After the weather-disaster that was triathlon #1, I signed up for triathlon #2 and continued my training through August and September. Triathlon 2 was a little shorter (swim 1/4 mile, bike 12.5 hilly miles and run 2 miles) and also a little closer to home. I wasn't all that nervous about this one, and actually got some good sleep in the nights leading up to the triathlon! I was excited, until the day drew near and I realized how COLD it was, waking up in the mornings! The predicted temperature was 48 degrees outside at the time I would be jumping into Marsh Creek lake---and I only hoped that the water would be warmer than that. I was more worried about how cold it would feel when I got OUT of the water and started biking in the cold, in my wet clothes!
It felt cold! But, I cruised my way through the bike ride (did I mention it was very hilly!??) and made up for some lost time in my swim. Even with my slow and heavy mountain bike, I did good time! (Don't ask about the swim---I did my usual "panic" mode in open water, and it took me a lot longer than I had hoped, and a lot longer than I could do the same distance in a pool!) The 2-mile run seemed very quick, even though I didn't do it that quickly. It was part trail run, part run over grass and tree roots, some concrete, and I was surprised that the 1/2 way point (turn-around) came up as quickly as it did. I was chatting with a friend for part of the way, and we weren't pushing too hard until the end was near!
Here are a few friends near the finish line--they made a banner and were cheering us on every leg of the race...it made all the difference in the world! This race was for males and females. My swim time was 13 minutes 11 seconds; bike was 50 minutes 48 seconds and run was 19 minutes 30 seconds. I came in number 147 out of 303 female racers; and for the females aged 40-44 I came in 27 out of 51. Some day I will make it out of my life of mediocrity, but in the meantime, I am pretty much middle of the pack! 
And so, I did what I set out to do---a triathlon! And, I am probably hanging up my running shoes for a few months, until triathlon season starts again in the spring!
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