Race Report: Trek Women's Spring Tri (2:13:40)

I finished my first full sprint triathlon on Sunday, 9.6.09 in 2:13:40, and I'm a little underwhelmed, but I had a blast with all the girls before, during, and after. I finished 796 / 936 overall and 84 / 96 in my age group. Here's the recap.

Saturday: Kids Run, Expo, and Pre-Race Dinner

We drove to Disney's Ft. Wilderness early Saturday morning to see Isa run her first race: 100 yard dash. She was adorable! We killed some time after the kid's race at the playground, then went to the expo to get our race packets, race shirt, and shop! Sports Beans was one of the sponsors, so I got many samples of my favorite running nutrition in their new resealable package. I bought a new tri top and got the girls matching bondi bands that say "tri like a girl" for us to wear at our triathlon relay.

After the expo, we checked into our cabin, I racked my bike, then went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch with Lisa and Joe. We chilled in our cabin for a bit after lunch until dinner time. I also had to do a bit of laundry because I put some hershey kisses in my goodie bag that melted while we were at lunch covering the entire contents in gooey chocolate, including my race shirt and new tri top. Chris and David finally got back to the cabin from working the expo all day, then we headed to Giordanno's for the pre-race dinner. We had a blast catching up with friends and eating yummy food, and of course posting for quirky photos =P

Race Morning

Jason and I caught the shuttle to transition area and found MaryLynn on the bus. We got to the transition area just as Kelly was getting there, and got to work. After we setup our areas, we finished body marking each other and headed to the beach.

We quickly found Jason and Joe, and eventually saw the rest of the girls. I was not nervous about this race all week, or even this weekend, until we got to the beach and I saw the buoys. It looked SO LONG! We took some pre-race shots at the dock, where our camera men were stationed, then headed to the beach.  While waiting at the beach, my mom and grandma found me and we took some more pics. It was great to see them there and helped calmed my nerves a bit, but not much. I was still freaking out about how far the swim looked.

Swim = 1/2 mile (880 yds) in 35:00 - 877 / 936

The swim took a little longer than I predicted, but I made it in one piece! I was freaking out while waiting for our wave to start, but once I got in the water I was fine and just kept swimming. I stopped a lot to tread water and see where I was going, switching to breast stroke and side stroke from time to time, but I never stopped completely to hold onto a swim noodle or kayak. It was a little humbling to see everyone I knew in the next wave past me, and before long I was swimming in a sea of blue and purple caps (my wave was orange), but I didn't care. Now I have an official time of 35:36 to beat next time :)

T1 - 00:04:16

We had a long run to the transition area after the swim, and I probably spent too much time putting on socks, shoes, and gloves. I was also a bit flustered and tired from the swim.

Bike = 12.13 mi in 52:00 @ 14.1 mph - 773 / 936

I'm really disappointed in my bike performance. This is my slowest pace in a race. I seem to get slower on the bike with every race I do. I intended to push hard on the bike to make up for the swim, but no matter what I could no go any faster and the hills didn't help. I'd like to blame this on the crowded field, or that I was too tired from the swim and maybe I kicked too much, but the truth is that I did not train properly on the bike the last few months. I commuted to work on my explorer bike, but didn't push myself and rarely did any speed work. I'm going to train specifically for the distance next time and do some drills to improve my speed/power. I'll probably also start wearing the camelbak for longer races as I think I'm wasting too much time reaching down for the water bottle. I think I use it as an excuse to take a break and it makes me lose momentum and takes a little time to get back up to speed. My official bike time  was 53:15, but  that includes 1/4 mile or more run to mount line.

T2 - 00:02:27

Not much to say here. I ran my bike to the back of the transition area, raked it, took off helmet, switched shoes, then grabbed hat and racing belt as I ran out of the transition area. I almost forgot to switch my watch from the bike to my wrist.

Run =  3.15 mi in  38 @ 12:03 min/mile - 620 / 936

The run went much better than I expected. I fumbled with my watch and never set up the intervals, but that worked out in my favor. I started running using 3:1 for maybe the first mile, but I felt good and reduced the walk breaks to every half mile or less -- usually just at the water stops. After the last water stop, I pushed it to catch up to Kelly and I seemed to find my stride so ran it all the way to the finish line trying to get to a sub-12 min/mile avg pace. Cheryl was there at the 3 mile mark and ran with me to end pushing me to dig deep for a strong finish. Thanks Cheryl!!

My Negative Splits pace:

mile 1 - 12:56
mile 2 - 12:23
mile 3 - 11:21
finish (.15) - 8:42!! 

Final Thoughts

So it wasn't the race I was hoping for, and I was a little down about it on Monday, but I need to remind myself that a few months ago I thought a triathlon wasn't even an option for me. I could barely swim and the thought of even getting in a lake terrified me. Being able to complete this was a huge accomplishment, and it certainly will not be the last one. I'm completely addicted! The best part is that I got to share it with a great group of women, and I've met new friends along the way. Here is just a few of them. Thanks ladies and Jason for all your support, and for believing in me. I could not have done it with each and every one of you.

View more race photos

Race Report: Central Florida Sprint Tri #3 (1:29:01)

I signed up for this race on a whim this morning. Jason registered last week, and Friday morning I began considering joining him, but wanted to wait to see how I felt this morning before committing. I decided to go for it to get some experience swimming in a lake in a race environment. I took some pressure off myself by treating it as just another brick workout -- a very expensive one -- and I think that made the race much more enjoyable. I'm thrilled that I finished in under 1:30.

Official Stats:

• swim = 12:19 - 15/16 in AG
• T1 = 3:09 - 8/16 in AG
• bike = 33:47 - 14/16 in AG
• T2 = 1:55 - 14/16 in AG
• run = 37:53 - 15/16 in AG
• total time = 1:29:01
• gender place: 124 / 149
• age group place = 16 / 16

The times and distances listed below are from my Garmin since the official results are based on the advertised distanced (instead of the actual distances I ran/biked) and include mounting and dismounting.

Pre-Race
Since I did same day registration, I got last month's shirt. It's a shame that they only had a medium because I really love the design. I think I'm going to finally use my sewing machine to make it shorter so I can wear it. The goodie bag also included a cool license plate cover that we've already put to use. I'll post pics later. After registering, I began my typical pre-race freak out and questioning what the hell I was doing. I got all my gear and headed to the transition area to find I had a great spot at the end of the rack and right in front of the entrance. They were really serious about the rules in this race, down to where and in which direction you racked your bike. We got a rules sheet in our packet describing all the penalties, and race officials were circling the transition area checking bike racks and that the bar ends were plugged. It was a little intimidating to say the least. While setting up my transition area, I met another member of the Trek Tri Meetup group. Registering for the Trek Tri is the best decision I've made, because I've met so many great ladies.

Swim = 400 yards in 12:19
This was my first real lake swim in a race environment, and I did not freak out like I thought I would. I did get tired pretty quickly, which makes me a little nervous about having to swim twice this much at the Trek in just 3 short weeks. I stayed in the back and avoided getting kicked, slapped or run over -- others were not so fortune -- and was 3rd to last out of the water in my wave. Several from the next wave caught up to me before I was done, but I'm ok with that. The swim for me is all about survival. I only turned over on my back 2-3 times, and my time was pretty close to what I predicted.

T1 = 3:09

We had to run a bit from the beach to the transition area, so I think that's where most of this time is coming from. I decided to try not rinsing out my feet and just wiping them on the towel. It worked ok, but I'm not sure I'll do that again. The transition area was on grass, so I had blades of grass and some sand stuck to my feet. The more I do this, the less stuff I bring. This time I decided not to wear cycling gloves and that worked out ok.

Bike = 8.10 miles in 32:49 @ 14.8 mph

The timing mat was at the exit of the transition area before we were allowed to mount. I started my Garmin after I mounted and began riding, so that's why the time from the official results is longer. We had to tackle a big hill at the very start of the bike course, and I saw several people off their bikes walking up the hill. Even though I was taking it easy in this race, I wanted to push on the bike and at least average 15 mph. The hills were not as bad as I expected, nor as frequent, but they were certainly a challenge. I tried to make up whatever time I could on the downhills and flat portions. At the end of the first 7 miles, I had an average of 15.3 mph, but then we had to climb one huge hill. I didn't have enough left to tackle it and my average plummeted. I passed at least 5 people, maybe more, but I lost track. 

T2 = 1:55

I racked my bike and quickly switched shoes, took off my helmet, then grab my hat and racing belt as I began to exist the transition area. 

Run = 2.95 miles in 37:53 @ 12:50 min/mile

I had a pain-free run on Thursday, but I was not taking any chances of re-injuring the foot, so I ran/walked using 2:1 intervals. This worked out well because 2 minutes was about all I could run without running out of breath or feeling exhausted. The run began with a hill, which I walked then ran downhill. The course had 2 out and back portions, and cruelly passed by the finish line just after mile 1. I think I drank too much water because I felt a bit sluggish, but I kept drinking every chance I got since it was so hot. I was hoping to average closer to 12, but I didn't feel like pushing myself more. I just wanted to enjoy this race and take it all in. I began cutting the walk breaks short after the 2 mile mark, and substituting 30s of walking with a slow jog, then I ran the last 1/2 mile to the finish line. 

Post-Race
This was another race with a great post-race spread: bananas, chips, cookies, soda, and hot dogs. I really wish I had done the other 2 races in this series so I had something to compare it to, but I was just not ready then. I'll probably do the entire series next year. I am totally hooked on tris! :)

First Open Water Swim at Lucky's Lake

This morning before work, I went to Lucky's Lake with Jason, Kelly, and MaryLynn, and I made the crossing! I swam 1000 meters, in a lake, and didn't drown or get eaten by a gator :)

Wow! I still cannot believe I really did this. My intention was to get in the lake, swim 50-100 meters out to get a taste for what it'd be like, then come back to the safety of dry land, but Kelly would have none of that! She was confident we could do this and her enthusiasm was contagious--not to mention I couldn't let her sign the wall alone =P

I had my pull buoy, so I wasn't afraid I wouldn't make it, I was just afraid I'd freak out. The turtles swimming near the shore, as cute as they were, did not help ease my nerves, but feeling that the water wasn't freezing helped calm me down a bit. I think I am more afraid of cold water than I am of the creatures that lurk below.

The dog barked and the vets were off. We got in slowly, considered turning around for a second or two, but finally began swimming after some more encouragement from Kelly. I took it easy and didn't freak out! This was probably because no creatures touched me lol. I don't think I could have made it without the buoy, or it would have taken all eternity -- this only took half of eternity ;) Our estimate is 40 minutes roundtrip--not counting the break at the beach on the other side of the lake before turning back. I need to work up to swimming without the pull buoy, but today was about conquering my fear of the open water, and not drowning, and I did that!

I had to stop several times, to tread water or get on my back, but I didn't do this as often as I thought I might and I was always in motion--even when on my back. This was partially because I can't swim straight to save my life, I kept losing where the dock was, and I didn't want to swim on my back for a 100 meters in the wrong direction :) I also felt I would freak out if I stopped for too long and let it sink in that I was in the middle of a lake, with several hundred meters between me and dry land, god knows how many miles from touching the bottom, and probably inches from all kinds of creatures.

The worse part was about 100 meters from the shore -- I think, I have no perception of distance out there -- where I could see the end so close, but it seemed that no matter how hard I tried it just wasn't getting any closer. I finally made it to the other side and felt a little queasy. We rested for a bit, then headed back. There were far less people in the water now, but Lucky's house is HUGE so it was easier to keep in my sights than the tiny boat ramp. The way back felt easier, and I seemed to find my groove faster. I guess I was warmed up by then and had more confidence now that I had already done this once.

I finally reached the beach and was ecstatic that I had done it! We signed the wall, took some photos, then were off to work, still in awe at what we had just done. I am so glad Kelly didn't let me back out, or I would have regretted. Kelly, you are the best training buddy ever!