Last, but certainly not least!

I interrupt this regularly scheduled summer update to bring you... my first olympic length Triathlon!

So as some of you may know, my flatmate Matt tricked me into signing up for a half ironman at the end of September. So, to warm up for that blood bath, I signed up for the olympic length triathlon in Lausanne (also known as death by hills). When I signed up, I hadn't even thought about dates. Like the fact that I would be on holiday for the month before and probably not training. Or the fact that the race was 5 days after I landed and jet-lag may still have its hold on me. None of this crossed my wine-soaked mind as I signed up for both races. Well, I've certainly learned my lesson!

My friend Ciara - much more confident

I'm so cheerful... because I haven't done anything yet!

For those of you that didn't have the pleasure of watching me race, here's a little update on how it went. I wore my tri-suit for the entire race - no wetsuit because the water was warm enough and, let's face it, I don't even have a wetsuit. I got my bike to its spot, set out all my gear, and followed all the very fit looking ladies towards the lake. We all got in and warmed up on the far side of the dock. The water wasn't so bad and my nerves were still doing alright. We got out and lined up on the dock waiting for the signal to get in. By this time I felt like all my insides were wiggling around and were trying to escape. Nervousness is not a fun feeling, my friends. Finally, everyone starting jumping in, apparently waiting in the water before kick off. At least we weren't diving in, I thought. As my friend Ciara and I waited there, clinging desperately to the dock, the waves rolled in, pounding us every few seconds. I had never seen the lake be so furious before. The waves were nearly a foot over my head and I had no buoyancy. Now the panic set in a little deeper. What had I gotten myself into? Then I heard a loud horn and everyone kicked off the dock and started swimming. I paused a few seconds, letting the swimmers get ahead of me. I didn't want to be kicked and hit and swum over. Finally, I pushed off too and I tried to follow the crowd, swimming the way I had practiced all summer. I couldn't get into a rhythm of swimming as every time I tried to breath I got slapped in the face with a mouth and nose-full of water. I spent most of the first 20 minutes coughing up water and holding onto a kayak. I contemplated quitting 30 times in the first 500 meters. The only thing that had kept me going was that I had already swum this exact course 3 days earlier with no problem. But then again, there hadn't been waves that felt like tsunamis trying to eat me. I basically doggy-paddled, did a bit of breast stroke, and inhaled more water, for the first half of the swim. By the time I got to the turn-around I was the only one in the water and I was surrounded by kayaks, rescue boats, scuba divers, lifeguards, basically everyone in the water. You could tell they thought I hadn't swam a day in my life. But when I finally made it around the corner, turned back to shore, the waves were at my back, pushing me to the finish. I got into a nice rhythm and could finally swim front crawl without drowning. The next half of the swim went quickly, and I had the whole water team (and tons of people on shore) cheering me on. I made it out, and ran my way to the transition zone. I couldn't believe how many people were still there cheering - I was the LAST one out of the water! I got to my bike, pulled on my shoes and helmet, then off I went.

Before the race, I look so cheerful. I have no idea what's coming for me.

 Lausanne is known for its hills. And I knew this race would have hills. I just hadn't thought much about riding up the hills. A series of three brutal hills waited for me, followed by a nice downhill, a flat, then repeat 6 times (plus the first hill a 7th time). My lovely husband Paul waited for me at the top of the first hill, telling me I could do it even though I felt like I was dying. My friend Abigail kept appearing along the course, always cheering me on. My friend Hannah waited between hills giving me motivation, and a friend of a friend was at the top of the final hill, full of energy and convincing me, yes, I could make it. Let's not forget that at this point in the race, I am the VERY LAST person. This means I was constantly followed by a police motorcycle, monitoring my laps. I am the reason the roads took so long to open. 6 laps of 6ish km actually does take a while to complete. Especially when you used all your energy trying not to die when swimming in 10 meter waves (or so it felt). Being the last one doesn't help as there are no other cyclists on the course to motivate you. Here are a couple of sample pictures. Do I look happy? You get the idea. I repeat, death by hills.

Finally, I finished my 6 laps plus an extra hill (I'm still the last one on the course), and I get to the transition zone. I hop off my bike and run to change into my shoes. At this point everyone in the transition zone has finished running and they are changing into their comfy cloths laughing about the race and looking forward to a cold beer. What I am looking forward to? A whole 10K ahead of me. I have to say 'pardon', 'pardon', as I try to slip past all the quick finishers to do the last third of the race. Now instead of a motorcyclist, I am being followed by a guy in a bright yellow shirt on a bike. He whistles and blows his horn at anyone who is walking in the course or trying to cross in front of me. I tried to make joking conversations with him a few times, but he seemed more interested in me finishing. I ran the whole course, seeing my friend and colleague Sophie who took the picture to the right. See? I'm still smiling. At this point, how can it get any worse? I'm already dead last for goodness sake!

4 laps of running later, I finally crossed the finish line. Although I was tired, I wasn't dead. They offered a seat for me, but I didn't need to sit. I got a water bottle, but no medal (that's the most disappointing bit!). Then I was chatting with a friend when I was approached by a smiling official looking man who asks if I can speak French. "Oui," I replied, "Je parle un petite peu de Francais." He smiled, revealed a microphone, and started a French interview with me. Yikes! I'm not sure what happened for the next few minutes, but I tried my best not to make another fool of myself. The clearest part of the interview I remember him commenting that it looked like I had a tough time swimming, but I kept going. I said, "Il vaut mieux essayer que de ne rien faire" - It's better to try than to do nothing! 

So yes, I was the very last one to finish, but I finished. And it's always better to try your best and finish what you start. I am only competing with myself, and I won! I didn't give up, even when it was extremely tough (and I thought I might drown), and I finished my first olympic length triathlon. Bring on the half ironman!