The pre-race excitement was contagious, and I was thrilled to finally be racing again. We got in the water a few minutes early to warm up. We watched the male heats take off and all the female athletes were last to go. The horn blew and we were off! My swim didn't feel great, but that's because of three words every triathlete knows: lack of training. Don't be alarmed if I have green hair in the next post because I might just go live at the pool. I was finally able to get in a groove and keep up a good pace. As I ran into transition, my trusty teammate McKenzie was there to strip my wetsuit. She has been my stripper before. Am I allowed to blog that? Anyway, the last time she was my wetsuit stripper I was coming out of 51 degree water, and did not know it at the time but my body temp had dropped to 92 degrees. Like I said, I'm kind of a wuss in the cold. Thank goodness she was there because I ended up passing out and she was right there to catch me. This time she yanked my wetsuit off and as I stood up she yelled, 'Wait, are you good this time?' We both died laughing (funny how stories get a lot funnier after a year goes by) and I ran to jump on my bike.
The bike course was so beautiful! The road conditions were not great but I love riding on country backroads. I was passing a lot of people and felt really good. A car decided to pass me at the exact same time I was passing a rider. As it cruised by about 3 inches from my shoulder, I may or may not have shouted some profanity, and the rider next to me may or may not have chuckled. Oh the joys of biking on public roads. I really wanted to push it on the bike and see the benefits of participating in CrossFit this last winter. It has increased my strength on the bike immensely. Only one girl passed me during the bike portion, but she was totally ripped so I let her. About 2 miles out I took my Vanilla Bean GU (love those things - is it weird that sometimes I eat them for fun?) I came down the hill and turned back into transition and threw on my running shoes.
I've only done a few bricks (when I say a few it's more like 2) so I was a little nervous about beginning the run. As I ran out my teammate Amber shouted 'You are the 4th girl! Hurry, third place is right in front of you...go catch her!' Well, I knew I could not be the fourth girl overall. I am definitely not that fast. I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but let me tell you something about good teammates. They lie to you. They tell you things that do weird things to your head and make you run faster. And that's exactly what happened! Thank you Amber! All I knew is I had to catch that girl in front of me.
I quickly realized she was running at a pretty good pace, so my original plan was to pass her with about .5 miles left. Well, about a half mile into the run I felt like I could push harder, so I did. I passed her and knew it was a long 2.5 miles to hold my lead but I could do it. The run was beautiful, but there is a slow steady climb that about killed me. I wasn't wearing a heart rate monitor but I remember thinking my heart rate had to be around 250. Okay, maybe not that high but it was pumpin'. About a mile from the finish I thought I spotted another female up ahead. So there was my next victim. Sometimes in a race I feel like I'm playing Deer Hunter but I'm looking for ponytails instead. I didn't catch her until about a half mile from the finish, and I barely passed her. Our paces were almost identical. I could hear my cheerleading team up ahead so I gave it all I had. I ran across the bridge and through the finish line! Such a great feeling.
This is an interesting racing year for me. I will not be able to train near as hard or as long as I'd like to. I didn't even wear a watch during this race because I knew I needed to just go out and have fun. Which can be difficult when you want to give it everything, but I had a blast. Winning my age group was just a huge unexpected bonus. I had a lot of goals I wanted to accomplish this year: my first marathon, my first half Ironman, but it looks like those will have to wait for another year, and I will welcome the time in my life when those will be acheivable. Although I can't push to my full potential, I feel so lucky to be a part of such a supportive and amazing women's triathlon team. I've learned that life hands you cards that make you put everything into perspective and really figure out what your priorities are. I'm so thankful that I have a healthy body that allows me to swim, bike and run; three things that are a huge part of my life.
Post-race chatting is one of my favorite parts of a race. I found out Devan had taken 4th overall, my sister-in-law who doesn't train was a just a few minutes behind me (those darn Tandy genes), and my friend who broke her arm THAT MORNING in a bike crash on the way to my house had finished the race. What an incredible day! Special thanks to sponsors of the TriEdge-Kestrel Women's Triathlon Team!
Pre Race: Crystal Light Energy/8oz H2o, banana | Swim: HEAD goggles, Blue Seventy Helix Wetsuit | Bike: Look 566, FLEXR bottles | Run: Avia Avi-Bolt iii, Darn Tough socks | Nutrition: Vanilla Bean GU | Post Race: Contour STiM Machine, lots of ice cream
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