The Lums Pond Triathlon

Yippie! Race weekend. This time Team Z and I headed up to Bear, Delaware for the Lums Pond Triathlon. It was a sprint distance... just a teaser race.

Anyway, we made the trek up there on Saturday to camp for the night and have some socializing and pre-race chatter. The mosquitos and heat were in full force but it did not dampen our spirits too much. The adrenaline in anticipation of a race was high.

With all the factors, none of us slept too much. We were up bright and early to chow on some bananas, bagels, and oatmeal... key pre-race food. And then it was off to the race.

Now, the swim was a little interesting. To say the water was murky would be an understatement. The water was 87 degrees and it was impossible to hands in front of the race. Who knows what was in that water. At least nothing came out and attacked me, other than the occasional expected bump from a fellow triathlete.

The bike course was flat and fast. The scenery consisted of farm fields and wetlands. Not much to be expected of middle-of-nowhere Delaware. But it was hot out there. Fluid intake was absolute key. The bike was a personal success.

And lastly, the run. The 5K run was primarily in the shade. Thank goodness. The out-and-back course helped to see fellow teammates out on the course to cheer one another on. Then on top of it, other non-racing teammates were along the course cheering as loud as they possibly could. One had a cowbell. The superfans cheered us all in and I wound up with my fastest 5K time in a triathlon, only to be bested by two other races which didn't have a swim or a bike beforehand. Talk about a benchmark.

Post race, we gathered back to share our stories of success, chow on leftovers, and prepare to head home. I cannot reiterate enough how much I love training and racing with my teammates.

And check out the links to the right. In conjunction with Ironman, I'm fundraising for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Campaign to stop heart disease. Thank you in advance.