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Redman Race Report

This is it -- the official rundown of my triathlon experience!  I know many of you (well, at least my parents) have been anxiously awaiting this post, so here it goes.

My Nationals experience actually started a day before I left for OKC when I arrived home to discover my beloved bike had been stolen (chain and all).  This was probably one of the least articulate moments of my life; most of the phone call to my father consisted of four-letter words.  My next flurry of phone calls went out to my lovely friends and coworkers, who made sure that I would have a bike to take to OKC.  I also put out the SOS to the rest of the racers in Oklahoma and was assured that a bike would be waiting for me there.

Saturday was a really inspiring day.  I got to watch several races, including an Ironman distance race.  I saw people overcome pain and fatigue to accomplish something truly amazing.  As the sun set over Lake Hefner I had a moment of fear and panic and excitement as I thought about what I had to do the next day.  I knew full well that compared to some of the folks I had seen that day I would have it easy.  However, I also reflected on the last year and all of the bad luck and change and preparation I had endured and knew that the biggest challenge would be not doubting myself.

I arrived at Lake Hefner on Sunday while it was still dark.  I nervously set up my area and tried not think about all of the things that could go wrong.  When it was time for my wave I set foot in the lake -- and promptly felt my feet sink into the thick red clay.  As the starting horn went off I started to slip and stumble my way down the shore until it was deep enough to swim.  And I swam.  And swam.  And swam.  It felt like that first buoy kept getting farther and farther -- and it actually did, because I missed it twice.  By the time I finally hit that first buoy I had a fleeting thought of quitting right then and there; I was only a third of the way there and felt myself getting more and more frustrated.  Something, though, told me to keep going and I did.  I hit the second buoy, then the third.  I found a section where I could reach the bottom of the lake and I walked.  I know for some that defeats the purpose and spirit of a race, but let's be honest -- I wasn't winning any awards here.  My only goal was to finish, and the little burst of walking is what got me through.  I can't even begin to describe the relief I felt when I waded out of that water.  I had completed my first open water swim.

The bike ride was quite uneventful, considering it wasn't my bike.  I only had about 15 minutes to get comfortable riding it the night before, so I was relieved not to run into any major problems.  As I completed the ride and came back into the transition area I saw some folks who had set up next to me already wearing their medals and packing up to go home.  I had to force myself to ignore all that and stay focused -- only three more miles to go!

The last leg was smooth.  After the exertion of the swim I just didn't have it in me to do more than walk, but I made sure to walk fast.  One of my teammates cheered me on with bubbles, and at the end of the course I caught up with another teammate.  We went down the finishing chute together to the cheers of CMC.  And suddenly, that was it.  I had completed another triathlon.

Normally I would have gotten a medal at the finish line, but they had run out and gave me a nice shirt instead.  However, a very special teammate of mine who had spent most of Saturday night seeing and hearing how scared I was decided to do something about it.  As I was preparing to leave she said, "You deserve a medal for doing such a wonderful job" and hung her medal around my neck and gave me a huge hug.  It was a seemingly innocent moment but it meant so much.  The folks at CMC were so amazingly fun and supportive to every single athlete that weekend, yet I was aware that I was way out of my league.  At that moment, though, it didn't matter.  I felt like I had really done something special; her acknowledgement made it that much more real.  It was with that indescribable feeling in my heart that I drove home, alternately basking in my glory and planning how early I could go to bed and manage not to fall sleep at work the next day.

So, to wrap this up I wanted to thank all of you who sent kind words and support my way -- it meant the world to me!
                                    


Comments

  1. Awesome job, Meredith. You kept yourself going and you finished, and by golly that IS worth a medal (and also a t-shirt).

    ReplyDelete

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