Today I volunteered at the Abbotsford Triathlon,... I was assigned to the road course at one particular intersection and had to direct the cyclists safely and manage the car traffic. It was a my way of getting to understand how a Triathlon operates behind-the-scenes, and to give something back to the race -- tomorrow others will volunteer on my behalf, so it was my desire to volunteer for others today.
Only one wipe-out at my corner, when a cyclist took the corner way too wide and went into the opposing gravel driveway. The front wheel slid out and down she went. There was minimal road rash, and admirably she picked herself up sorely, got back on the bike and carried on.
When the last cyclist past my position, I picked up my pylons and went to watch the runners cross the finish line. Emotion overcame me as I saw the perseverance of the participants and how their friends and family cheered them across the finish line.
Afterwards I went for a swim in the lake, 1/2 the distance (750m), my first open water length. I finished in 20 minutes. If I do the full distance in 45 minutes tomorrow, I'll be very satisfied.
Overall, I would have liked to do more training. KOIOS work just kept me too busy in the month(s) leading up the event. I managed to do some swimming, running and cycling, but never put it all together yet, or to practise the transitions. Tomorrow's event will be the first time it all comes together. I am proud that I changed my eating habits, eating less, eating more healthy, drinking litres of water and loosing ~7 lbs in the process -- down to 175lbs, which was my weight at age 20. That is one success of this Triathlon training that I'm happy about.
