Two Roads Diverged...: Lame Duck Tri Recap! July 31, 2010

So I did it! I finished the hardest race of any kind that I have ever participated in. I ran across the finish line in quite a bit of pain, but with a smile on my face. Mostly because I was happy to finally be done.

Overall, it was an incredible experience. Here's a recap of my race. (Be warned, this will be a lengthy entry--grab some coffee if you must)

I woke up at 5 am Saturday morning after only sleeping about 4.5 hours. I don't have the luxury of going to bed early since I get home from work on a Friday night around 11 pm. But I felt wide awake and anxious to get going nonetheless. I ate breakfast (two pieces of toast with butter and sugar), finished packing my bags, and pumped air into my bike tires. By 5:45, we were heading out to pick up my friend, Angie, who's a super mom of 2 cute little girls. She's also my triathlon hero for doing these races while being a super mom at the same time.

By about 7 am, we arrive at Mallard Point neighborhood on the north side of Georgetown. I was excited to see all the other racers and the transition area buzzing with people.

I set up my area, only to be hugged from behind by one of my most favorite people, Mrs. Cathie Hoehner...the Mrs. Hoehner, 8th grade teacher that inspired my life and inspired the title of this blog. I hadn't seen her in years and what an amazing place to reunite! This was going to be her first triathlon ever! And she had only started running in 5K's last year. Didn't I say she was an incredible lady!?

Once we set up our transition areas, we started to get in line to ride over to the race start on a pontoon. It was a nice preview of the lake swim course that I had never seen before. I was trying to plan the shortest route possible with Angie as we rode to the other side of the lake.

Pre-Race smiles in the Transition Area

RACE RECAP

The Lake Swim (0.54 miles = 950 yds)

Time: 21:54 min

Like I said before, I feel like I am a fairly strong swimmer and that the swim is my best leg of the tri. This is only measured by the fact that my swim times are closer to average than my bike and run times which are much much slower than average. I had swum in lakes before and felt like my pool swimming skills would easily translate to the lake. Oh I was so wrong!

The course is a wide-angled 'L' shape so there really was only one 'turn.' Once I heard the shotgun start (with a real shotgun! So Kentucky) I started my freestyle stroke and got into a smooth rhythm. After swimming a while, I popped my head up only to see a boat in front of me...a boat parked on the shore. I had been swimming completely sideways. I could see the crowd of people in the distance going in the opposite direction I was going...eeeek!

So I caught my eye on the giant yellow inflatable duck (used for spotting) and headed straight for it. After a few more strokes, I popped my head up again, only to see the same boat again! What is happening! EEEk! I majorly underestimated how much work it would be to pop my head up to spot where I was going in the lake. The water itself was green and even with buoys and the giant duck, I spent a LOT of energy just making sure I was swimming towards the finish.

Finally, I figured out a new plan. I started to swim breaststroke (my slowest stroke), so that I could breath and spot at the same time and not waste any more energy swimming sideways. I passed a few people and felt pretty good once I neared the end of the swim.

I was somewhat delirious as volunteers pulled me out of the water. My pride was shot for swimming a zig-zag instead of an 'L', but I had bigger things to worry about now....the bike!

Emerging from the lake!

2:22 min (a lengthy transition as I took some time to rest because I knew I would need it to survive the hilly bike course)

Bike (9.4 miles--about 2 miles of the course are flat)

48:31 min

There is a massive hill that starts your bike course and naturally, you're starting at the bottom of the valley going up. There are a lot of blind curves, fast turns, and scary downhills on this course, so my strategy for this leg of the race was to survive and to not crash. I kept thinking that if I get hurt and don't make it to work later that day, my mother would certainly kill me if the race didn't. And that would be scarier than any bike crash.

I had practiced the bike course once before so I knew what horrors were ahead. Having this knowledge was so key for my mental state because I knew if this was the first time I met these hills, I would have just laid down and given up. But I had conquered them before, so I knew I could do it again. There were a LOT of walkers on these hills. I passed a few people walking, but I think there may have been a few walkers that passed me too. Hmmm, that's not good.

I felt pretty good through most of the bike, but as I was going down the last hill into Transition 2, I felt like I had completely run out of gas. I knew the last leg wasn't going to be pretty and there would be no way I would finish in the time I had hoped.

Finishing the bike and heading into T2

1:41 min (pretty slow considering all I had to do what change from helmet to running hat and throw on my number)

Run (2.6 miles)

35:33 min

As I walked out of the transition area, I could see a few runners in the distance at the top of the hill I was about to climb. My legs were completely shot after all those climbs on the bike. They felt like jello and I had no energy to muster even a slow jog. So I speed-walked to the best of my ability to climb the first hill.

Part of the run course over lapped the bike course so I was familiar with part of the terrain. There was another section, though, that I hadn't seen that was so insanely hilly. Oh my gravy! I tried to jog as much as I could, but I could feel my cardio and my muscles just weren't prepared for this venture. So I just speed-walked up hills and jogged down hills. I got passed by so many people :( Even a gentleman who couldn't have been younger than 65. I told myself that he must have been on a relay---he had fresh legs. At least that's what I told myself.

The most crushing point of the run was towards the end, when I had to weave through the crowds of people who were leaving and headed back to their cars! The racers looked so refreshed and ready to go home and here I was feeling close to death and I still wasn't done! But that also meant that I was nearing the finish line and THAT was a glorious feeling.

The last stretch was downhill and there were a few people milling around who cheered for me at the end. One of them being my wonderful husband, Mike, who cheered me on at each transition and any time I passed the spectators. I'm glad he was there to make sure I was ok :)

Home stretch! Me blocking the car in the road. Nice.

I looked at the time when I crossed the finish line -- 1:55. What?!?! I had been in the second swim wave so I could subtract 5 minutes. 1:50 was the time I had predicted for myself if all had gone as planned. So to finish in that time after all that I felt went wrong. I didn't feel so shabby after all.

Finish time

1:50:02

Place Overall

161 of 171 people who competed

I don't feel badly at all about being near the last to finish. I was just proud that I finished the whole race. Being new to the sport and working 12 hour days, I placed right where I should, I think. It was a fun day and I'm glad I got to share it with my very dear friends, Angie and Mrs Hoehner (who only finished 3 minutes after me by the way-- you go girl!)

The next race is the Tri for Sight over Labor Day weekend. Let the training begin!