I tri-ed!

Sandra had held up her end of the deal, and now it was my turn.

The weather was very…weather.

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But we suited up anyway.

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The 24 of us doing the Try-A-Tri distance faced west along the beach, heading to a bright pink buoy 150m away. The sprint distance got ready at the same time, heading out into the lake for their triangle pattern. It was exciting to have so many people in the water at once, but reassuring to know so few would be heading in the same direction as me. The water was 19 degrees…so much warmer than the air that getting in was a bit of a relief after waiting around so long watching the Olympic distance swimmers do their 1.5k.

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It was Manitoba’s biggest triathlon ever with over 300 participants. Rainer was one of 150 participants in the sprint distance. He said he’s never been kicked as much as this triathlon.

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The mist made sighting difficult. I need my glasses, and find the sighting difficult to begin with.  At least we had a bright pink buoy and not the yellow ones.

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I like swimming in lakes, to my utter surprise. I really enjoyed swimming as a girl and even the first few years of university. But every time I’ve gotten in a pool since becoming a mother I’ve gotten a headache – I’d developed a sensitivity to chlorine. But getting into a wetsuit, heading for a destination, and slipping through the water all buoyant and sleek…wonderful!

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I was second out of the water! So exciting! I struggled with my zipper a bit and didn’t have the most fun in transition what with the cold rain that had started falling and struggling to get damp things on a wet body.

(There aren’t any more photos, since the rain drove the family that was watching Sandra and Matthias indoors.)

It turns out that I am more competitive than I thought.  I never feel that way in a running race – I’m not going to win and it’s obvious.  But here…man. I wanted to pass everyone in front of me on the bike.  I was affronted – what were they doing there?  They belonged behind me.  I biked so hard and then ran so hard.  It was fun to know that the distance was short enough that I could just give it my all.

My feet were numb for the first half of the run and when I finally had the feeling back my feet were so wet and slooshy that it wasn’t much fun to be able to notice.

But somehow still fun!  I’ve watched Rainer do this for the past few years.  I’ve risen early with him.  I’ve stood in the cold morning air.  I’ve watched the waves on the water. I’ve felt the winds.  I’ve suffered in humidity and heat.  And I’ve wondered why. Why get into a wetsuit?  Why throw yourself into the water before breakfast?  Why three sports? I’ve discovered the answer is: Because.

Because you can.  Because it’s fun and weirdly attractive to switch sports. Because not letting the weather run your life is so Canadian.  Because you get bragging rights.  Because it’s there like a question waiting for an answer.  But mostly the infuriatingly imprecise ‘just plain because’.

I ended up being second over all and first among the women!  My time was 48:36.  So not only did I discover that I have two new sports to dive into and enjoy, I also came home with a gold medal.  Pretty sweet. And I can’t leave out how awesome Rainer was.  So supportive.  So fun.  So good at believing in me.  And his own results…smashingly good.  He was 13th! 13th!  He rocks.  He’s been such an inspiring example for our family.  He’s taught us so much about how it’s never too late to try something new, to push your limits.

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