Pride.

WOW. What a day. The good news? My nightmares were all for naught...my legs worked, I owned the transition and had a blast. 

Some details: 

The swim killed me. It was way harder than I remember when I swam with Pete. In training I was able to do that distance in 12 minutes, freestyle the entire way and feel good. Today- 16:05-- and as my good friend Lisa said..."breast stroke the shit out of that lake"...and I did, along with a little backstroke thrown in there for good measure. When I got out of the lake I was dizzy, could barely walk...definitely didn't breathe right. 

Then I got on the Black Locust and she did me proud....as in, she didn't break down. I did the bike in 1:07 which wasn't horrible, especially on a hybrid...had I been on a proper bike it would have shaved that down a bit more. I got lots of laughs for my skateboarder helmet and my upright biking stance...it was a good time. 

Next came the run, which I was dreading the worst BUT I OWNED THAT SHIT. And by "owning it" it means that I paced quicker than goal...12:54 per mile. There were 2 big uphills...I walked those. But on the flats and downhills I did the "Emma Shuffle"....fuck Cupid. 

All in all 2:08. And I would do it again for the badass arm tattoo....

Here are Paul and Laura Lynn as we set up our transition area...it was dark. 

In retrospect I had an odd feeling today. A feeling of self pride. I'm often proud of my friends, family, peer, and my team for sure but I can't remember the last time I was proud of myself. Today I'm proud of myself.