Sunfish Sprint TRI - Bonita Lakes Meridian, Ms

OH where do I start???  July 11 was finally here! The one reason I had been swimming 2X a week! The very popular sprint TRI know as SUNFISH.  Friday consisted of making sure I had everything!

If you don't know what a sprint distance is... well it's a 1/3 mile swim, 17 mile bike, and 5K (3.1) mile run.  I did it once back in 2011 and I can say now that I honestly had forgotten just how hard of a course the race actually is!  I guess it's like a marathon.  Immediately afterwards some people will say that they will never do another one and then as time passes they forget the pain and do it again.  Well, I had obviously forgotten the just how hard the hills were on the bike route.  My main concern was the swim.  I'm terrified in open water.  Yep, believe it or not I get extremely nervous and haven't been able to get it under control yet.  I will say that swimming laps in a pool is much DIFFERENT than open water!

The day started off well with several of us carpooling the the race.  We were all on the road by 4:30am driving but that didn't seem to bother us because we love the fellowship of being together and we were all pumped up about doing the race.  Frank, who is always so nice to help me, checked my tires before the race.  I don't know what I'd do without him!

After we aired my tired, we went and placed our bikes on the racks and checked in. The transition area was getting packed with bikes cause more and more racers were arriving.  I soon found several other team members and we took a couple pictures before the race.  Here is me and Serina bout to enter the water.  My stomach was doing flips and my heart was beating ninety miles an hour!

Yes I'm all smiles here, but that didn't last long.  I started out fairly well in the water and then looked up realizing I was not even close to the first turn and started freaking out!  I was so out of breath.  This is the first year that I've been teaching myself to swim the "proper" way in free style.  To me it's much tougher on breathing than the turtle way (head out of water).  My arms, neck and shoulders like swimming the correct way, but not my lungs.  I haven't figured all that out yet.  I think I'm breathing too swallow and it causes me to get out of breath and tire very easily.  Anyway, when I looked up and saw how far I still had to go my heart started feeling like it was going to jump out of my chest.  I started praying hard but I wasn't trusting God. I got more and more scared and at one point I thought I was going to have to flag the canoe person over to get me out of the water (I'm not too vain to admit these things).  I was so tired. I could barely breath.  I flipped over on my back and tried to catch my breath.  When I flipped over I got kicked several times by other swimmers and I even almost swam over one swimmer cause I was on my back and couldn't see where I was going.  It was TERRIFYING!  I think God was throwing this obstacle at me and saying.... "if you really want to do a half ironman next year... you've got to conquer this fear of open water swimming!".  When I finally came out of the water I was literally dazed! I kind of remember walking to my bike and trying to put on my socks and shoes to ride but everything was in slow motion.  I kept telling myself to pull it together.  Finally a calmness came over me and I just sat down and slowing put on my shoes, gloves, etc.  I was ready to ride.  I put on my helmet before I unracked my bike to not get any penalty points and off I went.

The bike ride is brutal!  The first hill after you get out of the park is a KILLER! I looked down at my bike dial and was going like 8mph up the hill and literally didn't know if I was going to make it up the hill.  That's when my spin teacher started talking to me in my head.  She was yelling.. push down, pull up...get up in 3rd position and you've got this hill.  I slowly stood up on my bike and pushed and pushed until I was at the top.  I was breathing like a person who had just ran a sub 5 min mile. LOL  I told myself... OK.. you know the first hill is the toughest... you got this!  Well, as soon as I got my breath back, there was hill #2! They just never stopped coming.  It was rolling hills the whole 17 miles!  I know that God sent me Mel's voice to carry me through cause I heard her yelling in my ear the whole way. Thanks Mel for kicking our butts in spin class and preparing us for this challenge!

Finally after 17 brutal miles, I rolled in and parked my bike.  Now the 3.1 miles running to finish.  SO I'm thinking to myself..... you got this! running is nothing to you! especial 3.1 miles!  But if you've ever ran directly after biking 17 brutal miles let me just tell you that your legs feel like noodles! I was so very hot and tired!  Oh did I mention that I forgot my GU before the swim and before the bike! So I had done all that with no energy kick!  I was suffering at this point but I headed out the gate on the run as I grabbed a GU knowing it as probably to late to help now.  I opened it and was so hot I couldn't even eat it. I quickly just trashed it and went on out the gate.  I really tried to run the whole time, but couldn't.  I felt hot and cold at the same time.  I had chills! All I could think about was dehydration! So I ended up jogging and walking the 3.1 miles and when I say walking.. I walked ALOT! But somehow still managed to run a 10 min mile! I have no idea how cause I felt like it was a 50 minute mile.

I have to say how proud I am of SERINA!  She was ahead of my on the run the whole time and she NEVER stopped running!  I kept watching her thinking I might catch up with her but she never let up!  She really has pushed herself in the last couple of races! Here she is coming in at the finish looking strong!  She also won 2nd place.  She says it pays to be in the "big" girl group.  She kills me! LOL Always making me laugh! I LOVE HER to pieces!

Here's me finally coming in.. (thank you Frank for capturing these pictures)

The girl behind me was breathing so very hard that I was worried more about her than myself at this point.  But I was so happy to FINISH!  This next picture really shows how we all felt when we finished!  I'm so proud of Kathy! This was her first TRI.

Can't you just feel her joy!  I can!  It's done! You did it girl!!! Awesome JOB! Of course after it's all over we had to get some crazy pictures. You can tell by the smiles that we are all very happy at this point!

Serina and I sharing a chicken boy for #runselfiechallenge snack

Nestor and I being silly with my selfie pole trying to capture some selfies.  Hey.....  if you can't have fun.... then you're missing out!

Love these team members!!! Several did their first TRI! I had a great day just in fellowship with each of them!  I could go on and on about this group! They are amazing!

Well..... Until the next TRI..... :>)  Well Maybe.... right now.. I'd rather run 10 marathons than do another TRI. LOL 

Never Ever QUIT! Team Run4TheKids! Always keep moving forward! 

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

Love my goody bag stuff! :>)

Happy Training D!