So I faced my fear...
I have had a triathlon bike with clip-in pedals for over 4 years - sitting, alone in the garage. I'm sure that some QuintanaRoo owner out there is grimacing at the thought of my simple but steady Trek being untouched with flat tires for so long but I will have you know, She has plenty of attention now. And, $200 later, She even has her own computer and headlights!
Let me tell the story.
During these past 4 years since college I have had many people ask "well, if you ran and swam in college - why don't you race triathlons now?" and I always had some silly excuse but never could admit the real reason. So here is the real reason...
I was afraid of the clip-in pedals.
Well, the fact is that even after logging several hundred miles on Her, I am still afraid of these pedals - but facing my fears is part of the fun now!
Just this once, I'll start the story from the beginning...
After college, I moved to Florida to dive deeper into the world of swimming - to explore ocean races and challenge myself in new ways beyond the 50 Freestyle from college. I fell in love with the ocean races despite a healthy fear of sharks. I now have a vow to myself to swim in the ocean whenever I have the chance.
And with that being said - I moved to St. Louis, Missouri one year ago... far away from the ocean. Ugh. I've tried to fill the void with some lake swimming - but I'll admit - its not the same. (Nothing a 2 week vacation to Key West in November can't fix though!!)
After the move is when I really started to work back on my running with a handful of 10k's and a few 1/2 marathons - always working to cut my times. I always joke about being an addict - addicted to PR's. Something about the endorphins running through my blood but each time I make a goal, I end up back on the computer signing up for 5 more races! My partner, Denise <3, thought it was funny at first... but I honestly think she is starting to worry.. haha.
... at least its a healthy addiction?
So back to the Triathlon-ing story.
I must have practiced clipping in and out of my bike ten thousand times over a few weeks before I even took Her out of the road. My first ride was around Forest Park here in St. Louis and it went GREAT - until I reached the end of the 18 miles, at the end of our driveway - where I fell.
My second ride fall was trying to get going when the light turned green.
My third ride fall was around a sharp corner.
I could go on. but I will stop embarrassing myself. Needless to say, I am quite talented at falling. On a plus side (knock of wood) I have never hurt myself.
I only fell once during my first triathlon. Ok this is actually a funny part of the story.
Many people don't realize - but Road bicycles are good tricksters. I don't have a coach and at the time, no mentor on my bike - so, well, I didn't know very much about my bike. Like, how to change a flat. So I went to The Google the night before the race to teach myself. I thought I had it figured out by the time I crawled into bed - doing what I now know as the worst technique ever. I set my station up at the tri on race day, kissed my bike to tell Her I loved her, and jogged down to the lake front for the swim start.
swim went well. 1st female out. I hopped on my bike - hum? I don't remember having to pedal this hard yesterday - but I guess this is a pretty big hill. And Bam, I tipped over. Without even thinking, I remounted as quickly as I could - No one saw that right?? - and managed to make it about 4 more miles before my legs were screaming at me. I stopped to do the dreaded - to change my tire. But, weird, my tire had full air. So, I hopped back on the bike for another mile before I stopped to double check. Turns out my breaks were set so tightly they were rubbing on the tire the entire time. I yanked the two sides as hard as I could and it was like the world had changed!! The next 13 miles were perfect and the run felt effortless. Despite the hard bike lesson, I finished the race with the biggest smile on my face!
So, that afternoon Denise forgot to put me on Internet time-out and I was able to sign up for another triathlon, Lake St. Louis Olympic distances (decided to go for the longer one in honor of 2012 being an Olympic year).
At my 2nd triathlon, I learned a second hard bike lesson... Don't forget to pack your spare tire tubes! Again, first woman out of the water. After some extended transition time, I mounted my bike just as I was being passed by a woman with giant muscles in her professional gear. I was able to hold on to 2nd until mile 15 and then at mile 16 - my tire blew out. I realized my massive error at that time but I figured "well, I guess I can ride on a flat for 8 more miles..." wrong. at mile 22 I had a crash as I rode the rim down a hill with a left hand turn. Good thing I knocked on wood! no injuries. I tried to fill the tire with air. That helped, for 3 seconds. I rode the next 1.5 miles unclipped at a pace passable by a teenage girl on her mountain bike. The last 1/2 mile on the bike was uphill with a few turns. So, well, I dismounted and started the run early.... I finished with a great 10k run and continued to have the biggest smile as I crossed the finish line in 2:47.12.
My first though - I have LOTS OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT! Just think, next time I will have a PR! Already chasing the addiction...
So there you have it. The story of triathlon career do far. And well, for those of you who know me and for those of you who know me now that you have read this entire story...
I already have a list of triathlons I will be signing up for next summer...
Adventure Max trail 1/2 marathon - March 3rd - Innsbrook, MO
Team Tri - Canoe, Mtn bike, run - March 4th - Innsbrook, MO
Go! St. Louis Marathon - April - St. Louis, MO
Max-trax run, bike, run - April 7 - Columbia, MO
Tri-Zou Sprint - May 6 - Columbia, MO
Kansas City Tri - international distance - Lee's Summit, MO
Max-o-mania 3 races in 2 days - June 22-23 - Innsbrook, MO
Half-Max, half ironman - Sept 22 - Oklahoma City, OK
(Did I mention how beautiful Innsbrook, MO is?!)
Who's joining me??
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