PM: Neuse Riverkeeper Sprint Triathlon (800m swim, 6 miles bike, 2.5-mile run), 8 miles total running
When I heard that my school within Duke hosts its own triathlon and its Marine Lab in the tiny town of Beaufort, NC, I thought, "Eh, why not?" and signed up for it. This would be my first triathlon. This was pretty low key, with most of the people being Duke environmental grad students with a few others thrown in there. Among them, there were some legitimate athletes, with at least two former D-1 swimmers. Others ran in relays and raced in costume (the guys dressed in disco suits won "best costume").
Coming off of no competitive swimming experience, the swim frightened me the most. It was in the open water, going with the current (thank god). The hosts took us out by boat to a sand bar, where we swam warm-up laps and stretched out waiting for the "GO." Because we were out on a sandbar, it looked like we were all walking on water from a distance, especially standing next to kayaks in the water. I prepared myself to swallow a little pride and a lot of sea water because, at least on the swim portion, I was facing a massive butt-kicking.
The race started in a flurry. I dove too soon, only to realize that others around me were still running toward deeper water. Whoops. I stood up, ran some, fell over, picked myself up, yelled some expletives, and finally started the swim, where I was immediately both winded and disoriented.
I did my best to stay calm in the water, but since I was near last place I couldn't tell what direction I was moving in, this was admittedly a challenge. The swim took us from the sand bar, across a channel, and to a beach on the next island over from the lab. I tried, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully, to stay toward the boats in the adjacent marina, and was encouraged when about halfway through I started catching and violently swimming into people. This was a morale booster, and at this point I could see the landing beach ahead, and instead of praying for the swim to be over, I reminded myself to keep kicking and found my stroke. Though my swimming sucked, general aerobic fitness was a big help here because I more or less felt just as tired finishing the swim as I did 2 minutes into it. I could finally see myself getting to the beach, and adrenaline was setting in. Stroke...breathe....stroke....breathe..."I am rocking this!" I bubbled to myself.
Or so I thought. Upon completion of the swim, I immediately heard a small child ask his mother, "Where'd that guy come from?" I wanted to tell the young lad myself that I'd just missed the landing area of the swim by at least half a football field, but the crowds of beachgoers pointing to their left answered that question for both him and me. "Oh, well shit," I thought. I picked myself up out of the water and ran embarrassed along the shore to the transition zone, ducking under fishing lines and skipping over sandcastles.
Running down the beach, I felt like every muscle was throbbing from the total body workout of the swim. I was unbelievably dizzy and bordering on all-out vertigo. I struggled to hold composure heading up to the parking lot. I mounted my bike and started pedaling. Two seconds later, the world was still spinning on me and I unintentionally swerved off the road into the grass shoulder. Take two! I clipped in and finally started pedaling away.
I had no clue what place I was in, and because I'd forgotten my bike computer at home, I also had no idea of how fast I was going. Good times. I just got into my dropped handlebars and started pedaling like there was no tomorrow (fortunately, since I'd survived the swim, it looked at this point like there would be a tomorrow...). The people in front of me seemed miles ahead at first, but I was gaining on them on the flat seaside roads. Before I made it to Front Street on Beaufort's main drag, I think I caught 4 or 5 people, but from that point on I couldn't see anyone else. I wasn't sure if I was in first, fifth, or fiftieth place as I zig-zagged between cars in places trying to get back to the Marine Lab. I didn't want to ask the volunteers what place I was at risk of sounding hypercompetitive, since this was really just supposed to be for fun and for charity. That small voice in my head that kept telling me to just get to the run wouldn't go away. And for the love of God just don't crash. The little voice said that, too.
Coming into the road that connects the lab's island to the mainland, I passed two relay runners and my grad school friend, Rob who is both a legit cyclist and runner (I'm pretty sure he crushed me on the bike) all leaving the second transition area. Once I got there, I unclipped, threw my helmet down, tied my racing flats, and took off, looking at a deficit of more than a minute. Most of the time when I come off the bike my legs feel like wooden planks. For whatever reason, I wasn't thinking about that, only catching the remaining runners, so it didn't bother me too much.
Running back toward the first transition area, I could tell I was booking it. This is purely subjective since I didn't time myself, but my legs felt pretty much unfatigued from the bike and the swim. One by one, I caught up to Rob, where we exchanged some encouraging words. I have a feeling he would have taken the race, putting too much ground ahead of me early on, but he was fighting off some stomach pains from drinking on the bike. At the turnaround, I could see the last relay runner, and I dug in to catch up with him. With about a mile to go, it looked like I had an open road, but I'd only be sure when I saw the tape ahead at the finish line, where I crossed and immediately threw up six gallons of ocean and a sand dollar that I'd swallowed during the swim (not really).
It was a small race, and seriously just for fun, but I actually felt OK, aided by the simple pleasure of breaking tape at the end. What's more, though I swam poorly in my youth, I'd never raced on a bike before, so that was a cool experience for me, making my overall first triathlon experience a positive one. This race was just for fun, but I ended up winning a modest cash prize, which came as a pleasant surprise. I took in the rest of the afternoon and evening at a cookout on the island with Valerie and my classmates on what seemed like the nicest day we've had all summer. Pictures to come. Beaufort, NC is a special place to me and definitely has that small town charm. Coincidentally, despite a population of 4,000, it's the same town where my mom was born and raised: funny how life comes full circle like that sometimes.
