Meet Laura! She was once a Rookie and this is her story
Laura is the Volunteer Manager at High Five Events, but before she was part of the crew, you would have seen her at our races, either cheering or actually racing. Here is the story of Laura’s first triathlon.
How I Started in Triathlon
I started training for triathlons in the fall of 2013 when I moved in with my brother Pablo, who was a pretty serious age group triathlete at that time. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to do what my brother did, so naturally, I started doing triathlons. Shortly after I joined the triathlon team, Austin T3, where Pablo had been training for a couple of years.
I got my first road bike. It was a Felt that was a “petite” size because even the smallest frame was just a little bit too big for me. That’s when I started to train more seriously. I would swim, bike or run almost every day. While my fitness level was more than ready for the Rookie Tri, I was very nervous about competing.
Riding the bike course around Walter E. Long Park
About a couple of months before the 2014 Rookie Tri, I went to Decker Lake and rode the course multiple times. Even though those hills wouldn’t get any easier, I got more comfortable with shifting my gears and riding in general. I would also practice my transitions over and over again. This helped me get used to running without socks. I also remember practicing getting in and out of my wetsuit by wearing it in the shower. Long story short, I was very scared of not being prepared, which resulted in me becoming a total dork.
Getting Ready to Tri
Race weekend came, and I remember being super excited, but also very nervous. I went to Jack and Adam’s to pick up my packet the day before, and then I went home to get everything ready. The first thing I did, was put the stickers on my helmet and bike, and my bib number on a race belt. I also tried on my timing chip, which at that time was on a velcro strap. It happened to be too big for me. Because it was so loose, I could lose it in the water so I had to put safety pins on it to secure it.
Laura’s First Triathlon – Race Day
Swim
On race day, I got to Decker Lake early in the morning. I had plenty of time to set up my transition area and warm-up. I didn’t get in the water, but I had some elastic bands that I used to warm-up. The swim was the part I was most excited about. By that time I had participated in open water swim events, so I felt confident.
The horn went off and we all started. In 2014 the Rookie Tri didn’t have a time trial start yet, so we all started together in the water. I was feeling pretty good throughout the swim until my watch started to get loose. The watch as a birthday gift, so I really didn’t want to lose it! I stopped for a couple of seconds to take my watch off and put it in my sports bra to be able to keep swimming. I finished the swim, ran up the hill, found my bike and off I went.
Bike and Run 
My heart was beating SO fast, and I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body as I got on my bike. As much as I want to believe that I am not a competitive person, you put a timing chip on me and the switch flips. I finished the bike faster than I expected, and now I just had the run left. I racked my bike, put my running shoes on and it was go time.
With the run being so short, I knew I could run faster. However, I didn’t take into account that the run was ALL ON GRASS! While that was a little bit of an adjustment for me, I was still able to finish the race and it was so exciting to get across the finish line. I ended up finishing third in my age group.
The coolest thing about the Rookie Tri is that it has separate awards for rookies and veterans, so if you’re a rookie, you’re only competing against beginners. Therefore, I was able to get on the podium and receive a trophy!
