Mission Accomplished!

I woke up just after 4:10am this morning and heard it bucketing down. My heart sank and I couldnt believe I would have to compete in the rain! I MELT in the rain!

I promptly fell back asleep and woke again when the alarm when off @ 5:00am. It was still raining. They have had 11 tri's and they have all been good weather - good ole Wellington summer eh?

I lay in bed for a bit just collecting my thoughts - thinking good things! Got up and made myself some breakfast. Surprisingly I was hungry! I thought I would have trouble eating, but my stomach was rumbling and it was ready for food - I guess that doesnt really surprise me because my body is used to getting up at that time of the day! I pulled on my lycra pants, sports bra, swimming togs, my anklet timing chip - really spunky look there LOL. Then remembered to give Craig his birthday pressie! I havent been able to write about it because he reads my diary but I've just about been bursting at the seams wanting to write about it!

Next weekend I've booked for us to go quad bike riding - two hours worth! WOOHOO after that he gets to blast away with some clay pigeon shooting and then I'm taking him for lunch up Paraparam. I think hes really excited, I know I am. The quad bike course sounds like loads of fun - up the kapiti coast. We go through a valley loaded with native plans/ferns and lots of mud puddles etc and then zip up the hills to a lookout for photos and refreshments. Apparently the ride back down is like a rollercoaster so I cant wait! LOL They supply the helmets, pants and gumboots - woohoo!

I was quite organised, yesterday I packed my gear. I had two "transition boxes". One for Craig to carry down the beach for after my swim, the other was with my bike. The first box had towels, bottles of water, running shoes, socks, sunglasses, peak hat. The other transition box had bike helmut, towel & powerade drink.

We picked up Craig's parents at 5:45am!, his sister and my niece and nephew were also ready to go and we left the valley heading to Titahi Bay. We both there and it was still raining, there was constant rain with some heavy showers in between also! There was also a very strong northerly wind. We left the family down at bike transition area and said I should be coming through in about 30 minutes. Hugs, kisses, words of good luck and then we were off - walking up the Main Road heading to the beach. It felt like we were the only mugs walking up that damn street in the dark and rain. Craig carried my box! Although the weather was so shitty it was bloody warm, I just had my race tshirt on with my togs and pants. I walked in my aqua shoes. I have this thing about the sea, I dont like the thought of what is on the bottom, so I always wear aqua shoes! LOL

We got to the beach and I needed to piddle. I had a bit of a stress out wondering if I was going to be able to go No. 2's - usually it takes me a couple of hours in the morning, or otherwise I need to go once I start running! ARGHHHHH So I was worrying a little about what would happen if halfway through my race I needed to go No. 2's! LOL However, I found a public toilet and after stripping off (I had my togs on remember) and getting dressed again, there were a few more competitors showing up and heading off down the beach. We wandered off too. We could see the bouys being taken out, they had problems. Lots of problems. Because the sea was so rough and the wind so high, they couldnt drag the bouys out far enough and then anchor them on the bottom! So the swim course ended up being a run through the water at thigh high level course!

Shane Hooks the organiser started hurrying the first 10 waves along (I was wave six) making us line up in our waves and next thing I knew the starters gun went off and the first wave were away! The water looked bloody cold! I was talking to a lady next to me, it was her first triathlon too. We were the same height, about the same age but she was much smaller than me LOL Before I had time to really worry about anything we were at the front of the line and the gun went off and we were away! I started running into the water, it was warm! Seriously it was warm ... I kept waiting for the cold to hit me and it didnt! I got to about thigh high and then it was really hard going. I was trying to get my knees up and jump over the waves, but it was too shallow to swim! I didnt even put my goggles on LOL I huffed and puffed and rounded the first bouy and then headed into the beach again. One of my aqua shoes started to come off and before I knew it I was back on dry land and pulling my shoe off before running up the beach and finding Craig. My dilema was, because I wasnt wearing my glasses, I couldnt see him! So I tried to remember where I'd left my box and headed in that general direction. By this time there were loads of people on the beach and they were all shouting and cheering me on! LOL it was hillarious. I have no idea where the other competitors in my wave went but by then I didnt really care. Craig pulled out my towel adn a bottle of water, I washed my feet and then dried them before puting my socks and shoes on. Pulled my pants and top on, he stuck my glasses on my face, I put my peak hat on, kissed each other goodbye and I was off running YES RUNNING down the beach. About halfway down the beach my hat flew off and a lovely man ran after it for me and ran it back to me. I remember him saying something to me about I had a long way to go and I didnt need to be running backwards at this early stage LOL

So I went over the first timing mat - quite ingenious device. As you run over the electronic mat it picks up your anklet chip device and thats how they get the times for the various stages. Right out the beach is a steep hill, so I thought I'd quick walk up that. I was actually feeling quite knackered after the water run - I remember thinking how the hell would I have been able to handle a full 300mtre swim in that sea? :o I got to the top of the hill and started my run. I was so pleased with myself I actually ran the whole way (1km) down to the bike transition area. People were walking towards the beach and wishing me luck, yelling my name (cos it was written on my T) and whistling and clapping it was great. I also caught up with the lady who was in my wave, she was walking so I had to leave her behind. I also saw Craig walking with my box, he had to take my gear back to the car and pick up my finishing bag. I got into quite a nice steady pace, not overly fast, there were ladies passing me - they were definately runners! but I managed to run quite happily to the bike transition. As I ran over the timing mat it didnt beep! so I went back over it again and still no beep! Not sure if it picked me up or not, but I didnt have time to piss around - my mother inlaw was also taking video camera so I gave her a wave and waved to the kids and then Iran down to row 4 and found my bike. My helium balloon had burst overnight unfortunately however, I didnt have any problems finding my bike. Opened the box, pulled off my peak cap, put on my helmet, took a swig of powerade then unracked my bike and off I went again. I beeped coming out of transition this time WOOHOO! About now it really started to bucket down, I got to the grass jumped on my bike got told off by a spectator for riding my bike on the grass - I ignored her and off I went. It felt great being on my bike. I just went for it. The first bit was down hill and I motored off at the turnaround point I came full force into that NORTHERLY wind. The rain was bucketing down and my glasses fogged up. It was also slightly up hill, so I dropped down a couple of gears, hunched over my handlebars and went for it. As I came up to the transition area my family were there yelling and yahooing it was fantastic! I remember seeing Craig's dad there with is camera yelling GO LEENIE and I screamed at him "I cant see a bloody thing" hehe then it was up hill, whew push push push with those quads, they started to scream and I pushed harder, turn around point was most welcome and then it was down hill YEEEEEEEEEEHAA my bike computer was saying 28kph, I didnt even peddle, just enjoyed the ride, back past the family with woohoos and yeehaas - Craig had got there by this time and I saw his happy face it was cool! Off down to the turning point again, and I remember thinking oh god I have to do go back up that hill hehe ... but it was easier this time, my muscles had warmed up and I powered up it! I nearly got wiped out by a lady opening her door *doh* but I made it ok and then it was back down the hill to transition. I stood on my peddles for the last 100mtrs or so, someone had told me that helps the lactic acid drain from the quads to help the running. I ran my bike into transition, helmet off, peak hat back on, another swig of powerade, looked up to see Craig standing at the end of the aisle beaming away at me! My legs felt great! I ran through transition "beep beep" went the timing chip again and off I went on my run stage. I saw my motherinlaw, fatherinlaw and sisterinlaw all with their cameras yelling at me to go go go go and then I nearly went the wrong way! LOL I ran off down the road and about 500mtrs I slowed down to a really slow jog and then walked for 200mtrs or so, got my breath back and then started running again - I caught up with the lady from my wave again! She must have had a fantastic bike stage because she was only walking and she was ahead of me! I said my goodbyes to her again and ran ahead, up the hill and into the bush area. I walked through there, it was covered in pine needles and tree roots - very slippery because of the rain and I was worried about slipping over. The bizzare thing was, my legs wanted to keep runnin! HOW FREAKY! I came to the clearing and then it was down the concrete path, back onto the path and the finish line was 300mtrs in front of me!!!!!!!!!!!!! All this training, sweating, working hard ... and it was about to become an accomplished mission! I ran over the timing mat, beep beep beep and then I started blubbing. I couldnt help it! I just started sucking in huge breathes and sobbing hehe. I saw Craig, all the family and a work colleague and they were all clapping and yahooing and I went over the final timing mat and slowed my job. I got given a bottle of water and started drinking, Craig bought over my medal put it around my neck, the family took photos, hugged me and I tried my best to keep a smiley face, but all I wanted to do was break down and have a big cry! LOL It was so bloody emotional. The race wasnt as nearly hard as what I thought it would be, but just being able to say I am a triathlete is a huge accomplishment after being overweight for my whole adult life. So after that little self crisis we wandered back to the car, I put on a sweatshirt, had a coffee and couldnt wipe the smile off my face! As we were walking back, people would see the medal hanging around my neck and were wishing me congratulations - I didnt even know them, but they knew from their own loved ones what I'd gone through to get ready for this race. Craig said my time was about 1:10ms which I am absolutely stoked about, I'd hoped for no more than 1:30. However, that is unofficial and I have to wait to see what the official results are - even with that dodgey timing mat! HOwever, the point is I finished it and I ran most of it WOOOHOOOOO. When I get my pics I'll post them.

Got home just after 9:00am and omg my shower was devine! I've worn my medal all day, well apart for the couple of hours my neice had it hanging around her neck. My newphew made me a card with a drawing of my bike on it ... "Aunty Leenie's bike" and my sisterinlaw was so proud of me, shes going to give it ago next year. "If you can do it, so can I" she said. We'll register together so we can do it together.

Friends and family arrived at our house at 11:00am and we had our big bbq brunch - I've managed to polish off a bottle of lindeaur and right now I'm feeling pretty good. Not aches or pains, just a happy buzz in my head.

Thanks everyone for your support, words of encouragement, advice, emails and txts. I cant begin to tell you the sense of achievement this goal has given me. There were women there of all shapes, sizes, ages, colours and fitness abilities. I was not the biggest person there by far. A lady whos bike was parked next to mine was a very large lady and this was her third tri! They gave it a go, just like me and they've lived to tell the tale. How cool.

Happy Birthday Craig, your support is unbelieveable, I love you. I'm going to beat your sorry 40 year old arse on those quads bikes next week so be prepared! HA!