June 15, 2009
Jennifer A.

So, I thought I could swim. I have been practicing in the pool. Did my first open water swim last week in freezing Lake Michigan. But, I had a total panic attack in the swim portion of my first triathlon, Naperville Women’s Sprint Triathlon. I was freaking out! I thought to myself… how can I do a ½ Ironman when I can’t even do this 750 meter swim? I did complete this part… but know I could have had a much better time if I actually swam the swim portion. Luckily, I felt comfortable with the bike and the run. During the run, the 1st mile was the longest mile. “Hmm… Maybe they don’t post mile markers for the run,” I thought. Finally, the mile marker came up and I realized it was just me hoping I was further than that 1st mile. So… 1st triathlon successfully under my belt. I will definitely need to focus on my open water swims and try to stay calm during that portion.

As far as my blood sugars: I woke up with a horrific 303. I gave myself a smaller correction with my breakfast than my pump calculated. For breakfast, I had Kashi cereal and yogurt. Did not take my Symlin and hoped my blood sugar will go down steadily. Right before the swim, I rechecked, 119. I ate an apple and lowered my basals (I forgot to do this earlier) to 70%. Luckily, they let my friend hold my pump during the swim and she hand it to me when I got out of the water. I know this will not be the case for the Chicago Triathlon at the end of August. Transition site was all set up for checking my blood sugar after the swim… but, I was so frantic after the horrible swim experience, I left the transition without checking. I was wearing my sensor and it looked like my blood sugars were steady. I ate 3 cliff shots during the bike portion. I drank water during the bike and the run. Blood sugar after the race, 94. I was extremely happy with this. At least that part of the race rocked!

The other great thing about this race: all the Chicago Team WILD members competed with me. It was so nice to have fellow friends to discuss things with especially since I was freaking out about what to do with my insulin pump at the beginning of the race. After the race, I saw Lorrie, Lyndsay and Susie. It was nice to discuss how the race went for everyone. I heard Lorrie and Susie in the background cheering me on at the finish. That was awesome! One of my work friends did the race too. But, she had no supporters with her. I felt a feeling of comfort knowing Team WILD was there as I would not have been here without them. And, I know this is just a glimpse of what’s to come in Austin. ☺

Total time: 1:38:38
Swim (750m) 16:25
T1 5:08
Bike (22.8k) 44:16
T2 2:45
Run (5k) 30:05