Race Day: The Finish Line

I completed my first triathlon in 3 hours and 14 minutes!

Immediately after crossing the finish line you walk through a barrage of volunteers: there are the photographers, someone's giving you a medal, another handing you a bottle of water and cold towel while yet another is fishing around your ankle to remove your time chip. All in all, considering what you just went through it can be a tad over whelming. Plus there is your family and friends screaming for you at the end of it all.
The first person to meet me was my mother followed by the rest of my family and friends. After expressing how proud she was the second thing she said in an appropriately worried Mom tone was "What do you need?"

"I need to get these shoes off!" My feet felt as if I had taken up walking on coals. We walked to the tree lined curb, where I sat down and ripped of my sneakers and replaced them with a pair of Reefs. I sat there for a minute or two, catching my breath, drinking my water, and enjoying the shade. I could literally feel my body do a little crash and reboot.
Then it dawned on me that my best friend/race partner was just behind me. So with a sudden surge of energy from who knows where, I jumped up and joined the crowd at the finish line. A couple minutes later, there he was and from that moment on, the rest of our day consisted of celebration.
*The pictures in this post are of my actual race and me (#2589)