race report: ywca women’s sprint tri

It’s been a hot minute – 5 years to be exact! – since I’ve raced a triathlon and up until about 6 weeks ago, racing was more or less off the table. But things changed so I tracked down a bib to the YWCA Women’s Tri here in Minneapolis. And while I wouldn’t call it a comeback – they’ll be no 140.6 anytime soon – it sure felt fantastic to be back out there.

There’s not a lot to say about a sprint. The 500-yard swim was short, but slow. Mostly thanks to a lack of swim training, but also swimming with anything on my shoulders (in this case, my kit) is not my jam. There’s a reason I wore a sleeveless wetsuit my last couple IMs!

The bike – no surprise the bike was my favorite. It was so much fun being back on my Argon (just my third ride outside on it since 2019!). My power was woefully mediocre – I’m lookin’ at you, watts I used to hold for a 112 miles – but you know what? Comparison is the thief of joy, even when you’re comparing to your past self.

The 5k around Lake Nokomis felt like an eternity as I tried to remember how to suffer a bit. Definitely didn’t suffer enough, but I loved every minute of it! The best part: trying to cross the finish line with Jackson. He just wasn’t having it, full on with kicking and screaming. We tried, though, and it’ll for sure be one of my most memorable finish lines 🤍

All in all, my race was a reflection of my current fitness in this season of life. And somehow it was also enough to snag the overall win, too! No one was more surprised than me. It’s real fun to be racing again ✨