Riding to the Hollywood Sign. Photo taken by Sarah Douglass
My 1st triathlon was the Strawberry Fields Sprint in Oxnard on July 18, 2010.
Distances: 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 5K run. I finished in 1:35 (one hour, thirty-five minutes).
My 2nd triathlon was the Nautica Malibu Classic on September 12, 2010.
Distances: 4 miles on a relay team for a great cause. My goal was to run those 4 miles in under 35 minutes. I got myself a nice side cramp a couple minutes into the run and had to walk it off. I ran it in 00:36:52 (thirty-six minutes and fifty-two seconds).
My 3rd triathlon was the Inaugural Carson Triathlon on October 23, 2010. My first reverse triathlon.
Distances: 5K run, 12 mile bike, 200m swim. It rained the entire time and about a third of the participants were misdirected on the bike course doing three laps (9 mi) around a particular block rather than four. I did three laps and finished at 1:19 according to the finish line clock but my official time was 1:29.
My 4th was the Inaugural Santa Catalina Tri on November 6, 2010.
Distances: 0.5 mi swim (around a pier between anchored boats), 15K bike ride (3mi loop on a hill, three times), and 5K run (up another very steep double hill, twice). I finished at 1:46. It was not my best run at over 33 minutes for the 5K, but I do have an official 1/2 mi swim record now, clocked at just over 22 minutes.
With four different triathlon experiences under my belt I am not as much of a newbie anymore. Though I’m past the days of believing that swimming a half-mile in the ocean meant one needed to be able to out-swim a shark (one can’t), I still have many more pain-to-gain moments to experience as I attempt even more physical challenges next year, like running a 10K or doing an Olympic distance tri and beyond.
