Nick drove me out there race morning and my super awesome
coach called and left me a message making sure my head was in the right place
and telling me to be aggressive and kill it!
I had sent him a list of my goals, but he’s encouraging me to race more
by feel than anything…maybe not be so rigid with my data while racing. That was super motivating. It was chilly in the morning, but the
forecast called for a beautiful race day with a high of 70 at most. The water was around 60 degrees. They changed the starting location last minute, so the swim and run were different courses, but the bike was the same route. I was excited to race in my new QR Superfull
with the breakaway zipper. I was nervous
about the run since I hadn’t done more than 6 miles yet and only had one brick
under my belt. Last year, this race was
one week after my bike wreck, so I was oh so grateful to be racing and not on the couch "cuddling" with a few bags of frozen peas waiting for bone to heal.
At the race, I found a few friends and team mates to chat with while
setting up transition. Nick was there to
provide support to me the whole time. I
was early enough to get an end spot on the transition rack and the athlete next
to me was very sweet. My warm up went
just fine and I also got in some fun social time with a few friends. I saw a former co-worker at the start doing
his first ever Olympic distance and I must say, I’m so proud of him! I convinced a few others to get in the water,
just to at least get comfortable with the temperature.
Strangely, my wave was 3rd and it was an
extremely aggressive swim start. I was
pushed under, elbowed and kicked more than any other swim. I’m always comfortable in open water due to
my surfing background, and I’m aggressive too, but this was just intense. I started
right off the front and did catch a draft for a little while, but I think I
lost a lot of energy just trying to fight through the carnage. I got “sandwiched” really close between two
other swimmers and blocked and struggled to swim a few times. However, I survived the masses and after a
while, I was fine. This is the first
swim where I have not worn a watch.
Coach has done wonders getting me to learn when to use the watch and
when its holding me back. I used to look
at my watch every so often, more to reassure myself that I wasn’t going to miss
the cut off time… although that was NEVER a problem for me. Sighting was easy, there were barely any
turns. I caught up with the back half of
the 2nd wave. I got a swim PR
of over one minute for the distance- crushing me expectations! I executed this well and am happy with my
performance in the swim. I was 11th/43
in age group and 51st/201 women. I still
have work to do here, but am happy! : )
T1: I showed that QR
wetsuit who is boss! Thanks to
Triathlete Sports in Bangor Maine I am loving my wetsuit. I hate to buy online rather than a local
shop, but this online retailer is located in Maine which is my home state so I
feel better about the purchase. I was 1st
AG and 5th overall women in transition. This is where my impatience and time control
freak nature serves me well. I’m a total
planimal. Nick got an awesome pick of my
flying mount with my leg kicking out over the top of the bike. Its awesome.
Bike: I was trying to
stay aero, so I barely looked down at my watch.
I tried to actually descend well and not lose power, like at Giant Acorn and I did fine. Riding by feel and not
looking at the watch often, I was 10 watts higher than I thought. I rode exactly at my FTP (Functional
Threshold Power) rather than 10-5% below.
This means I probably am stronger than I think. That is my theory anyway!
: )
I passed 19 women and 14 men, but 4 women passed me and 50
men passed me on the bike. No, I didn’t
count them… I got tipsy off some wine (gasp) and ordered my “endorphin report” for
$9.00 when I got home…which gives that data.
Yeah, I’m such a geek! I was 5th/43
in AG and 27th/201 women on the bike. The bike used to be my weakness, but now I’m
stronger here than the swim or run. The
bike split was faster than my Giant Acorn PR by around 2 minutes (same course).
I saw my IM Moo training buddy L out on the bike in the 2nd
loop. She had bought a tri suit with her
name on the butt, and had told me about it, so when she passed me I had to
laugh. That girl is intense,
competitive, fun and fast. We are going
to push each other in training and motivate each other for WI. I love how our biggest competitors are also
our biggest supporters in triathlon. I’m
really truly proud of her and her progress this season. She was the fastest
female bike split of the day, by a landslide!
I know that when I had my injury, she said to me on the bus when I went
to spectate a trail run, “You just need more mental toughness.” She was right! I can learn a lot from her by setting big
goals and dreams and being vocal about it.
I need to do the same!
T2: Fastest woman in
transition! At least I have this leg
nailed. : )
Run: Ouch. There was loose gravel, rolling hill, grass
and no pavement. I let two women in my
age group pass me. Nick took some great
pictures of my friends and me, but I struggled here in the last 3 miles. My run legs WILL come back. I have been very conservative here with flat
zone 2 runs, not brick training, and no real long runs. This race was my longest run since
November. Therefore, I’m OK with my 8:28
pace. I’ll get it back. I was 11th/43 AG and 46/201 women.
I finished the race 7th/43 AG, 34th/201
women and 222nd/700 all participants. Not stellar, but not terrible. Once my run is back, I’ll be even
better. I’m excited.