So this past weekend I participated in the BISD Sprint Triathlon. This race is special to me because it was the first triathlon I had ever done back in 2011.  It lit the spark inside me and I had absolutely no idea back then how important triathlon would be to my physical, and more so, to my mental well-being!

You want to see some funny pics? These are the true definition of a tri-rookie!

Did you check out the cotton shirt and mountain bike? 🙂

I was hooked on entering this race and have done so every year since (except 2016 when I was in the depths of Ironman training). So, this year would mark my 6th time to race this fun little race.

I was glad that I was able to convince most of my friends to sign up last minute; it’s always more fun to have your people there with you!

I woke up from a very restful sleep and was excited to get the day started. Since this race is located in my hometown it was nice to have a 6:00am wake up call. I was also excited to finally be able to race in my Big Sexy Racing kit. This kit feels absolutely amazing. I love my Betty kits, but this one is actually comfortable. I never once had to readjust or even think about any discomfort from the moment I put it on.

We arrived at the pool just as they were opening the gate to set up our transition area. Soon, all of our friends started showing up and everyone started getting ready. Once we were all set, we took a few pre-race photos and said a wonderful prayer. Then it was show time!

SWIM:

I was seeded as the first female to enter the water for the sprint division (no pressure). I love this pool. It’s the same pool I used to swim/train/compete in with my high school team, so it is literally my comfort zone. As soon as Coach told me to go, I started my watch and I was off!

The swim is a 400 meter distance where we zig-zag between all of 8 lanes (set at 50 meter length). Not too much to report about my swim other than I felt great and passed quite a few male swimmers as I made my way through.

Out of the water and onto T1!

BIKE:

Living in Brownsville, it is a given that it will be a windy day every day in the spring time. I was not surprised to feel the wind coming in from all sides;  just your typical weekend riding weather. I had completely forgotten about my watch and figured I’d just use it to keep my pace when I hit my run.

I knew the route of this bike course (13 miles), and so was not worried about getting lost. However, the roads that we ride on have a bit of unpredictable traffic and several traffic lights, so I spent most of my time praying to get all green lights.

Bike ride was over before I knew it and it was time to run!

RUN:

I knew I had worked my quads pretty hard trying to ride fast through the wind, so I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel during the run. What I did know, was at this point I was still the first female off the bike!

Keep in mind, in all of the years that I have done this particular tri, I have placed, but never won. I was always passed up on the run. I was determined to keep my lead this year.

I was surprised to find my legs felt good, I was not overheated, and almost feel light and bouncy as I ran (which never happens). When a race volunteer rode by me on his bike at about 1.5 miles into the 5k, he said, “You’re the first female I’ve seen on the course!” At this point, there was a bridge that allowed me to make a turn to see if anyone was behind me. No one in sight. This got me excited, “I think I can pull this off!”

Rounded up into the finish line and booked my butt through.

A wonderful little race to kick off my tri season 2017.

Once my own race was over, I got to cheer on the rest of my crew through their finishes. Of course Mike had finished way before me, and our friends who were volunteering told us they were pretty sure he and I were the first male and female finishers.

What do you know, when they announced awards the Gutierrez’s were first male & female! We knew this would be a moment that would most likely never happen again, so we took in our moment (even if it was at a little local sprint race, haha).

My beautiful mother and other girlfriends flew through the finish line, and wouldn’t you know it, practically every one podium’ed!

Of course celebrations were in order that evening!

Up next: Ironman Texas is on April 22, and we are planning a road trip to spectate and cheer on all of the amazing people racing to become Ironmen that day. I can’t wait! We’ll be there in all of our Big Sexy Racing glory!

TRI WITH JOY!

Jenna