My $87 T-Shirt

Here is THE shirt.  My self portrait really doesn't do it justice. 

My favorite thing about any kind of race is the t-shirt.  In fact, one reason I decided to start doing triathlons last year was so that I could get cool shirts like Seth (ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration).  Today I received the best one yet and I am super excited about it.  But when I think about the price tag and what I had to do for a shirt, next time I really should just consider a trip to the mall.

I began my morning bright and early.  After waking up multiple times throughout the night to check the clock I was ready to get up when the alarm finally went off at 5:35 a.m.  I had all my clothes laid out and my bag packed so it didn't take long to get ready.

Then I ate a few bites of the delicious muesli that Seth had prepared the night before and took a sip of coffee...then it was off to the bathroom.  My next step was to force myself to get some more food down as my nerves tore my stomach apart.  I managed to get through a few more bites and make one more trip to the bathroom before we hit the road for Springfield.

The weather was perfect!  I arrived and went straight to registration.  As soon as a walked in the room, I spotted the awesome teal women's t-shirts laid out on the table.  I also got a nice pint glass that says finisher.  Then it was straight to the bathroom (this is #3 if you're counting).

I decided to step up my game at this race and actually get in the water to "warm up".  It wasn't too strenuous, more of a chance for me to realize how gross the water was.  But the good thing is that my nightmare didn't come true (there were no turds floating in the water).

The swim was my best yet.  I'm not referring to time but to comfort level.  It took a while to get away from the pack but I actually felt good and only had a minor issue of my goggles fogging up and swimming off course a bit.  But I didn't panic.

The bike was good except some cars along the course slowed me down.  The run was the worst part.  I was tired and having a slight issue with my back tightening up.  I just kept telling myself to keep moving. 

I don't have my exact times yet because they aren't on the website yet.  I know I finished at 1 hour and 25 minutes.  Seth had decided ahead of time that my goal should be to finish in under an hour and a half.  So I met that goal easily!