My very first triathlon season came to a bittersweet end this weekend with the finish of the Miami Man International Triathlon in Miami, Florida.

As always, it was a whirlwind of a year between flat tires, injuries, weather setbacks, and training difficulties.  I can honestly say I’ve experienced the big ups and downs of it in one year.

In April, I never would have imagined I would complete three sprint and two international triathlons in seven months. Look at what 7 months accomplished!

SWIM

• April- I could only swim 25 meters before I needed to stop and take a breather.
• November – I can swim 1500 meters in 22 minutes.

BIKE

• April – I could bike 8 miles in 1:04 at 7.6 avg mph.
• November – I can bike 25 miles in 1:15 at 17.5 avg mph.

RUN

• April – I could run 13.1 miles after weeks of run training and a full nights sleep.
• November – I can run 6.6 miles AFTER several hours of swimming and biking.

I improved my finish times at every race this year:

1. Jun – Naylor’s Beach Sprint – 01:50:00
2. Jul – Colonial Beach Sprint – 01:48:42
3. Sep – Giant Acorn Sprint – 01:48:20

1. Aug – Luray International – 3:36:21
2. Nov – Miami Man International – 3:06:08

I know my times are not great times, and I know I have a lot of work ahead of me if I want to be competitive, but I am so proud of myself for gutting it out this year and getting these done.  No DNFs, no DQs, and no penalties!

I’m also looking forward to next year and what Nathan and I can do.  The human body is amazing and I’m more than excited to push myself to my max to see what happens.  We have such an amazing support group between the Old Town Triathlon Club, our family and our friends.  Next year, I want that PODIUM!!