Please excuse my lack of blogging, but I'm not sure where the time has gone these last few weeks...Oh wait...it has gone to work, training, eating, riding (horse or bike), and sleeping!
My first Olympic distance tri was last weekend. It was a unique experience and possibly the most physically challenging thing I have ever done.
I was up at 5:00 am to start my pre-race ritual. I had my english muffin with jam, double checked all my gear, and started hydrating. I decided to take a Pepcid AC and allergy pill. I've noticed this season that I have bad acid reflux about an hour into any strenuous activity. This was the first race I've doped with the Pepcid, but I figured it was worth the risk.
My honorable sherpa husband loaded the bike in the Blazer and we were off to White River State Park in beautiful, yet under major construction, Indianapolis. The transition area was well organized. I chatted with a few of the other athlete in my rack and found that I was surrounded by some very seasoned athletes and some newbies. John, one of the newbies, was given the Oly as a 40th birthday present from his twin brother, who was also competing. His brother is a Marine. John is a working dad...more on this later.
The pre-race meeting was pretty standard stuff. After it was over, Jarrett and I headed down the canal for the 1500 meter walk to the swim start. It was a wave start in 30 person groups. I started about 30 minutes after the first group. The downtime before the swim start gave me a chance to make one last bathroom stop. The swim start was uneventful. I was more comfortable during this swim and I can tell that my swimming is improving. I did still have to throw in the occasional breath stroke and I did stop to fix my goggles once.
1500 meter Swim Time: 0:44:07.9
I had a nice surprise in T1. My step-brother-in-law Zack decided to come down and observe the festivities. He is competing with his girlfriend and Jarrett this weekend in their first Sprint Tri. I'm their sherpa! He had his video camera and was being very encouraging. T1 was a bit longer then I would have liked. There were a ton of distractions. Zack taking pictures, John wanting to chat, and my complete inability to hold on to my sunglasses. I dropped them like 5 times before I got them on.
T1: 3:02.6
The bike was great. The course was basically flat. There was one very fun downhill part, but as usual, it was followed immediately by a hairpin turn. I saw three people wipe out so I rode it pretty conservatively. The bike course was a double loop. Unfortunately, I didn't check my bike when Jarrett put the wheel back on and didn't realize that he put the wheel on backwards so my bike computer wouldn't work :( I managed to successfully stick to my nutrition plan - 2 Cliff Shot Blocks every 30 minutes and a bottle of water every hour. John, my transition buddy was immediately in front of me when we left transition. This would be the start of the two of us leap frogging the entire bike course. At one point, we passed the fast peeps on their way back to transition. We just happened to pass his twin who was totally kicking our butts. Then again, he is a Marine. I expect him to be able to kick my butt!
25 mile Bike: 1:34:21.8
T2: 2:34.6
I grabbed my fuel belt and headed out for the run. It only took me about half a mile to realize that it was FREAKING HOT! When I was on the bike, there was a pleasant breeze keeping things moderately comfortable. As soon as I hit the hot pavement, I felt the 92 degree heat penetrating my will to live. I did press on and managed to have one of the slowest 6 mile wogs ever. The run was also a double loop. My only complaint was that they did not have the turnaround for the Oly well marked. I missed it and ended up having to back track so I didn't get an off course penalty. It cost me a good 2 minutes.
6 mile Run: 1:19:52.9
Total Time: 3:43:59.8
Learning's:
1. I need to run more. My running has seriously suffered this year.
2. I need to train smarter. I currently have a half-ass training plan. I need to write it down and follow it...not wing it.
3. I can do this!
4. I want to do a HIM next year. I know I can if I train consistently.
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