There is a pattern in the major events we are participating in this year. They are all first experiences: swim race, triathlon, marathon. And I am (it seems) desperately unprepared for all of them.

This weekend Nate and I did a 1/3 mile swim race on Captain’s Pond in NH, along with Nate’s mom, Rosey, who did the 1 mile race (because she’s amazing!). It was wet and cold and a little miserable. It was also terrifying, especially when Rosey and I realized we were possibly 2 out of 50 people who did not have wetsuits on. 

When the horn blared to begin our wave, I could thankfully see Nate’s face next to me but the rest of the water was full of flapping feet that threatened to give me a concussion at any moment. I began at the back of the wave because I had no reason to believe that I, who have only swam 5 times before in a pool, would be anything but last to climb back onto the beach. However, as the minutes went by, I began to realize not many people were moving much faster than us. So Nate and I trudged on at full speed - me stopping every few minutes to catch my breath and gulp down a few mouthfuls of pond water (not on purpose). The 13 minutes and 3 seconds it took me to finish felt like forever. The friendly safety boats looked more and more inviting. But we swam on and I crossed the mat as the 3rd in my age group. After expecting to be last of the bunch, I walked away with a bronze medal. Nate and Rosey also placed 2nd in their categories as well. A group of first-timers and a family of winners. Now I’m looking forward to diving into the world of triathlons (literally) in three weeks!