Mack Cycle Key Biscayne Triathlon Trilogy International #2 - TriathlonOther

Since I breathe to the left, I don't like it when the buoys are on the right, it messes up my already poor sighting. I really need to figure out why I have such a difficult time getting into any type of rhythm in the swim. I am capable of a faster swim, but for some reason I have trouble just relaxing into it during a race. I also have trouble keeping on course - every time I sighted I had to make corrections, sometimes big corrections; so I should have sighted more often, but i really wanted to get into a rhythm and sighting more often throws that off even more. Of course, swimming all over the place doesn't help matters either.
The water was so HOT i felt like i was swimming in a jacuzzi - not the best thing to do when you are trying to push it.

I need to work on pacing, sighting and getting into a race rhythm. Other than that, I was perfect :)

Took a bit longer than usual getting my socks on, so not the fastest time here.

Get socks on more quickly.

This race turned out to be a good test of my nutrition/drinking for 2 plus hour races. I ended up taking in too much liquid, so I will need to experiment more on my longer rides.

Not drink so much. Also, there were times I felt like I was dogging it a bit and would catch myself doing more people watching than riding. So, i need to be more focused. That was a theme the whole race.

Carol racked her bike too far over from Mark's (they did the sprint, so they were back first), so i didn't have enough room b/w her bike and the next bike to fit my bike in, so wasted some time moving hers over. A nice man offered help, but I declined telling him I know the owner, so I can be rough. BTW, i am the owner of the bike Carol rode, so I felt no guilt pushing it around!

move more quickly!

OMG!!! First off, as i mentioned, i drank too much on the bike so my stomach was sloshing away. I felt like i could be sick at any moment. Then it was so stinking hot and humid I almost got heat stroke! I got goose bumps and started to feel clammy and overall was hating life. The run was overwhelmingly shaded, but it was so heavily shaded that there was no air moving at all. This was miserable. I had to stop at each water stop and walk (I never walk through aid stations for anything short of a marathon, so I know I was hurting). Wanted to drink the water, but also couldn't put anything in my sloshing stomach so I just kept dousing myself with the water.
When I hit the turn around for the second lap, it was so tempting to just keep going the .2 miles to the finish, but I didn't I went back into the sauna and just told myself "just get to the next water stop, just get to the turn around etc." It was like the march of the dead. \
Also, b/c there were only 180 total entrants for the international distance, on the 2d loop there weren't too many other racers; so those of left did a lot of talking (in short sentences!) to each other. We really felt each others' pain.
About .5 mile from the finish I passed another woman who I thought was in my AG (according to her calf), I was so pleased to know I would not be last in my AG. So, imagine my surprise to learn that I was the only person in my AG. I guess she was in the sprint. I just couldn't believe anybody would still be on the sprint at that point.
As I approached the finish, Peter, Carol, Mark and Janice were all there cheering me on. That was nice. What wasn't nice was noticing how refreshed they looked while I was feeling like I could pass out any second! That's what I get for not doing the sprint with them :)
Speaking of passing out, Carol had to attend to a guy who dropped right after he crossed the finish line. Thankfully she is a doctor as all the other people around him were doing "stupid" things.

This started badly with the hydration on the bike. If I handled that correctly, the run would not have been quite as miserable; but it still would have been the hottest most miserable run I had ever done!

Water, water, and more water. Most of it over my head.


I think I described all my shortcomings rather thoroughly! Oh, and genetics.


I love multi-race. They put on a well-organized race and are very helpful/ REsults are available right away and pics follow a few hours later. I can't hold them responsible for Florida's heat and humidity!
BTW, the night before the race I scrolled through the race entrants and counted about 5 people in my AG. Wonder why none of them showed up! Oh well, b/c they didn't I got an invitation to participate in multi-races' championships in October!
Oh, and the overall rank includes both men and women, if I had just done the overall women's ranking, i'd look more accomplished:)