MY 1ST TRY AT A TRIATHLON

Wait, let's be clear here. I did the triathlon as part of a relay team, so I didn't do the entire thing on my own. (Hey, a girl's got to start somewhere.)

After trying desperately to sleep the night before my alarm rang way too early for any normal human being. It went off at 3am. I sadly realized I got about 2 hours of sleep, if that. The anxiety of the unknown had gotten the best of me.

I crawled out of bed and started getting ready. I stumbled around a bit and somehow managed to find my NBC Universal outfit that I had prepped the night before. I brushed my teeth, washed my face and I loaded on sunblock. I had heard the sun was gonna be brutal. (Oh, and it was.)

My little pup Abby was very confused when I woke her. After I apologized, we headed out for a very sleepy, slow walk around my neighborhood. The city is quite creepy at that hour, way too quiet.

I can't talk about yesterday without including my boyfriend who was the best. He jumped out of bed that morning without a peep or complaint and made the early drive with me to Zuma Beach. I felt like the luckiest girl to have him by my side all day.

After arriving and parking with what seemed like hundreds of other competitors it all started to sink in. I was really gonna do this and there was no turning back. When I found my relay teammates I realized they were as nervous and scared as I was. At least we were in it together. 

Before we knew it, it was GO time. I walked my teammate, Amy to the START line and had to say goodbye quickly so I could find my start point to begin setting up my bike.

The next couple of hours went by so fast. Amy swam her 1/2 a mile in 27 minutes (AMAZING!). She handed me our relay bracelet and I was off.....!!!!! EEK! I was scared to death! The 18 mile hill-ridden bike course was very challenging for me but was such an exhilarating ride. You honestly can't beat the view in Malibu at that hour. It was breathtaking.

After I finished my leg of the race I found Amaris who was doing the last part of the relay, the run. I pulled the bracelet off my leg, gave her a big hug for good luck and handed it over to her.

Amy, my bf and I were at the FINISH line as Amaris crossed it cheering her on until the last step. We had done it. Finished our 1st triathlon!

All in all, my team and I had such a great time participating in THE NAUTICA MALIBU TRIATHLON. I am so proud of them. They were the best team to be a part of, so supportive and such strong competitors.

I don't know if I will ever do another one... that is yet to be determined, but I had the most amazing time and I left there with a huge sense of accomplishment. And because the event was for such a great cause, I definitely felt fulfilled on a larger scale as well.

In typical Arlene fashion I rewarded myself with TWO Bloody Marys after the race. And I chugged the hell out of 'em. ;)