Since the triathlon on Sunday, I have neither been in the pool nor pounded the pavement by foot or by bike. Instead, I’ve been struggling with a pesky cold. My daughter was home sick from school on Tuesday so the back-to-school bug got both of us. I am working on resting and drinking some green juice to get back on track.
Since this triathlon wasn’t too far, we didn’t have to leave until after lunch on Saturday to get to the hotel for check-in, have dinner, and pick up my race packet. I had made a reservation a few months back so we could stay in the town closer to the race. This worked out much better in so many ways.
The drive was through pretty countryside and there wasn’t a lot of traffic so we made good time. We checked into the hotel, chilled out for a little while, then went to dinner. I had found an Italian restaurant online that looked promising. We stopped at a grocery store so I could buy bagels for my pre-race breakfast and then found the restaurant. It was before 5pm, but the place was busy, both with locals and race people. Dinner was good, Bill choosing a calzone and me the chicken parmigiana. We filled up and then took our heavy selves back into the car to get to packet pick-up.
The ride took less than 10 minutes, I grabbed my t-shirt/race numbers and then took a moment to enjoy the view by the lake. The pre-race meeting was taking place, but I’ve heard it enough times that I’m comfortable skipping. We drove back to the hotel and I was so happy to lay on the bed and read. It was luxurious! Bill watched football and I did not care; I was not grading papers, cleaning, doing laundry, planning presentations, or cooking. I took a melatonin about 9 and then went to bed, sleeping well the first half of the night, but tossing and turning later on. Another plus of staying at this new motel was that it was quiet – no one partying until 4 in the morning.
Wake up time was 6am and I felt awake; I just didn’t feel 100%. I had told Bill that my throat was sore the last 2 days and I felt run-down. It wasn’t any better today. Following my angry mood, I asked myself, “Do you have cancer?” I said No and told myself to get ready. I had my bagel and peanut butter and then we got on the road. The plan was to get to the race by 7am and we rolled up at just that time.
Unfortunately, they closed the parking lot before we got there. Bill pulled over and I grabbed my bike and gear as quickly as I could. Not quick enough as a police officer started walking towards us. I hurried up, closed the door, and didn’t make eye contact with the officer. All good. 😉
I got my bike to transition, got body marked and my timing chip, then used the port-o-potty a couple few times. Bill and I found each other, then sat at the starting area until it was time for me to get in the water. Bill got my pre-race pic (a little dark), I hugged him, and then walked to the pier.
The race started at 8am, we cheered on the open athletes and then I jumped in the water. My wave started at 8:10. I like it when I don’t have to wait a long time (go open-water swims!) and can pee right before a race (go open-water swims!). With my cap and goggles on, I chatted with a couple women and then it was time to start. I was feeling confident about the swim because I’ve put a lot of effort into my swimming lately. It was a non-wetsuit swim and I was okay with that because a. I didn’t want to spend money renting one and b. I feel uncomfortable in it/don’t like to fight to get it off in transition.
Here’s our group in the water with the neon-green caps:
I was happy not to get kicked/hit too much during the swim. I felt like I was moving at a good pace…one that I could maintain and not burn up all my energy before getting on the bike. I gulped down some water because things got a little choppy right before the second turn buoy. I adjusted by turning my head more when breathing and finished up, climbing up the ladder and looking at my watch. I was really hoping for 18.5 minutes, but saw 21.5 minutes. What?!? I must have been swimming zig-zags. 😦 I took off my cap and goggles and started chuggling along the 300 yards to get to the transition area. My wonderful blog photographer/sherpa/cheering section got this shot of me coming in.
I was huffing and puffing and tried not to waste time in transition. Oh, I forgot to tell you about my awesome spot in transition. I was Bib #20 and my spot was right next to the bike out/bike in, with my bike facing out. Woohoo! Bill always sneaks up on me and gets a transition picture. I don’t think they are ever flattering. 😉 But look at that focus!
I left just as 4 or 5 others were leaving so there was a mini traffic jam at the bike mount line. I went off to the side and jumped on, telling myself to focus on getting the legs moving.
I was happy to be on the bike and it was a beautiful day for it so I focused on trying to enjoy the ride. I was pretty winded during the ride, but my pace was great…until I hit the road along the race side of the lake. The wind hit me and I slowed down significantly. That was hard going and I had another loop to do. I geared down a little and spun faster and that helped some.
I was certainly happy to get on the next road and have the wind more with me than against. As always, my butt got tired first. I kept adjusting how I was sitting on the seat and that helped. 14 miles done and only a 5K to run now.
I dismounted the bike, racked it, and took off to start the run. I know that the beginning always feels rough and I told myself to work through it. Yesterday, I decided to do 5 minute run/1 minute walk intervals. I was not happy with the pace, but I was proud that I stuck with these intervals for the entire run. I was moving so slowly. When I tried to speed up, I stared wheezing. Where did that come from? I don’t remember that happening before. I stuck it out and tried to cheer on as many people as I could. I knew at this point that I would be far off from my race goals, yet I also wanted to finish the best I could. I had my last walk interval and then got close to the end. There were some race volunteers cheering and one of the young ladies told me that she loved my tri top. She said to the others, “She is going to finish in style.” So cute! I took the turn and tried to kick it into high gear, but just didn’t have it in me. I was wheezing and was so happy to stop running. I got my water and hobbled over to Bill, trying to catch my breath. It wasn’t pretty. I told him that this was the worst I had felt at the end of a race.
I chugged the water, then went to see race results. I ended in 6th place out of 10 in the Athena category. I found out that the 10th woman was disqualified and am curious why that happened. I grabbed a soda, piece of pizza, and a couple of cookies. I knew that taking in some food would be a good idea. My whole body was sore and my chest ached. This was also a new experience for me after a race. After eating, Bill and I packed up and I had to walk my bike back to the car.
We drove home and I was so happy to take a shower. After a nap, we went out to eat dinner with my parents and daughter. My body felt tired, but fine. It was a nice evening out after the race.
Here are my official times (I put my goal times in parentheses):
750m swim = 21:36 (18:30)
T1 = 2:54 (3:30)
14mile bike = 53:28 (51:30)
T2 = 1:04 (1:00)
3.1 mile run = 41:05 (38:00)
Total time = 2:00:06 (1:52:30)
Am I happy with my time? No, I am not. Am I happy with my effort during the race? Yes, I am, because I gave everything I had. As slow as that race was, it’s what I had that day. I finished the 5 triathlons that I signed up for in the North Carolina Triathlon Series this year. I accomplished a goal and although I wish my times were better, I am proud that I did it. I’ll be making a decision about next year by the end of this year. I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing at least one or two triathlons. 😉
TGIF: Tiff Gets Into Fitness 
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