ate a banana:

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And a slice of pizza:

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And then said goodbye to everyone, including our awesome spectators (Megan‘s friend Debbie and her boyfriend Mike, and Megan‘s boyfriend Jason):

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Jason was a great photographer for the race (don’t the pictures look professional?):

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All in all, the Moss Park Triathlon Relay was a FUN experience, and it was a great way to re-introduce myself to racing. It looks like Race Season 2009 – 2010 is going to be very exciting!

Have a WONDERFUL Sunday!

{ 78 comments }

 

  • Cait (Cait's Plate) July 19, 2009, 9:05 am

    Yay! So glad it was a success! You look so strong and fit! 🙂 Congrats!

  • kirsten July 19, 2009, 9:10 am

    awesome job !! you guys did great and it looks like you had a lot of fun ! :0)

  • Jocelyn July 19, 2009, 9:14 am

    congratz! You ladies did a GREAT job…looks like you had great weather for it too! Kudos to the swimmer! 😉

  • Life, Health and Fitness July 19, 2009, 9:16 am

    Awesome job! Doing it as a team seems like so much more fun than doing it on your own. I had no idea that competitions allow you to do stuff like that.

  • Anonymous July 19, 2009, 9:20 am

    Congrats! Caitlin, you look so great and in shape; you're such a tiny little thing!

  • Meganerd July 19, 2009, 9:23 am

    we rock!!

  • girlrunningaround July 19, 2009, 9:24 am

    Congrats! It looks like it was a ton of fun!

  • Meg July 19, 2009, 9:29 am

    Awesome job!! You all are amazing!

  • Thinspired July 19, 2009, 9:32 am

    CONGRATS, Caitlin! You look great out there. I know I've said it before, but I am so inspired that you took a break from running when it was necessary, and now have strongly yet patiently buily back up your stamina. You ROCK!

  • Jess July 19, 2009, 9:35 am

    Congrats, Caitlin! You guys were such a great team! what a fun way to kick off the race season.

    And yes, the pictures were wonderful!

  • Betsy July 19, 2009, 9:42 am

    WOW beautiful photos!! And what a great recap, I felt like I was there. Congratulations to the 3 of you. 🙂

  • Marissa July 19, 2009, 9:44 am

    Congrats!

  • Dad July 19, 2009, 9:44 am

    Way to go Team SBRB! OK, Caitlin – are we all doing the century?

  • Leah @ Simply Fabulous July 19, 2009, 9:46 am

    What a GREAT relay race!! You all did amazing, I love the photos!!! What fab action shots; you all should be PROUD!!

  • L. Simone July 19, 2009, 9:49 am

    You all did awesome and show off your trophy with pride! Oh, and the T's were super cute!!

  • Peanut Butter Swirl July 19, 2009, 9:50 am

    CONGRATS!! you guys kicked major bootay!

  • Oh She Glows July 19, 2009, 9:51 am

    No no no you didn't look ROUGH at all…you look beautiful, happy and STRONG! You guys rocked it…congrats!!!

  • Danielle July 19, 2009, 9:55 am

    Great job on your run! You should be so proud of yourself for finishing as strong (and with such a great time!) Enjoy the rest of your day!

  • Chloe (Naturally Frugal) July 19, 2009, 9:56 am

    One of my friends who also does triathlons has the best quote (for any race):

    "I'm not a competitor, I'm a completer". Every time I remember that it brings a smile to my face! Great job guys!

  • Ryan July 19, 2009, 9:58 am

    I had such a great time with you girls today! Yay for us 🙂

  • lookingforserenity July 19, 2009, 10:02 am

    contrats on your race 🙂

  • Sharon July 19, 2009, 10:02 am

    Great job – you SMOKED it 🙂
    P.S.- I love your shirts!!

  • Julie July 19, 2009, 10:03 am

    amazing job! I am happy for all 3 of you 🙂

    http://strivingforbalance.wordpress.com/

  • Jenny July 19, 2009, 10:14 am

    you girlies are awesome!! a million congrats, babe! xo

  • Jennifer @ His N' Her Health July 19, 2009, 10:26 am

    Great Job! looks like a lot of fun. Love the shirts!

  • Gina G July 19, 2009, 10:26 am

    Congrats Caitlin! You girls did awesome! =D

  • Susan July 19, 2009, 10:28 am

    Congrats!! All three of you did a wonderful job! Ha, I was thinking how great the pictures looked even before you mentioned it. 🙂

  • Kim July 19, 2009, 10:37 am

    Congrats!! You guys did a great job!!! WTG! I love the shirts!

  • Matt July 19, 2009, 10:40 am

    Congrats on the race! That is an awesome time!

  • Kristi (sweet cheeks) July 19, 2009, 10:51 am

    Great job!!! That looks like so much fun! I am so happy that you enjoyed it. 😀

  • robinbb July 19, 2009, 11:25 am

    Congrats! I love the shirts!

  • Nicole (anotheronebitesthecrust.wordpress.com) July 19, 2009, 11:26 am

    Congratulations!! You guys did awesome 😀

  • Lauren @ Team Giles July 19, 2009, 11:36 am

    GREAT JOB!!! You rocked it

  • N.D. July 19, 2009, 11:37 am

    great job and recap – you guys did awesome!!!

  • Adi (oatonomy.com) July 19, 2009, 11:50 am

    Those pictures ARE fantastic! Congrats to all of you on such an awesome race.

  • Meredith July 19, 2009, 11:53 am

    Wonderful job and a great recap.

  • JennyMarie July 19, 2009, 11:55 am

    Great job! Especially after they extended the running distance, all of you look so great doing what you do!

  • Michelle July 19, 2009, 11:55 am

    Wow, awesome job! I love your shirts!

  • Erica July 19, 2009, 12:08 pm

    CONGRATS! You three are amazing (not to mention adorable in those shirts!). Glad you had such a great race

  • Paige@ Running Around Normal July 19, 2009, 12:23 pm

    You guys did AWESOME! I'm so glad it went well for you. Congrats on the trophy too 😉

  • Kathy (Moving Beyond Perfection) July 19, 2009, 12:32 pm

    aww I love that little running skirt of yours! It's so cute! I went to lululemon (did I totally spell that wrong? probably haha) yesterday and fell in LOVE with some of their running skirts, but at $52 a skirt, it was just too hard to justify 🙁

    Congrats on an amazing race! It looks like you had a ton of fun!

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point July 19, 2009, 12:33 pm

    kathy – my skirt was $19 from target!!!

  • just me July 19, 2009, 12:39 pm

    great job to you and your team!!!! so wonderful! i wish i could have been there to cheer you on!

  • Susie. July 19, 2009, 1:10 pm

    Hi Caitlin! Congratulations on winning in your division 😉 It truly is awesome though. Running a marathon in the upcoming year is definitely a goal of mine. Your blog is sooo inspiring and you have such a beautiful heart. 🙂

  • Victoria July 19, 2009, 1:19 pm

    It looks like you girls had so much fun! And I love the t-shirts! Congrats on finishing strong and fast!

  • Spotty Prep July 19, 2009, 1:25 pm

    Congratulations! I want to do a tri now more than ever! I need to find a short one first though 🙂

  • Sarah July 19, 2009, 1:30 pm

    Wow! What a great race! You all did so well. I'm very happy for you that you plowed through those 5.6 miles, time off and all. Way to go, Caitlin!

  • Ada July 19, 2009, 1:31 pm

    Congrats on your race!!! Great job:) I swam a 1.5k race yesterday too, how funny!

  • Kate July 19, 2009, 2:17 pm

    Great work guys! Next time you'll all be doing the whole thing 🙂

  • Pam July 19, 2009, 2:18 pm
  • Susan July 19, 2009, 2:38 pm

    Congrats on a great race!!

  • Deva July 19, 2009, 2:43 pm

    You look fantastic – like everyone had a GREAT time!

  • Angharad July 19, 2009, 2:56 pm

    Way to absolutely rock it!! Congratulations! That's seriously awesome.I feel all kinds of inspired since I have a 10K next weekend (my first ever) and I had to back off and take it easy for knee pain. I've been building back up slowly and I feel strong but nervous still.
    I'll be using the "I'm a machine" chant for sure!!

  • healthy ashley July 19, 2009, 3:04 pm

    I am sooooo proud of you! I love the "I am a machine" mantra! So proud, Caitlin. Good job!

  • kelly (Beneath It All) July 19, 2009, 3:40 pm

    Congrats guys! You rocked the relay race! I can't wait to do a tri! I'm glad you guys had fun! Love the shirts!

  • NYgirl@heart July 19, 2009, 3:50 pm

    Awesome!! You guys kicked ass!! Happy for you that you have your speed too. You rock!!

  • teacherwoman July 19, 2009, 4:05 pm

    Congrats to you guys! What an awesome finish time! You all rocked it! And the pictures were great! Love the pic of the sun coming up behind the water! 🙂

  • Meghann July 19, 2009, 5:20 pm

    CONGRATS!!! You kicked that run's booties. All three of you did awesome 🙂 It really makes me want to do another Tri now 🙂

  • Joelle (The Pancake Girl) July 19, 2009, 5:29 pm

    Congrats girl- that looked like so much fun! Great team work!

  • brandi July 19, 2009, 5:51 pm

    you girls did AWESOME!!! Great recap and it looked like a fun race 🙂

  • Still Life in South America July 19, 2009, 6:30 pm

    Congratulations. It must really feel fulfilling to complete that group effort. Keep up the good work, Caitlyn!

    PS, did you choose the blue dress? :0)

  • Amelia (AC/DC: Highways to Health) July 19, 2009, 6:50 pm

    Congratulations! Everyone did such a great job! I love those tshirts too. 🙂

  • Meg C. July 19, 2009, 6:59 pm

    awesome job!!you guys look like you made an amaaazing team!

  • RhodeyGirl/Sabrina July 19, 2009, 7:04 pm

    congrats! happy to hear ur knees r doing ok!

  • Runeatrepeat July 19, 2009, 7:41 pm

    Amazing job on the race!!!! You rocked it super fast 🙂

  • Elizabeth July 19, 2009, 7:59 pm

    Strong work ladies!!

  • ttfn300 July 19, 2009, 8:30 pm

    woah–you guys kicked it!! GREAT JOB 🙂 i think that might be the only way i do an olympic!

  • C.G. the Foodie July 19, 2009, 8:31 pm

    That sounds like a total blast!!!! (and an under 9/min mile is amazing fast to me!)

  • Rebeca @All Vegged Out July 19, 2009, 8:50 pm

    WooHoo Congrats!!

  • Rachel July 19, 2009, 10:02 pm

    Wahoooo! Great recap! I'm doing a relay tri (bike section, sprint distance) next month and I'm getting really excited for it so it's great to get a little preview of what I'm in for!

  • Evil Eye July 20, 2009, 1:16 am

    Just be sure to stay away from the Evil Eye!

  • Lexie July 20, 2009, 4:02 am

    Congratulations Caitlin and all you girls! You ran so fast! I probably would have freaked out hearing about the mileage going up right when I was about to start.
    You look like you are in awesome shape!

  • k July 20, 2009, 5:15 am

    Congratulations! That sounds like you all had a great time! (and you had great times too!)

  • The Decayed Gentlewoman July 20, 2009, 8:28 am

    I loved this race recap! It looks like you had a great time! Also, I have the same green flowered bag that you have in your pictures. I love it!
    I just wanted to tell you that I ran my first trail run on Sunday! It was the 5K Spillway Classic and it was incredibly fun! You were right, I totally had the endurance for it, and about 2 miles in I actually said out loud "Wow! I thought this was going to be way more difficult!" Since my normal runs are on flat ground, I trained for it by upping some of my normal runs from 5K to 4 miles, which seemed to do the trick. It was also great because the weather cooperated and it was really cool (for New Orleans) which made the run even better!
    Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for the encouragement and congratulations on your awesome race!!

  • Carolina John July 20, 2009, 8:50 am

    congrats caitlin! you guys all did great. that's a superfast swim time from ryan. and going on a relay team is a great way to get into triathlon. now when is your sprint coming up? you're going to love it.

  • Trainer T.s Fitness July 20, 2009, 9:55 am

    OMG You did GREAT you guys are Rockstar and I love the shirts!

  • roseyrebecca July 20, 2009, 11:28 am

    That seems like so much fun! I'd love to try it!

  • Steve Stenzel November 23, 2009, 6:49 pm

    Nice teamwork!! Way to go!! Those are some pretty impressive splits by you 3!!

    And my wife had similar “mud marks” after swimming in a muddy lake – yum!… 😉

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