Days with the Cormier's

Is she done yet???

Well, I had my second sprint triathlon of the season, and it was a great one! It's called "Escape from Fort Desoto" and it's less than 30 minutes from our home here in St. Pete. Fort Desoto is home to one of America's most beautiful beaches, (consistently in the top 5 year after year), and it was awesome to do a race here. With over 1100 people competing, it is one of, if not the largest, sprint triathlon in Florida. So fun! We swam 1/2 a mile in the ocean, biked a relatively short 10 miles around the park and then ran 4 miles. Part of the 4 miles was after the swim to the transition, then the last 3.75 or so were after the bike, including running up the fort at the half-way point. It was 60 steps up then down, and it actually proved to be a nice way to break up the run. The way back was mostly a beach run, so it was a tough, but beautiful ending.

Above is a picture of my wave swimming. There were like 150 people or so in my group, and it was an all-out fight the entire swim. I didn't go 3-4 strokes the entire time without kicking, punching or being kicked or punched. It was actually great practice, though because the much longer triathlon I'm doing in a couple of weeks is HUGE. It's the 2nd largest triathlon in the entire country with over 4,000 triathletes...they even fly in from Australia for this thing. It's actually the largest professional triathlon, so it ought to be fun to see them start, (and almost finish) before I ever get in the water. Anyway - this swim helped me learn to fight for my space. It only took me 13:38 to finish the swim, but the next one I have will be double it's distance. I sure hope I can fight that long!!

Done with my swim, I wave to my boys as I run for my bike

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Off my bike, ( which was fairly good with a strong head-wind half the way), I am off on my run. I pushed the bike hard, too - it was my first race with bike shoes clipped to my bike, so it was fun to try them out in a race.

Here I am at the finish line. I actually took my run super-slow, averaging around 9 minutes/ mile. I don't trust myself to push the run hard at the end. I have a lot of adrenaline and I'm not sure if my ability or strength is real or just a boost. I actually get to the finish line here with a lot left. It's like 50 yards away and I pass both these guys before crossing the line. It was cool because they say your name and where you're from as you approach the finish. It said, "Jamie Cormier from Tuscaloosa" while Sweet Home Alabama was playing on the speakers, (purely coincidence, but cool).

Flattering picture, I know...but I'm done! I felt great. My next triathlon is the one I've been training for months for. I have never done anything close to it, and all these leading up to it have merely been "workouts". I have to admit, the distances in St. Anthony's are daunting to me - 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run. I have done workouts with 2 out of the 3 events and had to lay down on the cold sidewalk afterwards to just compose myself...exhausted. I'm really just ready to get that one behind me. I've done all I can, and on April 25, I'll do it! It's been fun, but there's still some work to be done!