Quad City Triathlon

Well, about a week and a half ago I completed the Quad City Triathlon. I think it went really well. I know how I want to improve next time, and I was able to beat my goals. I had a pretty awful T1 time, almost 5 mins! I was a little flustered and I have some ideas on how to cut that down. Someday, four or five years from now, I'd like to get a tri suit, I think that would help a bit. I do want to get a belt before my triathlon in Chicago. That is a really inexpensive thing I'm willing to spend some money on.
Jason drove out there with me early Saturday morning to West Lake. He helped me get set up as much as he could and then Mom, Dad, Katie and the kids + Isaac came down to cheer me on at different locations along the race. It was so great to have them there. I lined up at the back of the pack on the beach. I really wasn't trying to "race" anyone, just the one person in front of me whoever that was. (A trick I learned from a running friend on my RRR team.) We had timing chips on our ankles too, so what order you entered the water didn't matter. I like that at this triathlon they had you enter the water 2 by 2 every three seconds. There wasn't a big pack of people mauling each other in the water right away. I was a little freaked out about losing my way and need to practice spotting more in my swimming so I did the breast stroke a lot at the beginning. I saw a few people swimming perpendicular to the course and didn't want to end up like them. I got more and more confident the farther I got on the swim and started doing freestyle more towards the end. The biking portion went really well. It was a lot of fun. The running however.... phew! That was the worst time I've had on a 5K in a really long time, 31:34! It's no wonder though, I was exhausted by the time it rolled around. Overall, it was a great experience and I can't wait to do my next one. I just wish there weren't entry fees! :( and I wish there were more that weren't on Sundays.
I'm excited to continue to train and participate as much as I can in triathlons. Next thing on my mind right now though is the Bix. Gotta get going for that!