Triathlon: DONE!

photos by Cassandra Mohr
The triathlon was a great experience.
I know it has little to do with what we usually talk about here, but if you read the Gondola Blog, then I consider you a friend, and these are the kinds of experiences you want to share with friends.

So indulge me here a little bit.
Every now and then I'll lose all control and co-opt the blog for personal content, and today is one of those days.

The following is a rough copy of an e-mail I sent to a few friends, and I think it sums things up fairly well.

I didn’t set any records with my course time, but I finished the race, enjoyed the experience, and even had the energy to row a gondola cruise later in the evening.
It was my first time in one of these crazy races, so I spent a lot of time studying how others were doing things – which helped me quite a bit.
The hardest event for me was the swimming. I’m terrible at swimming…always have been.
I swim like a moose.
My biggest goal was to finish the swim, which I did, and to not run out of energy during the running part.
Nutrition and blood-sugar were important to me as a diabetic.
The bike segment was easy for me – I’m very comfortable on a bike, and I took the opportunity to drink a lot of water and have some food while riding.
The run was great. I have trained a lot in running, and it really helped.
I thought I’d be more wasted during the run, but the excitement of the race boosted my adrenaline.
When I read about triathlon, I noticed that they wrote about 4 things: swimming, cycling, running, and transition.
Transition is when you switch from one event to another.
Serious triathletes go crazy over making every second count in transition.
For me, it was a “voyage of discovery”, and I moved at an easy pace, with a focus on doing it right – not fast.
At the end, Elisa asked me what my thoughts were. I said: “I can’t wait to do another”.
Next time, I think I’ll get more than 3 hours of sleep the night before!
HA! I’m such a jack-ass!

Here are a few blackmail-worthy photos my daughter took that morning:

Ready for the swim...and looking like a penguin!

midway through the bike segment.

A few meters from the finish line, and running on "pure YOWZA!"

I didn't place very well in my age division, but I took first in the "Gondolier's Division".
Thank God there weren't any other gondoliers in the race.