triathlon race recap

Here's my play-by-play of Sunday's race:

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Amanda and Anthony were so gracious to host a pasta party, so I filled up on delicious pasta, cupcakes and cookies. Yum! After our fan club left, Sarah, Amanda and I settled down for our pre-race slumber party. I conked out around 11 and slept soundly (even when Gus barked in my face, apparently). When our alarms sounded off at 3 AM, I was ready to go!

PRE-RACE: After grabbing breakfast and our gear, we hopped into our cab and whizzed past all the revelers leaving bars. It started to rain harder, and my stomach twisted. Setting up transition was hard in the rain and pitch-dark, so I covered it all with a trash bag and crossed my fingers I hadn't forgotten anything. We walked a mile to the start, where spotted Dan and Mara.

THE SWIM: The 30-minute start delay sped by in what felt like seconds and, before long, we were wishing each other luck and heading to our age group. This year, the swim started in waves (instead of one big group) so I shuffled with my fellow orange caps onto the barge. At the edge, I stared into the murky water—and then I was off! What I wasn't prepared for was the choppiness. Swimming is by far my strongest leg, but the Hudson's waves were tough. I gave up trying to sight and just kept an eye on the kayaks to make sure I didn't drift to New Jersey. Finally, the finish barge appeared, and I trotted to transition.

THE BIKE: This portion was my toughest one! The rain was still coming down, turning the roads slick and puddle-filled. That, coupled with the fact that I'd really only ridden my road bike for a few weeks, made me nervous—especially after witnessing a few crashes. I made my way to the Bronx turnaround, feeling good, and headed back. When I shifted to make my way up a tough hill, my chain popped off. Immediately images of me stranded roadside ran through my head as I hopped off to put it back on. Luckily, it was only a short delay but I was still pissed and began biking harder to catch up with everyone who passed me.

THE RUN: Right before the run, the sun decided to make an appearance and turn the course hot and humid. As soon I trotted out of T2, I knew I was in trouble. My legs knotted up and I felt like I was running through molasses. Right when I really wanted to walk, I heard Anthony's unmistakable voice cheering me on, and just as I entered Central Park, Erik's cute face popped out of a bush. As I made my way around the loop, my stomach started to ache. (This is when I cursed myself for not training more.) I walked through the water stations, but forced myself to keep running. At last! When I saw the fountain turnaround, I picked up my pace and booked it to the finish line.

AFTERWARDS: After I staggered through the recovery zone, I found Mara (who passed me on the run and looked amazing) and Amanda (who scored a super-fast PR in spite of the INSANE conditions!) with their fellas. We cheered on Sarah, who did AWESOME!!!, and spotted Heather at the finish line. And that's when I started to crash. I seriously felt like I was going to barf while we went to go pick up our bikes, and getting home was a blur. It wasn't until I shoveled in some food and took a nap when it sunk in: We did it!!! I couldn't be more proud of myself and my incredible, tough and supportive friends. I can't wait till our next race. :)