Triathlete.

Despite having no desire to go back to Lake Berryessa, we found ourselves there by 6:15 am on Sunday morning.  We were not trying to be there that early but as our third trip out there, we were much more efficient (read: I did not miss the turn for the first time) in our driving and packing.  After killing over an hour and a half, it was finally race time.

One of only three without a wetsuit and only girl in a bathing suit.

As you can see, I opted not to put on a wetsuit.  I've never swam in one and did not see why this morning should be my first time.  I figured even if the water was only 65, it should take me fifteen minutes to do my swim and that is manageable.  If anything, I thought it would motivate me to swim faster.  And, it was pretty true.  Per M, I was the fourth woman out of the water (of course, it helped that I self-seeded myself in the first wave.  I was the 25th person in the water).  I tried to sprint the last leg of the triangular course but my legs were pretty cold by then so it wasn't so much a sprint as just a bit faster.  Oh well.

From there, it was on to the bike.  

Just happy to have managed to clip in, 25 feet down, 15 miles to go.

My course was not nearly as long or as hilly as M's from the prior day but long enough and hilly enough to make me wonder how the hell she managed to do it.  Our rented bike had a speedometer on it.  I got up to 28 mph at one point -- easily the fastest and scariest I've ever gone on a bike.  All was good until the end when I had a bit of trouble unclipping and totally fell.  As it turns out, learning to ride a road bike on race weekend is not an ideal plan.  Live and learn. 

Ouch.  Road rash, two days later.

The run leg was never going to be my best leg and that was particularly true with my road rash but I did finish the course.  My first official full triathlon.

Can we please get the hell out of here now?

 And, I don't think it will be my last.  If at first you don't succeed (and I don't think I can call it a total success given the scab on my leg), tri tri again, right?