Saturday: Monster Triathlon Pantsless

So this morning, I beat my alarm out of bed at 4:25 AM. Now, 4ish on a Saturday after a pretty sleepless night is a rough start. My friend, Kennette, got to the house at a little before 5:00 AM so that we could ride together. Whenever I need to meet someone early, I don't sleep very well as I spend the whole night tossing and turning and thinking that I am going to oversleep. I did the same thing before Boston and the same thing the night before the REV 3.

Anyway, the Monster Triathlon may be my new thing. It was such an easy drive down to Pulaski, and I kind of loved driving into the small town. We parked in the city graveyard and walked up the hill to the rec center. Now, we got to the race an hour early, but it still didn't seem like enough time. There is so much to organize at a triathlon, and as per usual I forgot something. I forgot to pack shorts to run and ride in, which is a bummer. For whatever reason, I feel a little naked without shorts on the run.

OK, so overall, I was THRILLED with the Monster Triathlon. I thought it was really well organized, I loved the bike, and the run was great too. AND, Scott spray painted "Go, Betsy" on the bike course, which was my greatest race inspiration of all time.

Now, I also learned something very interesting at the Monster Triathlon. The swim was a pool swim AND, pool swim triathlons attract a lot of beginners and people who are not great swimmers for obvious reasons. You feel a lot more secure in a pool than in open water and there is less a chance of drowning. Also, in open water, you are able to get around people, pass them, but the pool is less an open space and it is harder to get around the swimmers. I felt like it was my most aggressive swim EVER. I was continually trying to pass people, get around people, and I felt pushy. BUT, the swim was only 175 yards and whatever I felt, it didn't last too long.

The bike course was hilly, but it was a nice ride. The race had started at 7:00AM, so by the time I hit the bike, it was still cool out. Also, it was a relatively closed course. There just wasn't any traffic. I don't know if it was just too early for traffic or if it was just an unpopulated area, but it was really nice. There were, I guess, three big hills and one bumpy county road.

The run ran through the historic part of the city cemetery, and history buff that I am, I was totally tempted to stop and read all the historical markers. I fully planned to go back and read the historical markers after I crossed the finish line, BUT storm clouds were rolling in.

It began thundering and lightning and then it began raining on what I can only call a Biblical scale. The cemetery tour was an immediate no go, and we had to listen to the awards ceremony from the shelter of the bathrooms, before grabbing some pizza and hitting the road for home.

At home, I took a serious nap that caught up my sleepless night and early wake time. I read the new Vogue and had pizza for dinner. Hitting the lake tomorrow morning!!!

Pic of me and Kennette after the tri!!!