My First Sprint Triathlon-Coyote Carrera Sprint Triathlon

These are all members of my ward. It was so fun to do it with friends.

Finishing the run. I always look like I'm going to die, but I was actually feeling really good.

I think this was the start of the bike part.

Starting my swim. Treacherous!

This past Saturday I competed in my first sprint triathlon! My friend Bri and I found out about it a week before, and she convinced me to do it with her. I knew the run wouldn't be a problem, and I was pretty sure the biking part would be okay too, but I hadn't practiced for the swim, so I was concerned about that part.

It was a beautiful day, thankfully. The order of the events was a 5k run, a 12 mile bike ride, and lastly a quarter mile swim. I finished all in about an hour and a half. The course was really pretty. The running and biking parts were on the Bosque River Trail.

The run felt really good. I didn't push myself to my limit because I wanted to save energy for the other events. Looking, back, though, I should have pushed myself all the way on the run because I still had tons of energy afterwards and the bike part was pretty restful.

All I had was a mountain bike, but Bri's husband kindly fitted it with new slick tires and raised the seat up and pushed the handles forward to make it more aerodynamic. It felt like I was flying on the bike part, but people were still whizzing past me on their road bikes. I was so grateful to have those tires, though. I went an average of 16 mph on the bike ride, which Bri told me was really good for being on the bike that I was. My hind end was sure sore by the end of it, though.

The swim was a different story. Going into the water, I felt really good. But while doing it, I felt like it would never end. Everyone was fighting to get ahead, so I got kicked a few times and water logged and had to fight to keep my place in the pool. I got tired so fast, and my breathing and my form were horrible, but I managed to power through it to the end. Stepping out of a pool was the best feeling ever! It was over, and I did it! I will definitely train for this part when I do another one.

It was such a good experience. The human body is really amazing! I definitely would not have thought a year ago that I would have been able to do something like this, so this event was definitely a confidence booster. I would do another one in a heartbeat.