The night before:
I will start with saying I was not motivated for this race. I wasn't even sure I was going to do this race. I did not feel prepared for the frigid swim (no wetsuit yet coupled with bad form), the hilly course (cold winter/spring temps/bike buddy abandonment kept me from my long rides), and the weather forecast was grim. I had tons of excuses. But thanks to Tobias Felhaber and my fellow Pathetic Triathletes, I caved under the peer pressure and showed up 40 minutes before the race started to sign up with my free entry that I earned from volunteering at last year's race. Feeling my resistance, I put my bike on my rack before I even went to bed. Dinner was popcorn. Not my best meal choice. But since barely any effort or enthusiasm accompanied this race, I wasn't concerned.
The morning of:
I had a strawberry banana smoothie with a scoop of vanilla dream protein, GI response, 2 scoops or SP complete, and mixed greens. It was cold. Temps in the high 40's. Overcast. Yuck. But I committed, so let's git 'er done. I signed up, got my bib and shirt and set up transition on the overflow rack. This race claims to be a sprint. That is a lie.
The Swim:
0.6 miles
I warmed up until the hyperventilating went away. Thankfully, the water wasn't as cold as I expected... a balmy 65. I think I was one of three people without a wetsuit. As we were freezing our butts off waiting for our wave (the last wave) to head out, it started to rain and my thoughts drifted to my gear in transition getting soaked. I wished I had covered it in plastic. Note to self for next time. Luckily the rain stopped soon with intermittent sprinkles throughout the morning. While waiting on the beach, I started chatting with a relatively new triathlete named Chrystal. She was just as unprepared for the swim as I was, so at least I had some company at the back of the pack. And our chitchat helped to pass the time. (omg so much tri-candy to gaze at too!) I let the other swimmers go ahead of Chrystal and I and passed a total of three people on the swim: the one freaking out clinging to a buoy, the one swimming off course, and the one zig-zagging all over the place on his back like a fish with one fin. It was like the island of misfit toys and I fit in perfectly. lol Coming out of the water, I had left flipflops on the beach thinking it would protect my feet from stones on the way to transition... it turned out all they did was trap sand on the soles of my feet and between my toes. Bad idea.
2:30 pace, 26:20
T1:
I was in no rush. Dizzy from the swim. Forgot to drink. Changed shoes, threw long sleeves on (which I was so happy to have... It was so cold! My hands and feet were numb from the swim.), put on race belt with bib in back (good idea!) and hopped on my bike. On of the last out of transition. 4:48
The Bike:
24 miles
Hilly! But very pretty course. Lots of gorgeous horses running along with me and grazing while I rode. I almost ran over my triathlon spirit animal, the turtle, at mile 7.5. The 1st place elite was on his way back at that point and I wondered if he understood me when I screamed, "TURTLE!" The little guy was right between us and we were both going pretty fast. I think he was trying to give me a high five as his right arm was outstretched. I was happy I didn't see a smushed version of him on my way back. The roads were wet so I was super careful. Definitely no PR on the bike that day. But I was excited to see that I was racing down some of the hills and my fear continues to subside (though it's definitely still there at times...). I did not drink enough. This continues to be an issue. I get so consumed with peddling as fast as I can that I forget to drink. It occurred to me while I was riding that last year I couldn't imagine ever handling the hills on this course with my post-crash hill anxiety and here I was doing it and feeling pretty good. I call that a win for the day. Though I did leave the Shiv at home since I was nervous about bringing it to a race just yet. Felt pretty good coming off the bike and even managed to pass some people.
Avg spd 14.4mph, 1:39:46
T2:
Grabbed a bag of stingers and some water. Changed shoes. Turned bib forward. Quickly crammed a few stingers in my face and washed them down and got on to my run. Need to get my quick laces installed. Probably due for new running shoes too. 1:45 (woot!)
The Run:
4 miles
This is where I really shined. Best pace I think I have ever kept in a tri. I stayed strong the whole course with a steady even pace and felt good. Crossed Jaime Balint's path on the way out which was exciting! We finally got to meet in a hi/bye fashion. The run was a pretty flat out and back with the water stations around mile 1. I finished my stingers and enjoyed my run, passing a few more stragglers.
Avg pace: 9:52, 39:27
Total: 2:52:06
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Got a slice of pork roll, a sausage link, some green scrambled eggs, an orange, and a banana at the post race feast.
Overall, I was really glad I did this race and really glad I know people who will push me to do what's
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| Later that evening at the Color Run... |
