Defeating the demon

We have once and for all defeated the demon that is the St. George Triathlon. After two failed attempts (which were cancelled due to weather), we finally were able to run the whole thing--swim, bike, run--all in one shot.

We headed down to St. George Friday afternoon with my mom and dad. Usually we have an entire pit crew of friends that come with us, but this time it was just us. My dad ran the race with us as well.

We did have my mom, Grandpa Russ and AnnaLou there to cheer us on though. Thanks guys!

Per tradition, we carbo loaded on Friday night at the Pasta Factory. We were able to get together for dinner with one of Matt's friends from college and his family. Then we crashed at my aunt and uncle's house to prepare for the early morning.

The morning of the race was actually pretty nice. It was the warmest start we've ever experienced. Luckily there were no weather mishaps this time. And the sunrise over the reservoir was beautiful!

Since Matt did the Olympic-distance race, he started about an hour before me. Doesn't he look cute in his wetsuit?

We made sure to stretch!

Apparently my dad needed some help stretching.

We swam. Dad and Matt did great on the swim. I still panic whenever I get in the lake, so I struggled a bit. But I still did OK, and I improved from last time, so that is all that matters. The lake was great. No waves and a decent water temperature.

We biked. Matt of course did great on the biking section. So did Dad. I pushed it really hard and did pretty well. And I made it up the killer hill without stopping. And I even passed a few people.

I have decided however, that I will not be doing another triathlon until I get a road bike. I test rode a couple the other day, but haven't made the purchase yet. But I think it will make a huge difference.

We ran. This run course is totally awful. It's all on sand. And that just sucks the energy right out of you. And it was blasted hot.

But we all finished. In one piece. And now Matt understands why we never want to do that race again. He said it was the hardest thing he's ever done in his life. He did twice the distance I did. I'm so proud of him!

We deserved those medals! Anyway, I am very proud of all of us. Dad finished in about 1:49. I finished in 2:03, and Matt finished in about 3.5 hours. So Garrett, you are the winner of the closest guess to my actual finishing time! Yay for you!

I really wanted to finish in under 2 hours, but I was pretty close, and considering the course conditions, I think I did pretty well. Matt was pretty disappointed with his time. He did great on the swim and the bike, but he didn't train as well as he could have for the run, so that's what got him. And the fact that the entire run was on sand hills. Yick! But I am so proud of him for trying and finishing. And now we both know what we need to improve on.

And we only came out with one minor injury. Matt turned a corner too sharply on his bike and scraped his arm on the string barrier thing. But no stitches or trips to the instacare. So Garrett, you have no need to disown us.

Anyway, it was great. I am glad we were finally able to do the whole course in one shot. But I am also glad triathlon season is over for the year and I can concentrate on other things for the winter. But I'm definately planning on getting back into them next year!