Aflac Iron Girl Women's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Ummm... Ok... well.... I had done two OWS clinics Jim Boylan put on as part of my training. Thanks, Jim. Would have surely drown without them. By my second OWS I was feeling confident. However, I think race day nerves got the better of me at this Tri. I have a fear of open water. Not just swimming laps. I even freak out in the crystal blue ocean of the caribbean when snorkling. I wear one of those life vest you can inflate if need be. So, needless to say, with 180 women in my wave start, I freaked out as soon as I hit the water. I started hyperventilating as soon as my head hit the water. All these arms, hands, feet and heads were all around me. I couldn't find my grove. I looked up to see where a kayak or lifeguard was. I didn't know if I could gain control of my breathing. I remembered what Jim said.. just keep moving. I began the breaststroke. I just told myself, get to the turn around and it will thin out. I made it to the turnaround, tried the freestyle again and the hyperventilating came back. Back to breast stroke. Back to the freestyle. Tried to focus on my stroke... put the kangaroos in the pouch... (Coach Shelley knows what I am referring to)... can't breath again.. back to breast stroke. Took it one buoy at a time while keeping my eye on a lifeguard. The rest of my swim continued like this. I think 60% of my swim was breaststroke. When I saw the finish I went back into freestyle for a strong finish. Is that sand I feel? Thank you baby Jesus... I can stand up and run!! Goal was to finish under 14 minutes and I did it in 12!! Would have been faster with the freestyle for sure!!

Take a Xanax before swimming or maybe just more practice in OWS!! Have people swim on top of me on Monday night clinics... okay just kidding. I had a fear of heights so I started rock climbing to conquer it. Hopefully more OWS will help me conquer this fear.

Not sure why my time was so long. I felt like I had everything in control. I did not use my milk crate to sit on so I was impressed at how well I got my socks and shoes on. The one thing I did do was take my bike off the rack before my helmet was on. Not smart! There I had bike in one hand and helmet in the other. Reracked the bike... put on helmet and then grab the bike again.

Put on helmet before getting the bike.

I was sooo happy that I didn't drown in the swim that I was cruising at the fastest speed ever on my bike. I was really strong on my uphills! Thanks Coach Rivi for pushing me in spin class. This was really a good time for me. Todd thought it would be at least an hour and 15 min before I got back. I kinda agreed with him. Thanks also to Coach Shelley and Coach LeAnne for the tips on the Sunday rides. They all came back to me race day. I was able to take in some gatorade. Took a GU at mile 15 with some water. And for the record, my bike computer was spot on at every mile marker. But at dismount, my computer had a total of 19 miles not 18 miles. Wonder if anyone else had an extra mile on record.

I need to be more aggressive and pass people. Have the confidence I can do this and stay ahead of them. Work on NOT using my brakes so much on the downhills. I am a little skittish about going too fast on the downhills. Being strong on the uphills made up for the difference.

There was a long run with my bike from dismount to the transition area. I was not able to run fast with my bike shoes on. Would have been better to have taken my shoes off and run barefoot.

Learn to come out of my shoes before dismounting.

I was really looking forward to this leg of the race. I have been a runner longer than a swimmer or biker. Thought I would knock this out! BUT.... my body had a different game plan. About 3 mins into the run I felt a wave of nausea hit me all at once. I have never felt so ill running before. So, I slowed my pace down. It didn't seem to help. I then took a short walk. That helped somewhat. The second aid station came up and the thought of liquids made me gag. So I just grabbed a sponge to cool myself down. I was able to take in some gatorade at the third aid station. I just kept a 10 min pace the rest of the course. Disappointing for sure. But, I didn't want to make myself feel any worse than I already did. Oh and Ron Teed's theory of shaved legs being aerodynamic didn't seem to help me much. ;o) It was all very disappointing when I was hoping for at least a 9 min mile.

I will be doing more hill work and am looking forward to interval training starting up. Hopefully that will improve my next run time.

I was congratulated by my hubby!! Thanks to him for not only his support but for becoming a Triathlete as well. :) Also was congratulated by some ATC members... Jim, Giorgia, & Giuseppe. Enjoyed having you guys there to cheer me on and Julie volunteering on the bike course. Good to hear my name called. Especially after the swim because I had no idea who I was. :)

Thanks to all the ATC members for your advice along the way. It has been said that it isn't a team sport. But, I know I couldn't have done this much without you all!!!


I think I picked the best race for a first Tri. Lots and Lots of fun!!