Bear Triathlon

Have you heard the saying, show me your friends and I'll show you your future? Well recently is the first time I've actually thought it to be true. Long story short, I met a girl in a grocery store and she eventually convinced me to do a sprint triathlon a few months later that included an OPEN WATER SWIM. My first open water swim was not scheduled until July 2023 but somehow, by hanging out with this new friend and continuing to hear her say, "you can do it Teena. You got this", I did my first open water swim tri in May, on Mother's Day.

This event included a 1000 yard swim, 10 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run. When my friend first asked me to register for the event, I thought she was crazy. lol I mean, I just learned how to swim and now she thought I could swim in open water. I told her I preferred to get some practice in the open water before committing to the race and guess what she did??? The girl arranged for us to do an open water swim together, approximately 50 miles from our home. The swim was good and I'm glad I went but I was not convinced I could do the distance of a sprint event. In addition to the aforementioned practice swim, my friend also agreed to come with me to a local tri club swimbikerun event. I panicked badly at this event and did not swim the course they outlined for us, but she continued to encourage me.

I told a few people I was considering registering for the #beartri and they all suggested I should wait. My mom even suggested that I wait until next year. NEXT YEAR?? Really ,mom? lol I went back and forth before I finally made up my mind to give it a go. I thought I would at least show up race day and if I didn't want to race, I wouldn't BUT I was dead set on not giving up before I even tried. After all, I had been putting in work (in the pool). I researched the swim venue a little more and learned at its deepest, the pond was ten feet. Okay, I got this, I thought.

Luckily, the race organizers arranged for a practice swim in the pond the day before the event. I took advantage of this opportunity and asked a person on the kayak to stay close to me the entire time. He gave me a few pointers that I took with me into race day. The best one being to swim from buoy to buoy.

Wake up on race day was 3am since I live 90 miles from the race location. I arrived in DE the morning of the race, relaxed and ready. I had a motto I would repeat throughout the swim (that I also repeated during my drive) and I could tell it was already working. Joshua 1:9 is the verse. Check it out. In essence, the verse says don't worry, don't be afraid. The Lord, your God is with you wherever you go. It was the perfect scripture for me.

It was go time and I couldn't stop smiling. My plan was to not panic but that faded quickly when water got into my goggles and I tried fixing them while floating on my back. #epicfail I had to yell for a kayak and held onto the side of the kayak until I fixed my goggles. Before I let go, I told myself I was going to finish this swim and would not stop again until my arm started hitting the bottom of the pond. 30+ minutes later- mission was complete. I got out of that water feeling a little disoriented and a lot of relieved. I did it! I freaking did it. I started laughing as I turned around to see how far I swam and then I met eyes with a spectator. She was also smiling and said, "you did it".

I went on to finish the 10 mile bike ride and the 3 mile run as strong as I could. The bike is still a work in progress, but my run was great. I finished the entire event in one hour and 50 minutes, but honestly the time didn't matter to me. I had just finished something I had never done before and that was a win.

I'm glad I met my friend, Jen in the grocery store a few weeks back and I'm so grateful for her encouragement. She has completed in ironman 70.3 events and one day, I will do the same. Choose friends who will inspire and encourage you and watch your dreams turn into reality. Until next time friends, move your body and have fun doing it.

Look how hard I am cheesing at the start of the swim.

I look tired but I was feeling strong-run

Finish line. I DID IT!!!

Finish certificate