My first triathlon ever! I had my sister-in-law with me and it was her first too. The race expo was kind of disappointing. There were hardly any vendors, sponsors, etc. So we picked up our race packets, grabbed what goodies we could from the sponsors and listened to the Race Course overview discussion. We also were able to get Sally Edwards (the race founder) to sign our swim caps and bibs. After spending the rest of the afternoon in the park, I went to bed very excited for the next day. And that 4:30am wake up call sure comes early! But I was still so excited that it didnt matter. I put on my swimsuit and some clothes and headed down to the 7-11 next door to the hotel. I picked up a Cliff bar and a Red Bull and headed to the transition. The race started at 6am and my wave was scheduled for 6:24. I headed down to the swim start right at 6 when they were singing the national anthem. At DCA, the transition was in the Timon parking lot and you had to walk in through a side gate they had open that went backstage. It was so neat to be standing there with all these girls that were all just as excited. Finally, my wave was called and we walked down the boat ramp that is backstage into the lagoon. I had been worried about the water being cold, but it was just the opposite! It was somewhere in the 60s outside and the water was so hot that there was steam coming off of it! I think they said the water was somewhere between 78-80 degress! After the countdown for my wave, we were off. I had a hard time getting into any sort of rhythm because I was getting run over and hit and kicked from every direction! And the water was disgusting! So dark that you could not even see your hand in front of your face! I really think that contributed to all the running into each other the whole way. You just couldnt see if someone was there or not. I did my swim in 15:46 which I thought was pretty good for me. After a long run back to the transition, I put my shorts, shirt, shoes and helmet on and headed out on the bike. The streets were closed, but of course there were Anaheim police directing traffic where they needed to. Once such intersection was at the California Grand hotel. This intersection was one of the first I came across on the bike. This idiot in a white minivan did not listen to directions and came on out into the intersection! I slammed on my brakes, but was more worried about the woman who had just passed me! All I could hear was tires screeching from both her bike and the car. I'm not sure how I stayed on my bike because I know I closed my eyes not wanting to watch. Amazingly, they just missed each other! As I rode by, I heard the cop yell "Pay Attention!" Yeah...ya think? So that was the start of my bike ride which made me a little nervous. The bike loop was a 5 mile loop that we had to do twice. There was only one hill, an overpass, but boy did it get me. I should have got off and walked up it because I'm sure that would have been faster! 
As I began my second loop, I came across a crash where they had one woman on the ground and were pulling the stretcher out of the ambulance. I sure hope she is ok. There were two others stopped there too, but they appeared to be ok. So my bike ride was a little nerve wrecking to say the least. I was so happy to make it back into the transition area! I did the bike portion in 49:02. I climbed off the bike and wow...talk about jello legs! I kind of freaked thinking, how in the world am I supposed to run now? So I racked my bike and started walking, just to get my legs under me again. I was able to start running fairly quickly but kept to my run/walk plan. I took my camera and was taking pictures along the way. I even stopped on the pier to have my picture taken with the lagoon in the background! I was very disappointed by the lack of Disney characters! I even said so on my post race survey. At the least, they could have had Mickey and Minnie near the finish! Oh well... I was able to finish strong in 27:27. So my total time was 1:39:59! I was so excited! My goal had been to finish under two hours. As London would say, "Yea me!" (Suite Life of Zack and Cody reference for those of you with young children that watch the Disney Channel all the time!) I could not have been happier! I would totally recommend this tri for any first timers. They are totally newbie friendly and willing to help you along the way. I cant wait until next year because I would love to do this race again!
PS - I have some photos, but can't post them due to Ringo closing! I'll have to try and create an account somewhere else. Any suggestions?
As I began my second loop, I came across a crash where they had one woman on the ground and were pulling the stretcher out of the ambulance. I sure hope she is ok. There were two others stopped there too, but they appeared to be ok. So my bike ride was a little nerve wrecking to say the least. I was so happy to make it back into the transition area! I did the bike portion in 49:02. I climbed off the bike and wow...talk about jello legs! I kind of freaked thinking, how in the world am I supposed to run now? So I racked my bike and started walking, just to get my legs under me again. I was able to start running fairly quickly but kept to my run/walk plan. I took my camera and was taking pictures along the way. I even stopped on the pier to have my picture taken with the lagoon in the background! I was very disappointed by the lack of Disney characters! I even said so on my post race survey. At the least, they could have had Mickey and Minnie near the finish! Oh well... I was able to finish strong in 27:27. So my total time was 1:39:59! I was so excited! My goal had been to finish under two hours. As London would say, "Yea me!" (Suite Life of Zack and Cody reference for those of you with young children that watch the Disney Channel all the time!) I could not have been happier! I would totally recommend this tri for any first timers. They are totally newbie friendly and willing to help you along the way. I cant wait until next year because I would love to do this race again!PS - I have some photos, but can't post them due to Ringo closing! I'll have to try and create an account somewhere else. Any suggestions?
I'm also impressed you and your friend ran the hill for the first race. And you for the second. And that break between the 2nd and 3rd race must have been a killer. You definitely get bragging rights for all of this--I mean, how many people can say they ran three 5Ks in a day (and in much less than 24 hours)?
Oh, and congratulate your pit crew for us. They're highly valued.
I wouldn't have guessed. How did you feel your transitions went? Also scary was the bit about the other biker and the white minivan. You'd think they would have controlled traffic more effectively, although I wasn't there and don't know how that might have worked. But it sounds like the overall event was good for you, not only in terms of time but overall friendliness. Of course, your time was great, so that helped! So, "Yeah YOU!"
Sounds like you had some good bike handling in your favor, and I can't wait to see your pics...Snapfish or Kodak Gallery might be other places to consider posting them.
I hope you are able to find some joy in your training, your running, and tris, and that you come back to WISH. We miss you!
