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Two years ago I completed my last triathlon, the SheRox Triathlon in San Diego. Following that race I was registered for two more triathlons in the coming year, but the first one was cut short to a only a run due to bad weather, and I skipped out on the second because I had been getting dizzy swimming in the pool (due to my then unknown brain tumor) and was afraid to get into the ocean. The SheRox Triathlon has since been branded the Esprit de She race series, and just this year Girls on the Run was announced as a partner and beneficiary. Due to this relationship several of my friends from Girls on the Run were doing the race and our Board of Directors even had a relay team formed.
It crossed my mind to do this triathlon, but it was just one week after the Long Beach Marathon and I figured I was better off giving myself a break and avoiding the dirty ocean bay water in my semi-immunocompromised state. About a month before the race our Board relay team biker had to drop out due to a personal commitment so I agreed to step in. I hadn't biked in about a year but it's a short course so I figured it wouldn't be an issue. A few days before the race though our runner dropped out as well ... and instead of trying to get a replacement for her I begged another friend to step in for the bike leg and proposed that I would be the runner instead. Luckily it all worked out and by race day we had a swimmer, biker, and runner!
Girls on the Run Triathletes Pre-Race
Jeanie Coming Out of the Water
Allison Coming Out of the Water
Tara Coming Out of the Water
Kathryn - Relay Team Biker - In Tutu!
Soooo Happy To Be Running!
Charging Towards the Finish
22:09 Finish ~ 7:30 Pace!
Girls on the Run Relay Team
Happy To Still Have Some Speed
"Triathlon Finisher" Medal - Err.. Not Really
For the past year I've had nothing but slow runs and haven't even attempted any speed workouts. I was happy enough just to slog through my runs as I cycled through one week on chemo and three weeks off each month. The races I've completed this past year have been the slowest ever, even slower than when I first started running 12 years ago. With this in mind, I had low expectations of my performance in the relay, but I admit that a part of me was hoping that I could pull out a 22:XX finish like I used to be able to before I was diagnosed with cancer. I must have had my Wheaties this particular morning because I ended up finishing the run in 22:09. Possibly my fastest 5K ever? It couldn't be ...
I forgot to start my watch when I started to run because I was so flustered over trying to make a fast transition of the timing chip when Kathryn came in on the bike, and whenever I did look down at my watch I was running about a 7:30 pace. Not the 7:15 I used to be able to keep up, but still a great pace for me right now. Someone told me later that the course was actually 2.9 miles instead of 3.1 miles, which I believe. So although the official race results show that I was running a 7:09 pace, I really think it was closer to a 7:30 pace. Regardless, I'm thrilled with my time and it was so fun to have a taste of some of the speed I thought was left far behind.
My next race is in two weeks and I'll be running the Silver Strand Half Marathon for the first time. This weekend I'll also be doing something a bit different, I'll be rappelling down the Manchester Grand Hyatt in Downtown San Diego as part of a brain cancer fundraiser. Crazy? Yes. Fingers crossed I don't totally chicken out! More on the fundraiser here.
