Beautiful day and a snake!

It was a gorgeous day to be outside…and find snakes!

I am not a big fan of reptiles but I am fascinated by them (Although, lizards creep me out to a level that I think I have herpetophobia skewed towards lizards). Dragons and snakes are my favorites. I am lukewarm about alligators and crocs and highly fear lizards and all forms of salamanders.

But, I digress.

So, it was a beautiful day to get out and stay out. A bit on the windy side and started a bit on the chilly side but overall, a beautiful day. I was out biking and running - part of my on-going and self-inflicted pain aka training for second triathlon. I was biking around Canada and Edgewater – the water in crystal springs was blue and calm, wind was strong but soothing and the 25 miles weren’t too bad. The goal was to transition into running and run 3 miles on a trail.

0.5 miles into my run a fellow runner warned me that they have spotted a rattle snake on the trail. So, I switched to the road. Edgewater park has lots of snakes, mostly non venomous but there are rattle snakes. On the way back I saw two snakes! One poor baby snake was dead, probably knocked out by traffic and it seemed like a rattle snake. A few yards ahead I saw another one, right beside the road basking in the sun.

It was a beautiful snake. It was lethargic and was most likely drawn so near to the road in search of sun. The clouds and wind was making the sun disappear quite often and snakes were probably getting further out to get sun. Being cold blooded they need to warm themselves up. This one had a beautiful camouflage and was quite dormant. I took a quick shot and left it alone.

I was happy to be out. But, I was really happy to find some snakes. I just find them very fascinating. A creature with no limbs and nearly no sight, it is one of the most feared and resilient species on this planet. Their colors, adaptation, magnificent weapon (fangs and venom and camouflage) that helps them defend – they are phenomenal species.

Look at this thriving, exciting species...
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Subphylum: Vertebrata, Class: Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes

Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica and on most islands. Fifteen families are currently recognized comprising 456 genera and over 2,900 species. They range in size from the tiny, 10 cm long thread snake to pythons and anacondas of up to 7.6 metres (25 ft) in length. The recently discovered fossil Titanoboa was 15 metres (49 ft) long. Most species are non venomous, only ~400 have any kind of venom. However, there are snakes whose venom is potent to kill human adults within minutes. Venom is actually a complex protein.

All this is fascinating but, I often wonder what they talk about, if they talk at all. Do their voices (if they have voices) squeak when they are cold and lethargic? Do they show off their skin the night/day after they slough?
I wonder…

Doubt your limits, not your ability.

I completed a triathlon. Feels so good to write. And this was not just a triathlon or any triathlon, this was my first and it was Olympic distance and it was on one of the toughest courses – wildflower!

It didn’t happen overnight and the journey was long and demanding.

Three months of training, long weeks of practice full of physical and emotional roller coaster. All of it culminated on May 2nd 2010.

For the past few months, my life has been FULL. It felt like I was running 2 days behind everything. The travel, the training, the fund-raising - everything and everyday ran into one another. If not for the training sheet, I wouldn’t know what I practiced yesterday and what’s coming up tonight.

Wildflower is the Woodstock of triathlons held at Lake San Antonio on the first weekend of May every year. One of the largest in the world, it started in 1983 and hosts 30,000 spectators and around 7,500 athletes. Its specialty – the grueling hilly courses!

Lots of firsts for me:
First triathlon
First endurance event
First training for event
First time with TnT
First time running this distance
First time swimming in open waters
First wildflower
So my goal was: complete, not compete.
And all of these ‘firsts’ came together and compressed in 5 hrs and 25 mins of swim, bike and run.

Let me start by saying that it was a particularly hectic weekend for me and up until the morning of race day, I had my doubts and butterflies in my belly. The few things that calmed me down were:
A beautiful and moving speech by an athlete about why we do this…why we raise money and who it saves and why all the fuss? It was a speech that centered me – if people can survive cancer, I can run! And bike and swim!

Familiar faces in the park, meeting with coaches, bursting energy of volunteers, families and athletes helped a lot. And the laughter that erupted as nude athletes made their run reminded me ‘it has to be fun’.

Camping out and sleeping out in open also calms me, albeit the cold night and uncomfortable sleeping postures.

I got my race packet and got the first glimpse of the lake. The deep blue water down the 2mile hill is a thing of beauty. It took me 4 hours before I got into my sleeping bag.

I got up at 6am and was ready (sneaked in a shower too) at 7:30. Once I biked with the group to transition area, I felt such calmness in the midst of 5000 people that it even surprised me.

I had good 2 hrs to get ready, set up transition, take photos, chat around and eat. It was a beautiful day. And it the middle of it all, it occurred to me that this is a festival (there’s a whole festival) for the ‘crazy’ people. Crazies who want to willingly swim, bike and run in the same day – one after another! If that’s not crazy, what is? I pondered and then I slipped into my wet-suit.

I started at 10:10am for 0.9miles of swim in the lake stood at 60-62 degrees that morning (that is cold!). The swim in was very windy and choppy waters really knocked my breadth out. I panicked 100m into the swim coz’ the waves were knocking me back. A new place, wind and packed groups made the start harder than I had thought. I rested twice using the surf boards. The swim back to the shore was so much easier. The whole thing took me ~ 55 mins.

Transition went smoothly and I was on my way to one of the toughest bike courses in the country. The bike course of 25.6 miles starts with a steeeep climb of lynch hill. I had to dismount the bike near the top. Without the clips, this is a tough climb. The course if full of hills with hardly any flat part. The course also showcases the spectacular park and the WILDFLOWERS –yellow and lavender and blue. The bike ride was also marked by winds on one sides stealing away some time.

When I reached my run transition I realized that unlike my practices, I wasn’t hurting in legs, cramping or fatigued. I felt really great. Even in 82 degrees grilling conditions, I felt relatively okay. The run course is full of hills as well, especially in the first half. The water stations had sprays for cooling athletes off. A particular volunteer group cheered me on with ‘Hakuna-matata’.
Running into the final finish area is a downhill and is very thrilling. Going back to the lake, down the lynch hill for the 3rd time in that day – seems unreal. The whole day – spent – swimming in this big blue lake, biking around this huge park and running around on these steep hills – and it all comes to the finish line. They called my name and I kept running until I crossed finish line in 5 hours, 25 minutes.
I got the medal and a wet towel that felt heavenly and I saw my mentor and I said it out loud – I am so happy!

I loved every minute of the day and mostly every minute of my journey to this day. I guess I am a tri-athlete now with a wildflower Olympic under my belt.

Will I do this again? Perhaps I will.
Will I cherish this? Hell yes!