Crossing the Finish Line!!

WE DID IT!!!! Race day finally came and we were super psyched! I can confidently say that neither Crystal or I slept through the whole night.

I'll try and break "Race Day" down as best I can, and I'll try and not write a novel but I don't want to leave too many details out!

4:40 am, Sunday October 5: Both Crystal's and my phone alarm went off at the exact same time. I had been wide awake since 4:00 am, but we got out of bed and started moving. We had gotten our bags together the night before and had our race day outfits laid out so we could get up and out as fast as possible. With a whopping 880 people in the race, we wanted to be sure that we had pleanty of time.

5:25am - We arrived promptly to the park and walked across the street from the car to the transition area. It was SO cold out!! On our way in, we got our bodies marked (numbers on our arms and the front of our legs, and our age on our calf), and checked in our bikes. Then we made our way inside the transition area to begin setup.

There were already a good number of people there, but Crystal was the first one there on her rack, and I was the second on mine. We set up our spots and nervously checked them about 10 times each. You get a 2 minute penalty if your bike is on the wrong rack, so had to get it right.

My transition area...

Crystal's transition area... After setting up, we went to get our chips (a device you put around your ankle that tracks what time you come in and out of transition from each leg of the race), and left the transition block to stretch and wait for our families and friends to get there. The nerves were already starting to get to us. We ran into Robyn Singer a little later and the three of us mentally prepared ourselves by talking about what was to come. All the while, there was a guy on a microphone reminding everyone of the rules for the race, ways you'll get time penalties, ways you'll get disqualified, and reminding everyone that the water was 71.9 degrees. At the time, that sounded really cold!

6:45 am - Our family and friends got there (my mom, dad, sister, nanny and papa , crystal's mom, step dad and niece, Jen Hester, and Robin Peters who arrived shortly after) and we took them through how the race was going to work and where we though they should stand so that they could see us. I was pretty sure that they would only see us start and finish the race, but as you will see further on based on the pictures they took, they saw a lot!

7:10 am - We made our way down to the beach for the swim. Our families and Jen joined us as we shivered on the beach, and the nerves started to set in even more. There was a sea of people in different color swim caps (each wave had a different color), and most of the people looked like they were hard core triathletes - very intimidating!! Jim, the race director, went over some rules and the race was ready to get underway.

7:43 am - The race started a little late, but the first wave of athletes took off to the lake. They start with the men first. The first guy to finish the swim finished it in 5 minutes and 46 seconds. He was also the first one to finish the whole race - and he was light years in front of everyone. CRAZY!!

8:03 am - Our wave lined up at the start line, just after the last wave of men. Our wave consisted of the 20-24 age group and the 25-29 age group, so Robyn, Crystal and I were able to start together. While we were SO nervous, we were comforted by the girls who were standing by us because they were telling us about how nervous they were too, and how they weren't good swimmers. That made us feel a little more prepared at that point because we had been training for the swim so we at least felt like we knew what we were doing.

8:07 am - The race officially began for our group! We ran into the water in probably the biggest cluster imaginable. Everyone was so close together which made it much harder to swim that we could have imagined.

Despite the fact that we were wearing goggles, you couldn't see a thing in the water. We were getting kicked in the head and hit left and right because everyone was pretty much on top of one another, so with that and the combination of not being able to see, we were pretty much forced to swim with our heads above water. Needless to say, it was rough and we were sucking in so much water, I really thought I was going to drown before the first 100 meters was over. At that point I almost started to panic, but I tried to concentrate and push through. Once we rounded the first corner, I found it much easier to swim. We were more spread out so I was able to go back to freestyle with my head under the water and swim like I had been training. That was MUCH easier. At that point Crystal and I had lost each other because all you could see was little blue swim caps - you couldn't tell who anyone was. It was still impossible to see in the water, so I just keep looking up every now and then to make sure I was still on the right path. As I was finishing the swim I stood up to run out of the water, and I stepped onto a rock and face planted into the water. I came up laughing thinking that I was yet again giving everyone a reason to think that I'm sliiiiightly clumsy ;). Little did I know, I ended up getting a pretty bad cut on the ball of my foot, which is still killing me! We ran up the hill and saw Jen Hester, Robin Peters, and our families cheering us on and taking pictures.

Crystal and I met at our meeting place out of the water (about halfway up the hill) and proceeded to go up the rest of the massive hill to the transition area.

8:25 am - We had finished making the transition from our swim to the bike - putting on our shoes and socks, helmet, sunglasses, etc., and we set off on the bike course. Because we were on an open course (on the road with cars and everything!) the race rules were to ride in a single file line. Crystal was right behind me as we passed our families and friends once again - they were very good about following us around!

Somewhere between mile 2 and 3 on the 14-mile bike ride: I took yet another spill. This one was much worse than the fall getting out of the lake. I was going down a pretty steep hill, and my right foot slipped off my pedal and hit the front wheel of my bike. If you can imagine what momentum I had as my bike came to a screeching halt, you can get the mental picture of my back wheel flipping over the front of my bike, and me going with it. It was probably one of the scariest things that's ever happened to me. There was a group of people who passed me, as well as a pace car, who tried to stop to make sure I was okay. I said I was okay and told them not to stop. It was a bad fall, but I got extremely lucky with only a few scrapes and bruises on my legs, knees and palms of my hands, and I was back on my bike in a matter of seconds to get back to the race. I'm still not sure how I managed to get back up so quickly. But after thinking about it, I would have been absolutely devastated if I had hurt myself and wasn't able to finish the race. At that point I thought Crystal had soared passed me. Little did I know, she too had to stop because her chain came off of the gears of her bike, so she didn't know I fell.

The bike course was VERY hilly! The hills were steep, and it turned out to be a very difficult ride - definitely no Greenway. We had trained at going 14 miles, but we were not prepared for the kinds of hills that we encountered on this ride. Plus, neither of us were on road bikes, so that alone made the ride slower for us. One lady even pointed it out to me that I had the wrong bike for the race. I wanted to say back to her "I am sorry, but if you would like to buy me a $2000 bike, be my guest". I held it in and just stayed focused and didn't respond. Of course, she caught me in the middle of a huge hill.

At the very end of the bike part, Crystal and I finally made it back to each other by coincidence as we proceeded up the final hill to the transition area.

9:30 am - We had put our bikes up, helmets off, and we set off on the last leg of the race - the run. Everyone was there cheering us on and we got another burst of adrenaline. We were so close to the finish!

10:14 am - 2 hours 7 minutes and 34 seconds after our start we crossed the finish line! I can't even describe the feeling. Everyone was there to cheer us on, and a wave of emotions just came over us. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, scream, jump up and down or what. But we did it!! It was such an accomplishment for both of us, and we were so proud of ourselves for finishing - and not even in last place like we joked about!

We want to thank you all so much for your continuous support and encouragement. We couldn't have done it without you! We have a lot of people we want to thank individually so check back later for a separate post, because I think I've kept you here long enough!

And it's not over! We've already talked about signing up for another race, so keep checking in with the tribabies, 'cause we'll keep posting as we take on new adventures!

I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so...scared!!!

Let the games begin!!! It's that time folks, you have been reading about us, encouraging us, and watching us train for almost three months now and it's finally GO TIME. We left out of Atlanta today around 1:00 and headed to the bike store to pick up Caryn's bike with a new odometer, then stopped off for food, then tried to get gas, which was a chore, we finally got on 85 then realized the bike rack was loose but once Caryn fixed that little issue, we were off to Lake Lanier.

We arrived around 2:15, ready for the transition clinic at 3:00. When we finally got there this is what we saw. Oh yes over 800 people will be packed into this little blue square transitioning in and out of the seperate sections.




We got in line, picked up our packet, swim cap, and number then went down to see the swim start. Notice I say went down...below you can see the huge hill we have to run up to get to the transition area, not to mention bare footed.

The really big hill we have to run up....

The swim course....


We came back up from scouting out the swim and had a lovely workshop with Jim the race instruction with a lot of first time triathletes which made us feel a little better and not totally alone. After the workshop, we drove the run trail and then the bike trail. We learned during our workshop that the bike would NOT be a closed course, obviously causing some major stress but we plan just to go with the flow.

Our transition spots...




After leaving Lake Lanier we checked into our hotel room, bikes and all and then had the chance to look at all the cool stuff in our race packets.


Jen came up to stay with us and we all went to run some last minute errands then headed over to Olive Garden for some major carb loading. Mmmmm...delicious!!! After dinner we stopped by the Walmart for some bananas and sinus stuff for Caryn to breathe (key!) and then headed back to the hotel. My parents and niece stopped by on their way to the hotel to see how we were and give us some encouraging words. We just finished lining up everything for tomorrow, putting our numbers on our race belts, packing our transition bags and getting ready for bed.


Trying on the race belt....




It works....






We will start at 4:45AM tomorrow in order to be at the race at 5:30, just to make sure we have plenty of time. Thanks to everyone who has called, texted, or said congrats and good luck to us leading up to tomorrow. You have no idea how much your encouragement means to us!!! Since you have all been so supportive we took tons of pics for you to look at, more tomorrow!!!!



I have to share one last parting quote from Caryn as we were heading back from dinner..."I wish Lance Armstrong was doing our triathlon"

IT'S HERE! And swimming in pants is a little weird...

So the weekend of the Tri is here and we're so excited! We both are a little nervous, of course, and I know I am a little sad that it's almost over because the training for this for our first time was actually a lot of fun, but over all we can't wait!

I went to go buy a pair of tri-shorts yesterday, and after I tried them on I asked the guy at Peachtree Bikes if the only difference between tri shorts and my normal workout gear was the butt pad (which is called a schammi i think?) and he said yes. So I decided that instead of spending $60 on shorts I will ONLY wear to race in that I should buy something I'll wear a little more often. So I bought a pair Underarmour dry-fit leggings (similar to ones I already have that I wear to run on a regular basis). I did a test swim in the pants last night, and although it was a little strange to be in a pool a little more clothed than your average bathing suit, it went fine and I'm comfortable to race in them.

So now we're all set. I have a list of what I need to bring and I feel like we're pretty prepared. We leave tomorrow early afternoon to head up to Lake Lanier, because the race is holding a transition clinic at 3:00 for first timers. We'll be doing that and then we'll rest up so we can be at the race bright and early at 6:00 am to set up our stations.

I can't wait to let you guys all know how it goes! If you have any last minute tips, please let us know. Wish us luck!!!

Retraction...woohoo!

I'm not sure a retraction of facts has ever been good but in this case it is. So i just looked more closely at our packet and it seems that three of the womens groups start together...SWEET! We get to start together, so exciting. We officially hit the water at 7:50AM!!

Thanks Caryn's aunt for the heads-up, I think we were reading at the same time.

Rock on!!

Ok so here are the pics Caryn referred to the other night. I put them up here so you guys wouldn't have to exhaust yourselves scrolling down...you're welcome!

Enjoying some delicious Brusters!

Caryn and Marissa

Fun in the grocery cart!

Bad News Bears!

Well it was bound to happen, a major set back! Yesterday I was looking around the Emerald Point website, trying to get any last minute info when I happened to notice the age group breakouts, 20-24 and 25-29... UH OH! Caryn is 24 and I am the ripe old age of 26...crap! So you ask yourselves, what does this mean? I'll tell you. It means that Caryn and I will start the race at different times b/c the start is in progressions by age group, oldest to youngest. There is a chance that we could meet up because I'm slow and Caryn could catch me but not sure how far about the groups start. We even tried to email the race director, Jim, to see if either of us could switch groups and he responded promptly with a "no, race in your own group or wave" and no he doesn't mean wave at me if you go by, he means throw all your training and hard work down the drain if you don't like how the age groups are set up. Fine Jim, we'll do what you want!!!

Needless to say this was a total bummer for us yesterday, after almost three months of training together every day, and now we must go it ALONE!! The fear that we had about the race and the transitions is even more amplified by this news. We are trying to stay positive and keep pushing toward the finish...literally but it's a real bummer.

One other small tidbit is that the temperature is supposed to drop tomorrow to the 4o's - 50's at night and early morning, that could make for a very cold swim but keep your fingers crossed that the water will be warm and the sun will be shining.

Thanks to all our friends and family who have plans to make the trek up to Lake Lanier to see us, I hope we make you proud!! Thanks again for all your support and inquiry about our training.

One Week Left!

So it's hard to believe but one week from today at this time, we will be all done with the triathlon. We've been training since July 9, and we've come a long way! Today, after we both had very long tiring weekend (I was in Athens for the GA/Bama game - I know, a TOUGH loss!, and Crystal was in Auburn for the Auburn/Tennessee game - another hard loss!) we set out in the afternoon for our last day of bricks. By the way, I found out where the technical term "brick" came from. It's because they say your your body feels like a ton of bricks when you're done! Glad I'm not the only one...

Anyway, I got in a minor tiff with my bike trying to get it down the stairs of my apartment and then we had some issues getting the bike rack on Crystal's car, but once we were done, we headed up to alpharetta and got started. We were both exhausted from our weekends but pushed through like champs. We rode the entire 14 mile bike length and then ran for a little while, and some exciting things happened along the way.

We found out not too long ago that no headphones (which in turn means no ipod) are allowed on race day. That is pretty much what gets us through our runs sometimes so we were quite bummed about that. But while we were biking we played a little game where you name a celebrity (we also played with characters - everything from miss piggy to george castanza) and then the next person has to name someone whose first name starts with the first letter of the previous person's last name. This, I think, is how we are going to occupy ourselves during our run during race day. Like Juli had suggested in one of her previous comments, games like these are great to do while running because they don't require a lot of talking but they're a great way to keep your mind occupied and distracted from thinking about how long we've been running.

Then, after 14 miles, we hopped off our bikes and hit the pavement to run. I had my ipod on shuffle, and I started the run off belting out "Roxanne". Crystal did what she could to drown me out using her ipod but no success because I was on a karaoke roll. I'm sure the other people at the greenway were thrilled to hear me singing. And then the coolest thing - we spotted two deer just a little off the path in the woods. They were eating off the trees, and weren't even phased by us. We think it was a mom and her baby becasue the second one was tiny and was following the bigger one around. It was SO cool - we wished we had our camera! They just kept looking at us and going along their merry way. VERY cool.

Then we had our usual Sunday night dinner with my family at my parent's house and then they took us out to Brusters for a little treat :). While we were there, there was this shopping cart (there is a Kroger in that shopping center too) that had a plastic outside to make it look like a race car and it was left in a parking space like someone actually planned to do that so we took a picture there. The pics are on Crystal's camera so we'll be posting those later.

Anyway - hard to believe we only have one week left! We're planning on taking it kind of easy this week so we are nice and rested for the race, but we'll keep you loyal readers up to date!

XOXO,
Gossip Girl.

(that's for all of you out there that watch the show, since it's on tomorrow night!)

Adultnapping

Oh yes, it is a real thing and it could have possibly happened to your two favorite tri-babies!! Last night Caryn and I headed up to the Greenway, a lovely trail in the burbs. I had just returned from Knoxville, no comments, I know we got destroyed and Caryn had just left her new BFF at the Bare Essentials counter at Lenox. We arrived in time to ride a mile or so with Caryn's dad, who I'm pretty sure thinks we are the slowest bikers on earth :) We broke off to ride the remaining 13 miles and got to about mile 9 and it started getting a little dusky, cut to 15 minutes later and it was totally dark, especially in the wooded areas. We rode as fast as we could the remaining 3 miles, while encountering two deer, one bunny rabbit, and two people (which were the scariest in the dark). We finally made it back to the car and discussed all of our fears as we were riding, everything from people jumping out of the bushes to someone acting like they were stranded to lure us in.

The moral of the story...don't be stupid, like we were, and try to get in the full time before it gets dark. Just turn around and save it for another day. All in all its a funny story but at the time we definately thought we were going to be written about in the paper.

On a seperate note, I want to give a shout out to Mom Mindy for making some delicious spaghetti, salad and bread last night. It really hit the spot and is great to have a real meal, especially while watching the Emmies!! Thanks Ellin family for taking me in!!!

Until next time.....