The Race

I have so many things I want to write and remember about the race. So I'm going to just go stream of consciousness. I will try to go chronologically. But it's going to be long. Consider yourself forewarned.

At home:

I had set my alarm for 5:15, planning to leave by 6. (Start time was 7:30 with a pre-race meeting at 7:15.) I wasn't sure how far away I was going to have to park or how long it would take me to get set up. Izzy woke up around 3 a.m. She went back to sleep almost immediately, but I was not so fortunate. I finally started to doze off when a thunderstorm came through around 4. Sometime shortly before 5 I finally gave it up. I got up and started the coffee brewing. Had my breakfast, filled my water bottles and left around 6 as planned.

Pre-race:

I arrived at the race site plenty early and was able to park right there. Listened to my favorite pre-race song while getting my bike all set. Headed over to the transition area to stake out my space. I spent a lot of time checking out other people's set ups and trying to figure out how to layout my belongings. I had meant to brush up on this strategy stuff, but couldn't find my book. Space was really tight, complicating things. Over the next 45 minutes I made several changes. Once I got my bike racked, I went over to get my chip and get marked. From there I headed over to the beach to survey things. To call the place we were swimming a lake is being very generous. Though, I'm not sure anyone was calling it a lake. 500 yards looks very long when you're used to swimming in a pool. Headed back to transition taking the path we'd be taking up from the swim to make sure I would recognize my station and to mentally rehearse what I'd do when I got there to see if my set up was going to work. Spent the rest of pre-race going potty a couple times and exchanging stories with the women around me. Best story: A woman I met on the beach who was celebrating her 40th birthday today by doing her first triathlon after 10 years and 3 babies.

Swim (1/3 mile):

The other triathlons I've done were wave starts. You're assigned to a wave (usually by age group) and everyone in your wave starts at the same time with a few seconds between waves. It is chaotic and can be very overwhelming. This time they still started us by wave, but had one racer enter at a time, 3 seconds apart. A much more controlled start. I got into the water feeling pretty confident. But after maybe 100 yards, my moment of panic set in. I had not done any open water swimming and was really struggling to find my groove. I was on the verge of hyperventilating and wondering what I was thinking signing up for this race and how was I ever going to finish the swim much less the whole race. The first buoy was so far away! Somehow I pulled it together and started doing the breaststroke. In doing so, I realized well over half the other swimmers were doing the same. I found my groove and started gaining on some of the swimmers around me. I alternated between the crawl and the breaststroke, usually switching to the crawl when I started kicking swimmers behind me or when I needed to pass someone. Once I made the first turn, I knew I was going to finish the swim. A positive from the swim: this was the first tri I have done where the swim was counterclockwise, very good news for a left-side breather like me. I was very relieved to pass the last buoy and not too long after see the swimmers ahead of me stand up. Then it was my turn and my legs were very shaky.

Swim time: 12:21

T1:

Pretty quick and uneventful transition. Since this was my first time riding my tri bike in a race, it was my first time switching to bike shoes in a race. Thought it would be okay to leave my shoes unfastened and deal with them on the bike. Not the best plan.

T1 time: 1:04

Bike (16 miles):

Not having done any bricks in my training, I had forgotten how hard it is to switch from one sport to the next. The swim had left me really winded. Then I hopped on my bike for a big uphill climb. I had another moment of wondering if I'd be able to finish. But I kept going and it got easier. Eventually I reached the top of the hill and was able to catch my breath. Biking with my tri bike made the bike portion a whole new experience. On my old bike, I never had to deal with passing people or being in the thick of things, getting caught in a knot of bikers. I was glad I had gone out on my ride at my parents' earlier in the week. It made me a lot more confident on my bike. It got my body and muscles used to being in aero position so I wasn't nearly as physically uncomfortable has I had been on my training ride. It was also the same kinds of roads and same kind of scenery, which helped put me at ease. In hind sight, I could have ridden harder and shaved a little off my time. I need some practice biking down hill, getting more comfortable and confident at high speeds. I tended to back off a bit on the downhills. There was another woman rider who kept trading places with me. I'd pass her going uphill; she'd pass me going downhill. One of my favorite moments of the bike, though, came probably a little less than halfway through the ride. We were going down a small hill. My pedals were spinning pretty freely, so I started to coast. Then I noticed everyone in front of me still pedaling away. I thought, "Hmm, what would happen if I pedaled faster?" It took a few revolutions, but eventually I hit some resistance and started flying! As I ride my tri bike more, I'm becoming less intimidated by it and more enamored with it. All in all, the bike was my favorite part of the race. Fortunately, since it comprised 60% it.

Bike time: 54:xx

T2:

I botched this transition. I had thought through T1 a little, but didn't really think through T2. I had everything laid out perfectly, but I think that was accidental. When I came in with my bike, I was all set up to just push my bike under the rack and lift the seat up onto the rack. My running shoes were lined up for that scenario. But when I came in, I went around the rack and backed my bike in. It wouldn't have been a problem if I had had more room, but the bikes on either side of me were already back. I had to reach across my bike and try to lift it up. It was really a stretch. And then my running shoes were on the other side of the rack, so I had to run back around to get them. It probably only cost me a few seconds, but was frustrating nonetheless.

T2 time: 1:02

Run (3.1 miles):

The switch from biking to running is always tough. You've been making your legs do one thing for almost an hour (or more) then ask them to do something else. They feel like lead, if you can feel them at all. Putting one foot in front of the other is an effort. Mentally there's a big switch, too, as you go from zipping along on your bike to moving considerably slower on your feet. This particular run was brutal because the first mile was all uphill, a fairly steep hill. I felt like I was shuffling along, barely moving. But my marathon training left me in great shape for the run. Heading up the hill, I felt about like I felt at mile 12 of my 15 mile run. Plus three miles is nothing when you've been regularly running 10, 12 or more. I knew I could do it. I chugged along up the hill, breathing a small sigh of relief when I got to the top. The whole run felt so slow. I was envisioning a time well over 30 minutes. When I came around the corner to head down the hill for the last 3/4 mile, I was ready to pack it in and coast the rest of the way. But I found some inspiration in thoughts of a special friend and finished strong.

Run time: 28:xx

TOTAL TIME: 1:37:xx

I had a dilemma a few days before the race when I realized my running shoes were shot. I kept trying but failing to find time to go to a running store. I finally ordered new shoes online, but didn't get them until two days before the race, late in the day. I wasn't completely comfortable with running a race in shoes I had never run in. But I weighed the pros and cons and decided to chance it. Neither situation was ideal, but my old shoes were in bad shape before my 15 mile run. It became clear on my next run that running in those shoes after biking was going to be painful. I broke the new shoes in around the house over the next two days. I would have gone out for a quick run Friday, but it POURED rain all day. Overall, I think it was the right decision. My heels were slipping a little in the new shoes, but that could have been from not wearing socks and/or not having my lock laces tight enough at the top. I ended up with an open blister on my left heel, but I didn't notice it until Madeline asked me why the back of my shoe was red.

I thought this was a really well run and fun race. There were a lot of newbies and several women like me coming back after a child bearing hiatus. Personally, it was a great reintroduction to the sport. I felt awesome and was on high all day after the race. I learned I need to do some open water swims, get some more time on my bike and practice my transitions. I'm really excited to be back at it and can't wait for the YWCA race in August. Still holding on to my dream of doing an Ironman before I'm 40!