I DID IT!!

< Actual time: 3:18:26

Dear family and friends,
I did it! I crossed the finish line!! I swam 1 mile. I biked 25 miles. I ran 6.2 miles. Man, it was incredible!

I don't know how I could sum up the experience but I will try by best. First, I wanted to reiterate that I finished!

OK, so the week before the event I started to feel a cold coming on. Now, it was ironic that I didn't get sick for the whole training season, and then my body decided it was a good idea to strike a couple of days before the race! But what are you gonna to do? So I decided to overdose on Airbourne and water, and take a big handkerchief on the bike. Aside from my stuffy nose and weak body, my adrenaline carried me through the race. I totally forgot I was sick and just gave it all I had.

On race morning our team met at 5:15am and rode to the transition area, where we set up all of our gear to change from swim to bike and then bike to run. It was still dark outside, but beautiful as we all rode in single file line with all of our gear on our backs. The race started at 7:15, but my wave didn't start until 9:30.

The horn went off at 9:30 and all of the Team In Training women ran in the water and started swimming! I don't know if you've ever seen a triathlon start, but it is quite intimidating. Arms are flying everywhere and you're bound to get a good kick in the face.

The water in Monterrey is very cold and is filled with kelp. When I got in the ocean, I had forgotten how cold it was, but suddenly got stuck in a huge bunch of kelp within the first 200 meters. I remembered why they call this swim a "kelp crawl." I started to choke on water as 30 people passed me. I started to panic but then reminded myself to just breath and keep going.

"You can do this," I told myself. So I took a deep breath, stuck my head in the cold water and tried to stay clear of the kelp. I swam continuously the rest of the way, and when I got tired I just ignored it and kept going! As I was completing my first loop of the swim, I was thinking: "Can I really do another loop and still be able to bike 25 miles?" Again, I told myself I could. I kept swimming.

I kept swimming and got out of the water, ran up the stairs, up the hill, to my transition area where I took off my wet suite, put on my helmet, socks, bike shoes and sunglasses. I took my bike and ran to the bike start. I got on my bike and got so excited! My favorite part of the race, the bike! I love to ride normally, but the excitement of hundreds of people riding together was beyond joyous in my heart. I felt tired but so happy to have made it to the bike!



There were so many Team In Training people with purple singlets, encouraging each other and yelling each other's names. There were spectators screaming my name and taking pictures, but all I could see or think about was finishing another loop and then finishing my last one. I took the exact fuel I had trained with and felt good. At the end of the bike, I couldn't believe I had finished the 25 miles!! I jumped off the bike and ran to my transition area as fast as I could, put on my running shoes and hat, grabbed by water bottle and started the run!

"What the heck are you doing?," my legs screamed. "You were just peddling for almost an hour and a half, why are you running?!" (Yes, I think my legs were actually talking at this point.)

In my head I thought, "How can I run a 10K right now? I'm tired and my feet hurt!" Again, I told myself I could and kept running. It was so great to have my teammates on the course yelling each other's name with big smiles :) It kept me going more than they know.



After the fourth mile, I started to feel like I was reaching my limits. I reminded myself of the people who battle through painful times of chemotherapy, tears of pain and frustration with their disease. "This is nothing compared to that pain," I told myself. "I can do this. You're almost there, just keep going."

So I kept going and was about 1/3 mile away from the finish line! I couldn't believe I was approaching it. I was in a trance, as people were cheering and clapping. "Give it all you got," something told me inside. So I ran with all my strength as I crossed the line!! Someone put a medal around my neck and all I could think was, "Give me some Gatorade!!"

<Actual time: 3:18:26

People were hugging me and congratulating me and again, all I wanted was some water or Gatorade.

Well, I got my Gatorade, I got my medal, but what I really got at that finish line was a great sense of accomplishment and a huge boost of self-esteem. I couldn’t describe the feeling, but it was out of this world! Oh and I forgot, I also got a REALLY good night of sleep that night!

I know this is a lot of detail you might not care for, but I want to thank each and every one of you for your love and support, because without you I wouldn't be who I am and wouldn't have been able to do this race!

Finally, I want to thank all of you who donated to my fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. With your help I was able to raise $4,000!!!

I had such an incredible experience training and fundraising through Team In Training that I am applying to be a mentor for another event, Lavaman!

Here are my results:
Swim time: 0:40:09
T1 (transition from swim to bike): 0:04:43
Bike time: 1:28:36
T2 (transition from bike to run): 0:03:06
Run time: 1:01:52
TOTAL TIME: 3:18:26

I send you all my love,
Nafiseh/alana