The woman who starts the race, is not the same woman who finishes the race.

Danskin Women’s Triathlon Series - Chicagoland 7/13/08 .75K Swim 20K Bike 5K Run

I’m still flying high after an awesome and exhilarating day yesterday! Despite 2 days of pre-race anxiety, Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m. came and a calm, inspired energy consumed me and I was so ready for the day. It rocked. ☺

REBARCHIK, JENNIFER Bib #189 F 30-34 MILWAUKEE , WI 53222

Final Time: 01:36:41
Overall Rank: 743 of 3650 That’s a top 20% finish! Who knew I had that in me? Well apparently some of my supporters did, but I sure didn’t.

When I met Sally Edwards on April 22, she asked me why I was doing "the Danskin." I said something about getting divorced and needing something else to think about. She autographed her training book for me and advised “Train to be your strongest.” I followed her advice and it worked.

I didn’t just participate in the largest sprint distance triathlon in the world yesterday, I proved I could overcome a long list of yeahbuts.

10. But what if my Crohn’s acts up?
Learning to pay closer attention to what I eat and when I eat it helped with this one. Also Pentasa works pretty well when taken as prescribed. And I learned to just do it [exercise] anyway, even if my intestines have a different agenda.

9. But my lungs….asthma!
Those Albuterol inhalers really do help! Thanks Dr. Shallue. Although I lost my inhaler after the swim, I had it when I needed it 20 minutes prior to the swim start. I think it made the swim with me in my tank top pocket under my wetsuit, but must have fallen out in the lake during my very clumsy wetsuit stripping. [What’s the trick to stopping the wetsuit from getting hung up on your ankles?] I am still not totally in the habit of using my inhaler before a workout, but I have learned that although I can wheeze my way through a run, its much better to breathe my way through.

8. But I don’t have the time to train.
I work 40+ hours/week plus some travel, have The Cosmo to take care of, family and friends to visit, a house and garden to take care of… Thanks to all of my wonderfully supportive family and friends for your unending support and encouragement!

7. But I don’t have anyone to train with.
I did this for me and no one else. Period. Although I’ve proven I don’t need anyone to train with, it would be fun to have a training team next time around so we can all bask in the glory together. Who’s in?

6. But my mom doesn’t think I can do it.
In spite of her telling me I can’t swim, asking me repeatedly “you’re going to do what?”, looking at me like I’m crazy for thinking I can do this, and wondering why would I EVER wake up at 4:00a.m. to exercise… guess what mom? I can and I did. And I did it well.

5. But I don’t know how to change a flat or properly inflate my tires!
Technically I do know how now but haven’t ever actually changed a flat on my own. But I do carry a flat kit now, have helped change 3 flats in the past 2 weeks, and have gotten better at asking for help without extreme pangs of guilt and fear of rejection. Thanks to my good friends at Emery’s, David, and the REI folks for their help with bike maintenance. I promise to get the correct Presta attachment for my pump really soon. I did pump my tires myself on race morning! Thank goodness my bike held out during the race! There were so many things that could have gone badly yesterday and well, they just didn’t.

4. But running is hard and I’ll never break a 10-minute mile.
Yeah it’s hard and that’s why it is so rewarding. It’s hard and I do it anyway. Thanks to my trainer at the WAC who taught me how to use a heart rate monitor, the treadmills that taught me how to keep a steady pace, and the Badgerland Striders for hosting fun runs that made my confidence soar. Sara, Beth, Dave, Petra, Monica, Steve, and numerous nameless runners helped me go faster than I thought I could each week. Seeing a 27-minute finish for a 3-mile run was definitely a high point in my training. 9-minute miles. Take that every P.E. teacher and volleyball coach I ever had. It makes me wonder what other impossible feats I can accomplish.

3. But my car accident. I’ll never do it now!
After being rear ended in April, I started to wonder if my fate as a non-swimmer and non-triathlete was sealed. I missed my last 2 (of 7) swimming classes in April and lost several weeks of practice in April and May due to back and shoulder injuries. Much thanks to my Physical Therapist, Chrissy, for helping me regain my strength and manage the pain and well, do it anyway.

2. But I don’t know how to swim!
Not true anymore. I signed up for a “Stroke Time Improvement” class in March and after just one class I could swim! (It was ugly, but my face was in the water and my body was moving forward for the very first time in 31 years!) I’m still not a huge fan of cold water, but I’ve learned that even when the water is cold, you get in it anyway and just DO IT! Much thanks to my various swim coaches and trainers who helped me perfect my stroke. Most notable thanks to Steve, my personal trainer at the WAC who got me through my self-doubt in the final weeks of training, Lauren Jensen whose love of the sport made me wonder why I didn’t do this sooner (LaurenWON the race yesterday), and Mary Meyers from Seattle who walked me through my first open water swimming experience and showed me it is not terrifying, it is really fun, and it is really more about mental control than physical ability.

1. But I’m too depressed.
After 3 years of divorce hell, I finally had something else to focus on. Although the prep did remind me a bit of wedding prep, this was way more fun and an accomplishment no one can take away from me. Ever. When people ask who I am now, I don’t feel the urge to explain “I’m a divorcee.” Instead I can say with pride “I am a triathlete. I swim. I bike. I run.”

Here are the rest of my stats:

Class Rank 108 of 370 (Top 29%)

Swim 00:18:59 Swim Rank 1933 (Top 53%)
I was feeling confident and excited as Sally led the countdown to my 7:04 a.m. blast off from Lake Andrea Beach. “I am an awesome swimmer!” was our chant as Eye of the Tiger played in the background. The wave wasn’t as big as I expected (maybe 100) and contrary to what many other triathletes warned, I did not get swum over and I very quickly had a comfortable space cushion where I could just front crawl my way across that lake. For awhile I thought I would never be out of “the middle of the lake” and wondered if I was making any forward progress at all. But then I noticed I was passing some blue caps and green caps, and some were passing me. I was shocked when sand appeared under my hands…OMG- that’s the ground—I’m done! And I’m not even tired. Did I really just swim across that lake? That was fun. And kinda easy. Maybe I’ll do a couple more lengths. Naahhh, I wanna go for a bike ride. Seeing and hearing Michelle, Melissa, and Chris cheering me on as I arose from the lake and headed for T1 helped to permanently plaster that silly grin to my face for the rest of the day (actually, its still there). They told me “You did good! 7:24. I didn’t believe them. I felt like I was barely moving, yet I swam that lake faster than I ever swam during training? Wow, this was going to be a good day.

Trans1 00:03:14
During the first transition, I swear people were moving in slow motion. I thought it was going to be a fast turnaround between events, but instead I had this feeling like I was the only one in that transition area doing this crazy event. But as I grabbed my bike with fully inflated tires, I was excited to go for a ride on this gorgeous day.

Bike 00:42:47 Bike Rank 593 (Top 16%) MPH 17.3
Not bad considering miles 6-10 were uphill into a strong wind. I immediately started to wonder if I was in a race or just out for a leisurely ride, since most athletes were just casually pedaling along. I was glad to get passed a few times because it reminded me I could go fast, too if I wanted. I passed a lot of people, cheering them on as I passed. I felt fast and confident and proud as the mile markers flew by. Thanks Brent and Ben from my group ride a few weeks earlier, for teaching me how to “spin” and ride in an easier gear to save energy and keep a steady pace.

Trans2 00:02:28
I don’t know why it took me 2 and a half minutes to take off my bike helmet and grab a shot block. Maybe it was my hesitation as I passed the port-o-pots wondering if I should stop and relieve my bulging bladder. I didn’t stop but maybe my run would have been faster if I did.

Run 00:29:12 Run Rank 862 (Top 23%) Pace 00:09:25
The run was hard because I seriously felt like I was the only person out running that day and sort of lost track of the fact that I was in a race. There were tons of spectators strolling along the running path and barely another athlete in sight. Where was everyone? Didn’t I start this race with about 300 other women? It was almost mile 3 before I came across a few other runners. My run felt slow and I was starting to feel tired, but when I heard I only had a half mile left I thought “This is great. I am going to finish strong. I still feel pretty good.” As I approached the home stretch, there was my cheering section once again and the sound of their voices sent me bolting towards the finish.

This was one of my favorite parts of the race. As I dashed past the crowd of spectators, I heard the announcer say something like “Woah! This one really turned it on….[who is this number 189?]. As I crossed the finish line I heard “And that was Jennifer Rebarchik!" Yes it was. Proud and strong and giddy with excitement, ready to go again.

Half IronMan. I think you're next.

p.s. (visit again soon for photos)