Shawn Cheatham

On Sunday, I tackled my first Triathlon (olympic/international)! “Triathlons are not at all fun” is the thought that kept throbbing in my ears during every stroke, pedal and stride of the course. It was by far the most physically ridiculous event I’ve ever taken part in and within minutes of finishing, I couldn’t help but wonder how to register for a 2008 Ironman event.

After getting only a few hours of sleep and waking up at 4AM, I managed to get situated in the transition area with no major problems. The sunrise was gorgeous and revealed a spectacular day. The water was a freezing 68 degrees which added to a comical swim whereby I spent every few strokes laughing and waving to my adoring fans…all 3 of them. The bike, despite having driven down Lakeshore Dr. numerous times, had more hills than I had prepared for which caused me to get tired a lot sooner than expected. During the run I did all I could to keep from blowing up while trying to keep a strong steady pace. In the end I finished in 3:07:38 which was just over my 3hr goal.

Rina managed to get several good video shots during the swim and bike, so in the near future I’ll figure out how to post it here. Unfortunately, she missed video and pics of the finish but seeing as how she and Jay hiked up and down Lakeshore Dr. getting the swim and bike, I can’t complain.

Although I wont categorize triathlon events ‘fun’, I’ve already started to chart my course for next year. Int’l, 70.3 or Ironman? Who knows but I have a couple months to figure it out. One thing is for sure…need to start training earlier…I’m positive I can do 2:30ish next year!