I survived :)

Well -- I made it -- I survived my mini-triathlon tonight. I must admit -- the open water swim was a bit scary. The beach we swam at on Lake Washington is supposed to be around 70 degrees right now -- but the water felt painfully cold. However, adrenaline kicked in -- along with my fear of not finishing/drowning -- so I had no choice but to start swimming.

Believe me, I couldn't have been happier when the swim portion was complete. It was all downhill from there (not really -- it was a pretty hilly bike ride -- but you know what I mean). Biking and running are comfortable sports for me and I finished those portions within a decent time.

I learned a few things:
1) I need to do more open water swims for practice -- totally different than the pool.
2) I need to drink more after the swim/during the bike portion -- I got a horribly painful side stitch at the end of the run that was probably due to dehydration.
3) The transition from bike to run is tough -- your legs feel like jello for the first couple minutes.
Here is a photo before the swim:
Photo of my transition area (where I return to between race legs to put on cycling shoes, bike helmet, running sneakers, etc) This area will be teeny-tiny during the actualy triathlon -- we were all very spread out today which made it much easier.
I will be sleeping like a baby tonight!! :)