Triathlon is a Team Sport
I signed up for the Freedom Springs Sprint Triathlon when a friend in a local moms running club signed up and announced it would be her very first triathlon. By no means am I a seasoned triathlete or a veteran of the sport, but I was elated to know that another person was being introduced to the sport. I also knew how much I dreaded the swim and thought she might have some concerns about the swim.
She had about 5 weeks of swim practice to prep her for the triathlon. She also told me at this time that she almost drowned when she 5 years old and was hoping to conquer part of that fear by doing this triathlon. During this time I asked around about the swim. I learned that the swim was an out-and-back swim in chilly, spring fed waters. The worst part of the swim would be grabbing and kicking through plant vegetation (long grass). An open water swim is challenging enough, but to swim through all that nonsense did not sound pleasant.
Race Day
The forecast for race day: 80% chance of thunderstorms by 9:00 a.m., 100% chance for the rest of the day. It did not help that is had rained everyday for the last 10 days. I had a late start out the door and the rain slowed me down. As I drove to no-man’s land Marianna, Fl, I had the privilege of crossing into Central Standard Time and gained a much-needed hour for the 7:00 a.m. race start.Once I arrived, I checked in, got my body marked, set up my transition, and started chatting with friends as they arrived. I kept a lookout for my friend and she arrived 20 minutes before the start and was in a mad dash to get situated. At this point, the rain had still held off.
Jen Bendewish │Running Down a Dream 