Race Results: We didn’t die!

Despite our assertions that we were not going to drink the night before the race, Trudy had red wine and some chocolate chip cookies and I had a cider, because, we said, our bodies ‘needed it’. The whole thing seemed suddenly totally daunting and ill-advised in the hours leading up, so living under a veil of denial that it was actually happening seemed like the best bet.

We made moderately better decisions with our pre race breakfast at 5am and were on the road biking over to the Island ferry by 6:30am. Trudy was displeased that we had to actually exercise prior to the race. I told her to think of it as a warm-up. She did not care for that at all. Mercifully the sun had started to rise and kept the chill of the early morning air at bay. It promised to be a lovely day, but it was a bit frosty to start.

My amazing friend Sara met us at the dock to come get footage of all the excitement. Which should be both entertaining and mortifying if she caught even the slightest glimpse of us wiggling like greased eels into our wetsuits in the middle of a field. I can’t wait to see the whole final short film!

The race was wonderfully organized and our ‘wave’ to start the swim began at 8:30am. The lake was a balmy 18 degrees Celsius, but felt more like a large basin full of frozen margaritas. (If the margarita was made of fresh lake water, fishes and bits of floating algae.)

I found the swimming to be surprisingly exhausting and I swam at a much slower pace than Trudy did. Which held her back because we planned to race together and she kept stopping to look for me amongst the throngs of pink-capped, black-body-suited members of our race category. Mostly because she thought I might suddenly have a heart attack and die in the frigid waters. I didn’t die but did a lot of froggy leg kicking as I swam on my back with only my nose in the air. It was a new style I invented and it worked wonderfully.

The run up the sandy beach in a wet, wetsuit to the bike transition area made me momentarily reconsider every choice I ever made in my life. I was exhausted. But we plugged onwards, encouraging each other with silly banter and the desire not to have our lives end in such a public event setting.

During the 10K bike ride I caught my stride and felt much stronger than on the swim. Now it was my sister’s turn to struggle as she opted to use Claudine’s cruiser bike. Despite how vigorously she pedaled she never was able to keep a comfortable pace. Plus she had put her metal water container in the front basket (yes she rode a bike with a front basket), which clanged and clattered all the way. Making the whole scene more ‘E.T. travelling silhouetted against the moon’ than an actual race. But at least I always knew where she was behind me. By the time we got to the run her legs were jelly and I was just happy to be on the last part of the event.

I felt like I really got into a good groove in the run. Which is surprising because until very recently I was of the opinion that running was best left to when you are being chased by a murderer. At the half way point they were handing out tiny cups of water and I asked if it was wine. They said no, it so I grabbed one and threw it into my face in protest. I think Trudy pretty much hated every second of the run but mostly kept pace and was fairly mortified when I started to sprint at the finish line. She reluctantly sprinted too and was seen to be mouthing a ‘faaack this’ expression in the finish line video.

We crossed the finish line together and our group of family/friend led cheerleaders hooted and hollered. I am so pleased and proud to have completed such a physically taxing event 7 months after my surgery. You can do anything you set your mind and body too.

Our final race time was 1Hr 1Min 2 Seconds. We swam 400m, biked 10K and ran 2.5K.

We didn’t die and we didn’t come in last! Which is pretty darn great! Coupled with the fact that we didn’t train as diligently as we could of made the whole thing more heartening. It was so fun that I might even do it again next year. And you all should too!

Except next time we are making sure those water stations are filled with wine.