Well .... If you havent seen on my twitter [twitter.com/snobbygyrl] or on my facebook page that I just participated in my first Triathlon, you are now up to speed. Let me preface by saying this, IT IS AS HARD AS IT LOOKS & SOUNDS. Today was filled with lessons learned, pushing the body and the mind and good times.

Honestly, for an entire 48 hrs before the race I was nervous as all hell...scared I'd drown in the open water or get bit by some water creature ...and people, lest we forget THIS IS FLORIDA....so you know what creature runs the water-hood out hurr...Dem Damn Gators!!!!!!

Tip #1: If you plan to participate in a triathlon be advised, this is a very organized sport and demands that you be just as organized, if you plan to be successful.

I woke up at 4am, packed my bag, with sweats & a tee, running sneakers, goggles & swim cap, energy & hydration supplements, ipod, towel, sweets and socks. This is not an inexpensive sport [not that one really exists], however this is not the arena for cheap equipment--the last thing you want is open water filth in your hair--YUCK!!!

By the way, did I mention I have mild OCD... that makes for an interesting mental battle when swimming in murky waters--but we'll get there.

I arrive at the start/transition point and I register, pick up my packet, get marked, get my token and set up my transition station.

Tip #2 AGAIN, organization, I can not stress this enough... set up your transition station so that you have the least amount to do in between sports!!!!

As Im setting up my transition station I am laughing at myself because I did not have time to pick up a bike helmet and I am literally the only person without one-keeping it so H to the double O - D!!! [pardon me I had to laugh at that]. Its the least of my concern though, I've never ever rode my bike with a helmet and I have managed to survive, so I move on to trying to focus on finishing the race. I am now stretching, listening to my ipod trying to summons the spirits of Michael Phelps, Lance Armstrong, & Usain Bolt!!! As time is winding down to the start they announce the waves and the rules. When I hear that I am in the second to last wave and I can not use my ipod for the bike or the run-I almost lost it. Im thinking -- great more time to build up anxiety and I can't run long distances without my music-hell I can barely run them at all.

Tip #3 Treadmill does not equal outside! If you have an outdoors race -- get alot of outdoor runs in, you need to be prepared for the conditions and the terrain and see how your body responds.

I was a sprinter in my youth so distance running has never been my forte!

Closer and closer to start time, everyone is testing out the water and getting themselves warmed up. I walk over to the swim start to join the other athletes in a warm up swim and here is where the day starts to take a toll for the worse.

Tip #4 Warm ups. Do them, do not shock your body with a high exertion activity [especially in water] without prepping your body first. Remember water is always dangerous and can turn deadly at anytime so always take every necessary precaution with water from apparel to training.

As I approach the water, its so crowded on the lined portion of the entrance that I decide to use the side part, NOT BRIGHT--it was so slippery as soon as someone tried to warn me I was already sliding. I was quick to grab hold of the side, but struggled to get out of the water. Needless to say my anxiety at this point is approaching Monk levels at an expeditious rate. As I am fighting my way out of the water a fellow comes sashaying his way into the water, I proceed to tell him don't do it, its way too slippery. He continues in hot pursuit of his warm up swim and BAM. He slipped and fell on his back with his feet in the air. He fell so hard even the jerk in me couldn't muster a laugh, plus he was half under water when he fell, that could have gone really bad for him. I finally get myself out of the water and go down the appropriate entrance. About 2-3 steps off the lining and the water was at my shoulders so I begin to tread water. Unlike the other athletes I had no intention on swimming out to the buoys, I figured it would exert too much energy. Swimming takes alot out of me due to my respiratory issues, it is very hard for me to breathe unless I'm doing the back stroke or simply opting not to breathe and swimming under water. So I take an underwater and dip and decide to head back in, however the further out I get the more I start to panic. I am looking under water and I see nothing but green murkiness and I am like time to go. I hustle my way out of the lake and go stand off to the side of the lake and have a very long convo with the man upstairs. At this point all of my anxiety has been confirmed. Dirty, murky water, with seemingly no bottom seems like a recipe for disaster. Yet, Im talking to big guy and telling myself I can do this, all things are possible through him, and that I shall not be afraid. At this moment I realize just how many spectators came to support their friends, family, and co-workers and that I had no one.

Tip #5 Support! Especially for your first big event--its invaluable and really makes a difference.

Let me take this time to say thank you to all of you who sent me support, love, and well wishes via facebook, twitter, text, and bbm. It meant alot, in fact it was all the support I had, so I had to just keep reverting back to it in my mind to feel less alone. Over the course of my years being an athlete, I have never really made much ado about anything I am participating in and I have remained consistent in that practice, which is why I had no one at the event. However, had I known how much anxiety I would have about the open water I would have told my people to come.

The race has started and I am watching from the swim finish. The first heat was the 50+ men and women and I mean this first guy swam the quarter mile open water like he was in his pool. I just knew I could do it and I said to myself, you can swim, just keep swimming. I know what technique I am suppose to use in open water for maximum speed and least exertion - keep swimming. I know when my chest gets tight resort to my preferred stroke-the back stroke, because I am most comfortable, thus able to control my breathing-keep swimming. When its time for my wave, I wait on the lining for the start, although we had an open water start [u start in the water]. The whistle blows and I start swimming. Immediately the merkiness makes me want to vomit. I decide definitely no underwater swimming in this lake, so I utilize the open water technique that I learned [but clearly is not the same w/o open water practice] and merky water got in my mouth -ANXIETY ON HIGH. I push through that and I keep swimming, however I am a bit freaked out at this point. I decide to back stroke because I feel the anxiety making my chest tight... its working for a bit...but I am not moving fast enough in my opinion. Keep in mind my goal was to finish, not to "do well" placement wise, but my competitiveness randomly kicked in [and continued to do so]. So now I go back to the stroke that seems most effective in this water but I am already getting tired from the 3 changes of strokes, the murky water getting in my mouth, the chest tightens and Im like oh hell no-I am out of here. I begin to tread water and I flag one of the rescue boats, because now I am in full Monk mode. I hang on to the side of the row boat talking myself off the ledge while I decide if I want to finish this swim. After a minute or two of feeling like I was even going to fall off the side of the row boat to the bottomless pit of nowhere, I decide for my own sanity if I do not get out of this water, I could seriously have a panic attack. However, at this point I have scared myself to where I am frozen. When I tell the rescuer that I want to get out of the water he gives me a floaty and tells me to lean on it and rest in the water for a bit, then decide. I tried that. I really wanted to overcome this open water foolery--more importantly I was feeling like a punk ass bitch and that was not sitting well with me -AT ALL! So Im leaning on the floaty but feeling apprehensive as all begeez. He tells me it holds 4 people and that I could relax, he was right. So as he leaves me there holding a floaty, the race around me is still kicking. Oh did I mention that he dragged me further out into the water though--which is why I felt like I would fall into a bottomless pit. Anyway, another rescuer came by and she asked me if I wanted to get out or try and make the swim [I am in the middle of the lake now, the lap went a lil further out around the buoys]. I looked at how far out it was and assessed how constricted my breathing had become and decided you know what.. Im going to wrap this up before they are wrapping me up-literally. I decide to swim to the finish from the middle of the lake. Its me and my floaty kicking and paddling for dear life. The woman was really nice and supportive and stayed with me the whole way until I could stand again. I swear it felt like I wasn't even moving, but 11minutes later I was back on solid ground. I didnt know if I would be disqualified and I have to keep it a hundred, I wanted to cry at the thought of being disqualified. This event really meant alot to me. So I get out at the swim finish, I am trying to catch my breath and control my breathing and catch a sign from event staff as to whether I can continue. They all start clapping and yelling, keep going good job, you can do it --and as corny as that ish is...it did help, I put some pep in my step and headed to the transition area.

Tip #6 Apparel. I think its best to get wet/dry apparel. So that you dont need to do wardrobe changes, especially if you are competing for placement, you want to limit the time you spend in transition.

I dry off quickly, put on my socks and kicks and snatch my bike off the rack, but rather than fly out like many others, I paced myself. I drank some water and decided to walk myself out. I was still coming down off of the water craziness and just wanted to do a solid job on my bike. I hit the line where I can get mount my bike and Im off. Just as I hit the street a spectator yells, you need a bigger gear, I yell back I know, she then yells, you need a taller seat, I yell, I know. At this point she has pushed me into full NYC riding the train attitude zone and I yell back to her, since you are so abreast of my needs go buy me a bike-BOOMKAT... she didn't say too much after that. I am riding along on the wrong side courtesy of the event lady telling me to stay to the left-false, the left is for passing. So now, people are yelling "on your left" non stop.

Tip#7 Stay Alert. When biking and running, people who will pass you will do so on the left, and so you need to hear when they are coming and when they announce themselves so that you can get out of the way. This is for the safety of everyone.

Finally another athlete tells me to stay to the right so people can pass on the left and that the event lady told me wrong. I appreciated her. So now I am in the right peddling my life away. I had to peddle for a mile without stopping and I was still getting passed by everyone-there goes that competitive nature again. I put that part of me back in check, but I am still a lil salty that this bike sucks azz. I knew it wasnt a great bike but it was all I could afford for the time being and it was my first race, what if I didnt like triathlons and had spent $300 on a bike-I'd be pissed. So as I am riding my heart out, sans ipod, I am noticing the array of schwinn, cannondale, nytro, etc bikes zooming past me and I knew right there I would be blogging about how you need a schwinn to win! Nevertheless I kept riding, kept riding and pushed it. On the way into transition I decided I am going to speed walk most of the run, because I had a cramp and my legs and arms were beat from the previous events. This way I can finish, run in intervals, and not need to be carried off on a stretcher.

I get to transition, drink my water as I exit the area and get ready for my run. I jog out onto the street and jog for a bit, but dehydration is still rampant so I stop drink my water and start brisk walking. I start to pick up the pace to speed walking. I am doing non stop intervals of walks and jogs. Oh let me back it up--on my bike ride I seen a lot of people with their mp3s, so I went and got mine. So now I am speed walking to Hova and a nice guy jogs up along side and says come on lets jog, I told him I would in a bit, so he smiles and jogs off-he had one arm and 2 prosthetic legs. He drank some of his water and kept running. I said well I'll be damned!!! I felt inspired. I start jogging again and then it all comes back to me- I HATE JOGGING- lets run dammit. My body does what it naturally prefers to do and Im booking it, but I know I cant RUN for 3.7 miles. I slow myself down to a jog, and go back into my medley. The funny thing was every time I tried to jog, I found myself damn near at a full sprint. I just kept laughing at myself. Then things got unfunny. I stopped at a gatorade station for a quick drink and my gludes began to itch insatiably.

Tip#8 Lubricant. These wet suits and tri suits are not skin friendly material, especially once you have been in open water and then sweating in them. So be sure to purchase a good lubricant you can put on before you put on your suit and be sure to apply enough of it.

So, I guess I did not apply enough to my bum, because every time I stopped running I was itching so bad I was tempted to strip in the streets just to scratch but that is just not lady like! I kept up my medley while digging a hole in the palm of my hands every time I stopped running and the itchies kicked in. At this point I am thinking every portion of this race has had some trials for me and I am not even mad about it. I am just sticking to my medley game plan. Now coming down Robinson passing Panera, I know the race is almost over, because I THOUGHT the race ended at Lake Eola-FALSE. The race ended at Wall Street. That was another 2 blocks up and 3 blocks over. I decided scrap the medley and finish up strong... so I ran up those 2 Robinson blocks and jogged the last 3 blocks on Orange. Made sure I was looking strong for the camera man at the finish line and when they announced my name as I turned into Wall Street, all I kept saying to myself was OMG THIS ISH IS INSANITY.... AND I CANT WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN AND DO IT BETTER. I was greeted with applause, energy drinks, beer and smiles. I grabbed 2 vitamin waters and headed for the shuttle back to start for my car.

Tip #9 Talk to people. You all have just shared an awesome experience. Talk to people see how they feel about it and if they are a regular. It could inspire you to work harder and do better.

I met a dentist from Staten Island. He lives in FL now, been here since 85. He said NYC was just too much back in his days, which is why he never looked back, but that he knows its better and he's glad about that. Who can deny NYC in the 80s was an insane place. Well he grew up in the 60s and 70s so when he was done with Dental School in the mid-80s, he had seen things go from bad to worse and he made an expeditious exit-stage left. He was awesome. He just started triathlons last year and in his infinite wisdom he started with an olympic length event and in the Tampa Bay. He told me a great story. He said he went out to the Bay the day before and seen how calm the water was and figured he would be fine. Even I know how temperamental TAMPA BAY is, so I just waited for it...lol, he said the next day the wind and waves were insane and it took him 55min to swim 1500k -- still not bad I say for one's first time. He told me about great places to train in FL and suggested if I really love track & field to head out to Clermont to the NTC where Team USA and other National Athletes train. Needless to say I will be visiting that joint sooner than later.

Tip #10 HAVE FUN.

All in all I had one of the best times. I can not wait to train for open water, I hope to be in the open water within the next six months. Until then I will keep competing in runs and duathlons and training better now that I have found a tri club out here that meets early enough for me to not be late to school. I really missed the athletic world. It just keeps you healthier and I think it just makes you overall a happier person. Nothing gives you as amazing a feeling as completing something you did not think you could or would finish. I am hoping to get a better bike this week so that I can race in Miami next Sunday. I will keep you all posted.

XOXO
Snobby Gyrl