I had checked in yesterday so I didn't have to deal with picking up my bib numbers or anything. We just headed straight down to the transition area (where you stash bike, shoes, etc. during the race). You set up on racks lined up by race number. Bikes with race number 1-10 are on one rack, 11- 20 on another, etc.
Yes, athletes only in the transition area. I'm an athlete. HA!
So I get to my rack and I notice that the bikes set up aren't in order on my specific rack. Now I know that prior to this race I only had one triathlon under my belt, but that was enough to know that bikes are supposed to be in order of race number. You're also supposed to hang your bike on the rack a certain way and put your gear directly under your bike. Several of us walked up at the same time and were trying to figure out what was going on, when one racer said "Oh - just put your stuff anywhere. It doesn't matter." Right. Somehow I don't think I'll get away with that at my Half-Ironman in September. This racer must have gotten there RIGHT when the area opened because, man, she claimed her spot. She had her bike leaning against the rack and all of her gear next to her stuff. Probably took up a quarter of the rack space. Not cool. Granted, it wasn't huge deal at the time as we still had room, but was annoying.
My properly hung bike with gear under.
Anyway, once that was all set up, it was off for body marking. They wrote my race number on both legs and right arm, and my age on my right calf (I guess so I can see that I'm getting my butt beat by someone 10 years older than me). They also wrote my name on my left arm, which didn't happen before. I'm not sure how, but even with my name on my bib, the volunteer still got my name wrong.
Kristene? REALLY? Does ANYONE spell it like that?
After the race organizers gave us a run-down of the rules, it was time to get started. Off to the pool we went. I was VERY thankful for the indoor swim because it was cold and overcast today. To start the race, you are lined up by swim ability. I'm not a strong swimmer, but I'm not terrible either. So I totally guessed and wrote a 5.
Me in the masses, rockin' the swim cap. Nice, huh?
Before I knew it, I was at the water's edge. A different start for me in that we dove into the water, rather than wading in as I had previously. Not a huge deal, but I just wanted to make sure my goggles didn't fall off. So I kind of did a dive while holding on to them. Not the most graceful thing, but it worked. Once I got going, the swim felt great - really great. Though I've only had two, those swim lessons have paid off. I think I passed 5 or 6 people. The main thing I noticed was that I wasn't using my legs as much, but still maintained speed, so my legs were somewhat saved for the bike and run.
Getting out of the pool, I felt a little wobbly, but not too bad. T1 (swim to bike) went great. The shock of running outside into the cold wasn't as bad as what I thought it would be. I threw on my socks and shoes, grabbed my helmet and bike and off I went. Even another racer who the transition area before I was commented "Wow - you're fast."
The bike course was an out-and-back route through the streets around Centennial Park. The roads were closed to car traffic, which was fantastic. It's nice to not have to worry about that while riding. Volunteers and traffic cops were EVERYWHERE, which again was fantastic. There were A LOT of tight turns so everyone was really needed to keep us all on course. My ride felt great, but cycling is my strong point so I wasn't too worried about it. I wish the ride had been longer and not as technical so I really could have made up the time that I knew I was going to lose during the run, but oh well. I got time where I could. Passed a lot of people and got passed twice. The first lady almost wrecked me as she wasn't sure where the course went and then cut back suddenly. The second lady was 10 years my senior (I looked at her calf) and just blew by me about a 1/2 to the end. She was a "serious" racer in that she had a fully-aero carbon bike and had her coach (husband) yelling her times at her while she was racing. What was funny was that I hadn't realized that I was slacking off on my ride until she passed me. But when she passed me, I realized I had a whole other gear to kick into. Too bad it was so close to the end. Oh well.
I love to ride!
So back to the transition area to switch to the run. This is where things got a little hairy. I got back to my rack and tried to hang up my bike, but it got caught up on all of my neighbor's stuff. Some bag of hers got tangled on my pedal and it just threw off my groove. There was also this balloon on the rack behind me that hit me in the face about three times. (Sidebar: BALLOONS in the transition area? REALLY?! I know this race was for all women and beginner friendly, but come on! Again, I don't think this would fly in the Ironman.) It's funny how something so little can get me so flustered. But again, I'm a slow runner and I know I need every second I can get in my transitions. So all I was worried about was getting out as fast as possible. So I put my shoes on and take a few steps and realize that I still have one cycling shoe on. How stupid can I be? So I go back and put my other shoe on and take a few more steps before I realize I still have my HELMET on. Now in my defense, I wear a hat when I'm running 99% of the time so I'm used to having someone on my head. But still - it was a stupid rookie mistake that cost me time. Finally, after getting hit with that stupid balloon AGAIN, I was ready for the run.
YAY! I'm finally running!!
My legs felt like jelly. Not painful, but they just didn't want to move for about the first 1/2 mile. A few brick workouts (biking then running immediately afterwards) would have really come in handy at this point. People were passing me left and right (OK - it was maybe 5-6 people over the course, but it felt like everyone). After about a mile, I finally found my legs and felt pretty good. Not great, but strong enough to gain speed towards the finish. It was VERY cool to not only hear my name over the loud speaker at the finish, but to hear some of my fellow East Nasties screaming too.
I know my head is cut off and this is a little blurry, but it's the best picture from the finish. I'm throwing the East Nasty "gang" sign to the ENs at the finish.
ENFL!
Rather than a finishers medal, which isn't a guarantee at triathlons, they gave all finishers little necklaces on pink strings. Very cute. We also received purple water bottles. You can never have enough water bottles.
Overall, it was a great day. Special thanks to my husband who is amazingly supportive of my new life as a triathlete. Also a huge thank you to my friend Rhonda and the other great volunteers and police who kept us safe today. And congratulations to East Nasty Sara for completing her first tri!!
Update: I've since found out that I placed 4th in my age group, losing 3rd by 10 seconds. While T2 could have made it up, I also know I could have pulled 10 seconds in my ride and definitely my run. Oh well. Lesson learned. Looking forward to the GJCC tri in over Memorial Day!!
Race Results:
Overall time: 58:30 (10 minutes behind leader)
Overall place: 42nd as of the moment, but should get bumped up to 41st.
Age group: 4th
Swim time: 5:41 (44th overall / 6th in age group)
T1: 1:34
Bike time: 30:00 (18th overall / FIRST IN AGE GROUP!! WOOT WOOT!)
T2: 1:44
Run: 19:44 (118th overall - see, I'm SLOW / 18th in age group)
No comments:
Post a Comment