I was terrified of the swim. The weather has been in the low 70's, and the water temperature promised to be cold. I went to High Cliff (which is on Lake Winnebago) and swam a day early and it wasn't bad. The waves were okay, and I was able to make it to the 2nd of the 3 buoys I had to get to just fine.

However, the next day (Sunday) was the day of the race, and it was windy, so windy that there were 2 foot swells coming off of Lake Winnebago. The race organizers cut the other triathalon swims in half, and they ended up cutting the sprint swim down to 2 buoys.

I thought I could do it, but after running in and getting a couple of mouthfuls of water, I realized it would be a lot harder than I thought. I didn't want to drown out there. So instead of the standard crawl, I flipped over to my back and did a slow steady backstroke. That helped keep my head above water and move me along a bit. Of course, this was very tiring, and others were struggling. The organizers realized that we were having problems, and there were lifeguards on floats all around for us to grab and rest. So I did a little of my very slow swim, and a little of rest. After getting around the 2nd buoy (and resting a bit on it), I swam on to the next float, then the next. One of the lifeguards told me that the waves would push people back to shore and there wasn't much left. I decided to just let the waves push me in, and it seemed to work. It wasn't long before I had my feet on solid ground and was out of the danger of drowning. I've never been so glad of anything in my life. As I write this, I can still feel the waves pushing me.

I waded ashore and found that the simple act of running to the transition area was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I was so tired from the exertion of swimming that I simply walked. People were cheering but I just wanted to get to my towel and dry off. Surprisingly, the 50 degree temperatures felt fine. I think the adrenaline was keeping me warm. (I finished the swim in 19 minutes. Dead last in my division of 21)

I quickly threw a pair of shorts and my t-shirt over my swimsuit and dried off the best I could . I got on my shoes and helmet and got the iPod ready to go. The next section was the biking section. I buckled my helmet and departed, completely forgetting my sunglasses.

The first part of the bike ride was straight up the famous High Cliff. Let me tell you right now, it wasn't that bad. Not as bad as the hill on Old Sauk or the hill on Seminole Highway. Maybe because I have done these hills, I didn't mind it so much. I passed others on the hill but as the road leveled out, they got even. I kept a brisk pace and didn't mind getting passed. I was in this to finish, not win.

The wind that made my swim an absolute fright made the bike ride interesting. The wind was coming from the southwest, and that meant a lot of crosswinds for the bike racers. The course after the High Cliff Hill was pretty flat with a few rolling hills. Of course, as it was long, and I was tired. As I headed the last few miles, I had a full headwind and was counting the miles. Luckily, training on Madison's hills came in handy again, and I was able to pass a few other bikers having problems with the last hill and the wind. I did the 22 miles in 1 hour 45 minutes, which for me is pretty good. (18th in my division)

I was really tired, but I headed out on the run. My right calf hurt a lot so I started off slow, walking and then jogging on and off for the first mile. As I warmed up, my calf loosened up and I was able to maintain a slow run. As I turned into the 2nd mile, I saw my sister and her 18 month old cheering me on. I was doing better now, and didn't mind the run at all. I was able to make it the rest of the way until the finish pretty easily (33 minutes, which was 15th in my division). I crossed the finish line after just under 3 hours (2:49:00), and I was very tired. I gathered my things and then had to walk my bike back up High Cliff Hill to the parking lot where I parked my car. Just doesn't seem fair, does it?

I'm glad I did it, but if I ever did it again, I would only do the swim when the lake is more normal. I believe it was dangerous to swim in waves like the ones we had today. But I would do it again. No problem.

Update: Of the 21 "Athena" participants, I came in 19th overall. I wasn't last! Woo Hoo! (Athena is for women who are more than 145 lbs.)