Coco Montrese was a contestant on Ru Paul's Drag Race

Then I went back to catch some of the afternoon sessions. One of the highlights of the weekend was the Ignite keynote, which was a series of short, fun presentations.  They were on everything from "Screw Your Shoes" (about modifying a pair of old running shoes for icy winter running, to a presentation by Roni's mom with pictures of Roni through the years.   I volunteered for a prize competition where I had to recap one of the Ignite sessions from memory. It was Sarah's incomparable "How to Make a Proper Cup of Tea," and I flubbed it in a way that I hoped was funny. I came in third place and won a Soybu yoga wear certificate.

There was lots of time to hang out with friends, including first-place winner Heather.

The Liveblog by GingerMantra.

My notes:

I wore my trisuit to show that even though it's not the most flattering garment, it's a very practical one. I also wanted to demonstrate how I keep track of my swim goggles and cap before the race. I did put my jacket back on shortly after the photo above was snapped because I'm not immune to feeling self-conscious in spandex, but for the race itself, I don't think about how I look.  I had my Enell bra under the trisuit, and I wear it for all of my runs and races -- managing the jiggle is very important.

There were a lot of experienced triathletes in the session in addition to some newbies.  Unbeknownst to me, a Team USA duathlete was in the session. She mentioned that she won a race, but I didn't know what race it was -- maybe I should have asked?

I have posted some resources to the Pinterest board above and would love suggestions on what other resources would be useful.

My takeaways:

Swim: Practice, practice, practice. Find a master's swim group if you can.  Join a local triathlon club so you can train in open water -- it's not safe to swim in open water alone.  Practice as much as you can so you feel confident.

Bike: Train and race on whatever bike you have for your first race. Spin classes are also good for bike training.  IF you are going to buy a bike, buy a road bike.  Get fitted at a local bike shop. Don't buy a hybrid or mountain bike just for a triathlon -- you will be disappointed when everyone passes you.  Consider toe cages or clipless pedals (which is confusing because you "clip in") to add power to your bike leg.

Run: It's totally okay to walk all or part of the run segment.  Smile at other runners when you need a lift -- most will smile back.

Overall: Have fun. Especially for your first race, don't worry too much about your time.   No matter how slow or fast you are, you are a triathlete.  You can always improve for your next race.

triathletes moments after the sun came out! pic.twitter.com/fVsl2ZdVw0
— Elite Endeavors ()

It was a time-trial start, which meant that we arranged ourselves on steps based on our expected swim times (I put myself near the beginning of the second step, estimating 9-10 minutes for the swim). It was only a 400-yard swim with lots of turns so it got pretty crowded in the water.

I felt pretty good coming out of the swim. The bike leg felt hard -- I kept getting passed by people who were slower swimmers than me but faster cyclists. I have been doing mostly women's-only races, so the fact that the field was half men was probably part of my sense that I was going slower than usual -- I actually averaged more than 17 mph on the bike, according to the partial results I saw on race day. I'm still waiting for the full results to be posted. I slipped getting off my bike and almost fell, and the officials laughed when they heard me drop an F-bomb.

My running shoes and socks were soaked -- I should have left the plastic bag on top. I did the run leg as run-walk intervals -- I ran until I felt like I couldn't run, then walked. My toes and hamstring were both bothering me a little so I walked more than I would have liked.  I got a lot of "keep going," and "you're looking good" from the other runners, which gave me the distinct sense that I was not looking good. I got over myself, though, and smiled at the other runners as much as possible and tried to keep my spirits up.  It was a rough slog.  I had to stop to take off my socks because my feet were so swollen that I didn't think I could take it otherwise, and that helped me speed up a little. I would guess my run was 40 minutes or more because of all the walk breaks.

Overall, it was not my best race, but I liked racing in the evening -- it was cool to be relaxing at the after party watching the sun set.  I had a beer, which tasted like the best thing in the world.  The only thing that felt better than the plastic chair I was sitting in was my hot shower later.

The thing that makes me feel great about this race was that I could decide to do it and just do it -- I had been training enough to be ready to finish a tri with two weeks' notice.  I hadn't done a lot of run training, which showed, but I felt very prepared for the swim and the bike.

I'm planning to do another event in July on a similar course.  We'll see how much I can improve by then.

Note: I was provided with a can of Blue Diamond Toasted Coconut Almonds and a bag of the Blue Diamond Blueberry Almonds through the Blue Diamond Tastemakers program. The ideas here are all my own.

I love my cruiser bike -- I have had it for about two years now.  When I bought it, I got a cheap basket on sale.  I liked the look of a liner bag inside a bike basket, so I used an old tote bag I had -- then I could pick the tote up to carry it when I got where I was going. It was a cheapskate solution, and it worked really well for a while.


 

The problem with the basket is that it was held on by little leather straps that went through the basket weave, and either I overloaded it or it wasn't sturdy to start with, and it started to break apart. The basket was a lot less stable as a result. Someone who knows how to repair baskets might be able to fix it, but that someone is not me.

Vickie wrote recently on her blog about getting a cruiser with a wire basket that could be detached for carrying things like water and other supplies. I researched for a while and decided I wanted a white basket, to go with .  I ordered , because they had good reviews.




I also got a couple of bonus items with the bag: