Sleepy, Grateful, and Charmed

This morning was cold and dark as I hit the alarm at 5:30am. After having gotten up at 4:30am yesterday for a day trip to Portland, I was exhausted. But today was our "practice tri" on Treasure Island, so I mustered the energy and rolled out of bed.

As I sleepily awaited the start, I slowly started added layer upon layer of clothing. First the hat, then the fleeces and sweat pants for warmth. Then the rain jackets came out. First a drizzle, then steady, cold rain. Eventually it just made sense to put the wetsuit on to fend off the wetness and chill. By the time we made it down to the water, the skies had opened up pouring down upon us. Standing on the beach was exactly where I did NOT want to be. But right before we got into the water, someone said to me, "Be grateful to be here. Be happy you're alive." Thinking of Brenda, I hopped into the water.

It was strangely not that cold, though it had a funky smell. It was actually pretty great out there -- only 600 yards and fairly warm. No one kicked me in the face and I only swallowed a minimal amount of bay water.

The bike transition was tough. I spent what seemed an eternity trying to snap my bike helmet on. A few bruises on my chin later, and several layers of clothes, I got on my bike. The course was very flat and consisted of series of turns around the island. We were to do 3 loops for a total of 12 miles. Somewhere along the way I got lost and ended up doing close to 14 miles through the rain and wind. Unpleasant to say the least.

The run was tough. The first 1.5 miles were almost impossible. Legs felt like jelly. I ran too fast out and my lungs were unhappy. But the second loop was good and I finished strong. We even got a "medal" for completing our sprint triathlon!

Thoroughly soaked and shivering, I arrived home with 2 thoughts on my mind. Warm shower and my personal guilty pleasure, Charmed. Annoyingly, while I indulged myself in front of the television, the sun came out. I kept the curtains closed, ignored the irony, and got lost in Wiccan stories.

All and all, a good Saturday. I am, in fact, grateful to be here.