Last weekend my mom and I participated in the Spa Girl Tri in San Antonio. This was my second time participating in this race (I first did it back in 2013), and my mom’s first time. It was held at the beautiful JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. I was excited that we were actually staying at the resort, so we would be able to fully enjoy it.

We made the 4.5 hour drive up to San Antonio and got all checked in. The race check in actually had a very nice expo, and my mom and I got matching Pura Vida bracelets. We got all our swag, which included a t-shirt, lunch box, and stemless wine glass. Not to mention we got a peek at the GORGEOUS medal!

Once we had dropped our bikes off we made our way up to the hotel room and wasted no time changing into our swimsuits to go enjoy the pool for a little while. It was a gorgeous late afternoon and we just took in the beautiful resort as we laid out by the pool with our drinks.

That evening we had dinner at a sports bar-type restaurant at the resort, then turned in for an early wake up call.

RACE MORNING!

Since we were staying at the resort and our bikes were already racked, we really didn’t have to get up at such an ungodly hour. I think we were down at transition about 6:00am.

Got all the gear set up, then headed to our start meeting point. We were herded together by our approximate 100m swim times. I had picked the same as my mom because we were going to try our best to swim together, but with the 100’s of ladies participating, we weren’t sure if it would work out. I figured I’d have her start before me and then I’d come up and swim beside her as much of the way as I could.

Once we started lining up and walking to the lazy river, we seemed to be moving pretty quickly. Whereas, 5 years ago I remember waiting almost an hour in line before I got in for the swim!

SWIM:

The swim portion was “supposed” to be 400m, but I honestly think it was at least 150 short. Which was fine by me! The current was going so strong because of all of the swimmers before I got in, that I really didn’t even need to kick at all, I pretty much just rode the wave! It was fun! I wasn’t able to stay right with my mom because of swimmer traffic, so I figured I’d just wait for her when I got out. She did awesome! So proud of her!

BIKE:

Transition was so far away from the swim, and we walked the whole way with my dad next to us. Once I got into transition, I enjoyed taking my time getting my bike gear on. This race was so laid back and chill; there was no sense of rushing and urgency because it was just a race to complete.

The bike was actually a little hilly and also a little congested with all the participants, but I made it through okay. When I got clear road, I took advantage of riding as fast as I could; it felt so great! I miss riding my bike!

Before I knew it, I was done and headed back into transition.

RUN:

The run was a 2 mile out-and-back and I was interested to see how I’d do since I’ve only been running at Orangetheory and not outdoors. DANG, the run was hilly! I hadn’t remembered how challenging the run course was from the last time! I even had to walk a little bit up a steep one, but that was only because I felt like I was running and landing weird with one of my feet.

And then there it was, the finish line! I was super excited to get that gorgeous medal around my neck! My mom and I went through the finish together & I can’t wait to see our official finisher pics.

We enjoyed the delicious fruits, quiche, chocolates, and mimosas out on the yard. It had been such a gorgeous overcast morning; ideal racing weather.

The rest of the afternoon was spent around the pool and tubing the lazy river. So much fun, and I’m so grateful to spend time with my parents.

That evening we went to an outdoor dinner with live music and the band was so good! They played covers of John Mayer and Amy Winehouse in “easy listening” style. I loved it.

Overall, a very fun and relaxing weekend. I would totally do this race again, and I think it’d be more fun with a big group of girlfriends.

In other news, the school year is winding down and I am up to my elbows in preparing for my Spring Concert (appropriately titled, “I Need A Vacation”) which is next week. After that, it’ll be smooth sailing until summer break starts!

TRI WITH JOY!

Jenna