And unlike the past two triathlons I've tried to do, I actually got to race Riverbluff! No hurt ankles...No E.Coli in the river... The race was ALMOST changed to a Duathlon, but I'll get to that in a minute.
Race day started at around 4:00 am. Kathy, my FTP training buddy and neighbor, picked me up at 5:20. Yes, 5-freaking-20 AM! So early. So, so early. (Sidebar: I swear, at some point I'm taking up a sport where I can sleep in, like bowling.) Riverbluff actually has three races, a Half-Iron distance, an Olympic and a Sprint. Our race (Olympic) didn't start until 8:15, but we were supposed to be there around 6:30, which is why we left so early. Fortunately, the crew from FTP was there, so we had a place to hang out while we were waiting for our race to start.
This was only about half of us. FTP was everywhere!
My race started about 15 minutes after the Half. The Olympic races were broken up into two groups of men and one of women, with the women starting last. It was still really, really foggy when the first group of men started. It was kind of surreal to watch these guys just swim off into the fog. I couldn't believe I was about to do the same thing! I was seriously thinking that I was about to do something really stupid by racing. I mean, who gets into a river to swim when they can't see where they are going?
But sure enough, a few minutes later, I found myself in the water with 100 other crazy women. We were all just nervously laughing and saying things like "I can't believe we're racing in this!" I tried to look across the river to see the green buoy, which was our first turning point, but couldn't. I figured I'd just follow the lead swimmers and hope the fog would lift soon.
I'm somewhere in that mess...just blindly swimming off into the unknown.
The horn sounded, and we were off. I did exactly what I had planned - I followed the leaders and hoped I'd end up at the green buoy, which I did. And by the time we hit the second buoy, I could feel the sun on my back. The fog had lifted! HAZZAH! I actually felt pretty good out there. I hadn't swam 1,500 meters continuously in a while, so I was a little concerned about my endurance, but I was fine. In fact, the worst part about the swim was getting out of the water. The boat ramp was slimy and kind of steep. Fortunately, there were several volunteers who helped us out. I wouldn't have been able to get out on my own.
After a short run (on gravel - ouch) to transition, I easily found my bike because, as I mentioned, we were the last Olympic group to start. Most of the men (I did catch some) and some of the women were already gone. It's a little discouraging to get to transition and see a bunch of empty racks, even if you know it's because they started before you did. But what can you do? So, I got on the bike and was off.
Now one reason I had wanted to do this race was that I was told it was a flat ride and perfect for a PR. I can't remember who told me that, but if they considered this course flat, I'd hate to see what their version of hilly is. This was NOT a flat course. FTP actually did hill repeats on one of the worst hills out here a few weeks ago. At the time, I was thinking "I'm SO glad this hill isn't on the race course!" Of course, it was.
The only real complaint I have about the bike course was that it was WAY TOO CONGESTED for a race of this size and not have the roads closed. Remember- there were three races going one at this point and at about 10 miles left on the course, we all met up. At one point, a truck had stopped in the middle of the street, so I had to literally stop in the middle of my bike leg and wait for him to get moving again. By the time he did, about 15 riders had joined up with me, so we all started riding in a pack, which is a big race no-no. We all had to follow the truck down the biggest hill. He was going nice and slow, which was a good and bad thing. Good, because by going slow he wouldn't hit any cyclists. Thank you for being considerate, Mr. Truck Driver. The bad part was that because he was slow - I was slow. Rather than flying down the hill at 30 MPH, I was probably going 15. Sigh. But, I'd rather have all of us be safe than have a fast bike split.
We rode in a pack most of the way back to the transition area. I really can't believe I didn't get a penalty for drafting, but I think the race organizers understood what the deal was - there were just too many people out there.
By the time I got to the run, the sun had REALLY started shining and it was HOT. I don't really have any witty commentary about the run because I was miserable the entire time and walked way more than I should have. After being slowed on the bike leg, I kind of figured any chance I had to podium was shot. As everyone knows, the run is my nemesis in triathlon. I pretty much need conditions to be perfect for me to have a good run and today, I was already mentally defeated. I really need to work on this. I should have been all "forget you guys, I'm going to crush you on the run!" But I was really more, "Ugh, it's hot and my bike leg sucked. Let me just get through this." The last mile had no shade and just seemed to take FOREVER! My friend Maureen caught me and we ran it in to the finish together. Afterwards, we went directly to the river and sat in it for about 20 minutes. I was so hot, and that water felt really, really good.
Pretty cool medal.
East Nasty represent! Maureen, Me, Lana, Kim and Marne.
Overall, the race was fun, even though the heat just killed me. I actually ended up with a PR, which was surprising. The post-race food was amazing, which is always a bonus. It turns out that I was only 3 minutes from 3rd place AG, which I absolutely could have made up if I had been more focused on racing rather than how hot it was. Lesson learned - no matter how bad you think you're doing, you have no idea what everyone is doing so keep pushing until the finish.
The congestion on the ride is an issue. I found out a few days after the race that one of the racers was hit by a car. Fortunately, it looks like she's going to be Ok (though the driver isn't being charged with anything...don't get me started on this). I think the only way to fix this is to close the roads completely. I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I guess we'll see next year.
On a totally different note, Kathy, Dudley and I all raced the Heroes in Recovery 6k yesterday. Yes, a 6k! This was an awesome race in Leipers Fork. The course took us by an alpaca farm! So cute! And Kathy and I actually went 1st and 2nd in our AG, plus Belinda from FTP also got 1st AG. We all got running hats as an award. Love it! :-)
I loved the shirts.
FTP: Belinda, Becky, Kathy, me and Dudley.
Next up: the Hustle for the House 5k benefitting the Ronald McDonald House. I'm on the board for this race, so I'm not sure if I'm going to race or not. It's a great race for a great cause, so I'm really looking forward to it - even if I have to get up at 4:00 to help set up! :-)
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