Gone Hawaiian: Valentine's Day Biathlon

So, instead of taking a lover this year for Valentine's Day, I decided to love myself. Yesterday, I proudly finished my rookie run/swim. And I totally didn't finish in last place. And the lifeguards on surfboards and jetskis didn't have to save me (Bonus!).

Preparations for the big race have been pretty intense. Katie and I have been working our asses off (literally, our asses hardly exist anymore because we workout so much) to prepare for our events. We've used an inordinate amount of deodorant, washed load after load of sweaty clothes, and discussed which running pants make our shrinking butts look best (and, the surprise winner is this really cute pair from Costco). I'm not much of a runner, and never have been, but, I bought a really cute running top last week and my motivation seriously intensified. Plus, the right workout playlist can make all the difference in the world.

Finally, after weeks of preparation, I hauled my butt out of bed yesterday morning, did what I like a call a "warm-up" walk to the bus, and cruised down to Waikiki for the race. I checked in, collected my super-cute long-sleeve t-shirt, and stared around me at all the fit people, wondering what the hell I was getting myself into. After the initial wave of intimidation passed over me, I started looking for people who were more at my level of ability. I lined up next to them at the start and we formed a little misfit running group toward the back of the pack. Not the very back, but the back-ish. It was a gorgeous morning for a run along the beach and I was definitely happy to get to the swim part of the race. The swell, thankfully, was almost nonexistent, so waves weren't a factor at all. I don't think I ran past a single person during the 5K, but I did pass plenty of people during the 1K swim, a feat of which I am most proud. The best part of all? Still having energy to run up the beach at the end and cross the finish line without passing out!

Audrey, Ben and Katie were at the finish line cheering me on and I was so excited to see them there. Nothing makes Auntie Mal happier than seeing sweet Audrey in her "workout clothes" and "running shoes" waiting for me to finish my "exercise swim."

My goal was to finish, so I think we can call this a success. I was really concerned about the time limit, so a secondary goal of mine was to make it under one hour, fifteen minutes, which I did. And, after careful calculations, I estimated I could probably do it in an hour, and lo and behold, the Timex blinked 1:00.58 when I crossed the finish line. Woohoo! (I should note that I know this is not fast by anyone's standards and people were finishing the entire race when I was just finishing my run, but I'm still really excited.)