For a first timer, I was pretty pleased. OK, the whole race was nothing to write home about, but I was pleased with my performance and I had adrenaline on my side. I ran a 9.33 pace and while it wasn't lighting a fire on the course, I was pretty happy with it considering 2 weeks before I was ready to quit the Turkey Festival 5k. So you would think this year would be better..... HA!
It all started last night. It was an omen. I couldn't find my training sunglasses. I had to have my glasses! I stayed up until 11 p.m. looking for them before saying a prayer before bed that they were going to be at the pool. About 4:15 a.m., I heard a large crash and watched my bedroom light up. Ugh, more thunderstorms, but I was certainly hoping that the rain would cool things off. The weather forecast for Saturday morning was 101. With the triathlon being seeded by swim time, I was not looking forward to starting later in the morning.
My alarm went off at 5:50 am. Start time was 7:30 a.m., but let's face facts. There was no reason to get there early if I was just going to stand around for a while waiting for the start. We arrived at the pool at 6:45 am and got the crappy T1 spot that we deserved, stuck in a corner so that we had to weave through another bike rack to start the bike segment.
My awesome niece, Cheryl, and I went to get body marking. Based on swim times, she was #87 while I had to wait until #123. Oh wait, maybe I should explain that. We have a 6 lane pool in Tremont and in order to get a 400 yard swim leg, we don't do a serpentine swim. Instead, we each get 1/2 of a lane and stay in that lane for 8 laps. We start 12 people at a time and as one person completes their swim another person jumps in their lane to start. Now there are pros and cons to this format, but I personally like it. I don't have to worry anyone crawling over me nor do I have to worry about passing anyone. I'm safe and secure in my own lane.
With the body marking complete, we had nothing but time on our hands. Cheryl & I like to spend our time commiserating on why we do these events and trying to find an excuse not to do it. The butterflies take over and yes, at one point, I think I could have thrown up! But nevertheless, my time finally arrived and it was time to start my swim. I was determined to keep my swim nice and relaxed. Quite often, I find myself trying to work harder than necessary and actually getting no where. So I wanted to keep the swim under control and at my own pace. I forgot to put on my lap counter, but luckily there were volunteers there to keep track for me. My counter was a retired teacher from Tremont and when she told me I was on my last lap, I actually stopped and asked her "Really?" as if she was playing a trick on me. I had lost count in the pool and was afraid to actually believe that I wasn't drowning before I had to get out of the pool! My swim split was 8:56 compared to last year of 9:31. Not a great improvement, but now that I think about it, I'm quite pleased with that. (Last year I thought I was going to die before I finished my swim.)
I started off on my bike, after a brief struggle with my left clip. For some reason, it kept turning over and it took me a couple of tries before I could clip in. Now, no matter what I say next, my bike split sucked. It really did. I thought I was doing ok. Until I got passed by 1, 2, 3, 4, ......5 people, but that's ok. I know I haven't been on my bike much. I kept the last guy who passed me in my sights and kept trying to pass him. Unfortunately, I would fool myself in believing I was actually catching him every time I was still on the flat while he was on a hill. Oh well. All for the better I suppose. It kept me moving! The bike route this year was flatter and longer. My time of 52:02 this year was not horrible considering the 1+ additional mile over last year. Last year's split was 48:33. So, 4 minutes for the extra mile. Ehh, not bad. T2 this year was 1:41....compared to 47.1, but of course, I didn't change out of bike shoes last year. And I was off on to the run....
It took the first 1/2 mile to get my legs to loosen up. And to top it off, I didn't have my Garmin set right for the multi-sport....or maybe I was a little too antsy and hit the button too many times. I guess I have a little more research to do on the set up.
The run course was also different this year. It was much flatter although with my different sights and smells. The route took us out to the country...when you are huffing and puffing it's not very pleasant to smell the cow dung. Today was the first time that I thought to myself "I'm a loud breather!" Gross. I hate that.
By the time I hit the halfway mark, I had finally hit a better rhythm. I was feeling more confident and was able to pick up the pace. I had a target in front of me and challenged myself to pass him...but I was quite disappointed when he stopped to walk at the water station. It took away all of the glory! On the final mile, I had a woman pass me. A woman! A woman who started her race at least 15 spots behind me. Words cannot express my disgust and try as I might to gather up my kick to catch her, she just kept pulling away from me.
I turned the corner and saw the finish chute and that automatically put a smile on my face. I can't help it. I like a finish. I'm like the horse whose been out on a ride and can smell home. There's no stopping me.
SO NOT HAPPY!
In the end, my total triathlon time was 1:34.46, compared to 1:31.06 last year.
I've come to the following conclusion: It's time to shit or get off the pot. It's time to step up my training and get back to working on my calorie counting. Next goal: Lose 10 lbs. Next race??? Still debating, but the only race I am currently registered for is the Disney World Wine & Dine Half-Marathon on October 2nd.
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