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 Swim
Comments: The swim was my toughest portion for sure! The first leg of the swim I was just trying to get into a rhythm, relax and not run into anyone - certainly not the Canada goose that swam right in front of me. :) I kept popping up to make sure I was going the right way, instead of sighting properly. Once I rounded the first buoy, I tried to get back into it but struggled for breath and ended up doing backstroke for most of the way (definitely not part of the plan). Around the second (and last buoy) I finally got my groove on and swam in parallel with another woman. I breathed every stroke, but kept going until I got to the end! What would you do differently?: Slow down, remember my technique, and just keep going! Try not to pop up so much, and swim right up until the very end.  Transition 1
Comments: My first thought was "I did it! I survived the swim!" Abby was right there as I got out of the water - and she said "here's some water to drink, Mommy." I was thinking "I probably just drank half the lake" but she was so sweet that I threw some in my mouth anway. What a cutie. I ran over to my rack and got my wetsuit off without a hitch (a miracle, I tell you). This was my first time riding with cages on my pedals - and at the last minute, decided to remove the left cage because I couldn't figure out how to get my foot in it once the right foot was caged. So yes, I looked like a complete dork with only one cage on my pedals. Even after that, I had trouble getting my right foot into the cage and getting going. Probably slowed me down by 30 seconds at least. Just a wee bit embarassing. That experience definitely prompted me to look into clips before the next race. What would you do differently?: Get used to hopping on my bike faster! And freakin' get some clips and real bike shoes  Bike
Comments: I really enjoyed the bike portion of the race! I felt like my cadence was consistent, but I didn't push hard enough on the first lap. Second lap went much better, and I got up that darned hill faster due to standing up on the pedals. I cheered other people on as I passed them. It was nice to pass a few people. For half of the second lap, I was biking next to another 28-year old woman (probably illegal - oops!), and then I passed her but it was nice to have company. What would you do differently?: Push harder at the beginning of the course, and REALLY push at the end instead of slowing down as I approached transition. Figure out how to consume calories on the bike portion! I totally slowed down and swerved while trying to reach and drink from my water bottle. Transition 2
Comments: I was kind of slow getting off the bike and racking it, but had a short transition time because I had worn my running shoes on my bike so all I had to do was rack my bike, take off the helmet, and grab my running belt. I only realized AFTER looking at the photos that I committed a tri foul: I took off my helmet before racking my bike. Oops #2! What would you do differently?: Run through transition FASTER - in spite of legs feeling like concrete  Run
Comments: Ugh - this was HARD! My body was tired, and running felt so incredibly difficult and laborious. I felt like I must have been running a 12-minute mile, but luckily had a running buddy for the whole portion. She and I kept pace together and just kept going. The first part was the most difficult, as it required running up an incline to get to the street. Thighs HURT. It felt great rounding the corner and seeing the finish chute and hearing people cheer. Chris cheered me on - and I sprinted towards the finish line!!! My family was at the finish line, with Abby waving her pom poms. Super cute! What would you do differently?: Take advantage of running downhill and remember to really push it at the end when I see the finish line. Post race
Warm down: No warm down becaue I went straigth to my family, hugged them, and just relaxed. After everyone had left and the awards were handed out, I got some hot tub time. Ahhhhhh Later that afternoon, after a good hot shower and a nap, I got a deep-tissue massage at the Proclub. Ahhhhh What limited your ability to perform faster: Getting to bed late the night before and being slightly hung over. :) I couldn't figure out how to drink water/nutrition drink AT ALL. It's like my body just did not want to swallow. So when I attempted to drink water on the run it just sat in my mouth until it got spat out. Throat would not swallow! Event comments: Great race! Organized well - well marked course. I LOVED all of the water angels! What an awesome first time experience! Thank goodness there weren't too many people there. It was great to watch others - and know that there were lots of first-timers there like myself. Loved it! Profile Album Last updated: 2009-07-03 12:00 AM
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United States
Mary Meyer Life Fitness
75F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 73/237
Age Group = 25-29
Age Group Rank = 14/27
This was my very first race EVER - and what a great one! Two days before I did a short dry-run of the event with my training mentor Chris. That really helped me visualize my race as my nerves started to pick up the day or so before the race. That was my first open-water swim - and I knew that I wouldn't be as good as I was in the pool, but I had faith that I would at least survive that portion of the race.
Race Day: I woke up around 5:30am ,showered, got dressed, ate oatmeal. Packed items into the car. Got a grande chai tea from Starbucks - drank that on the way to Cottage Lake. Ate a banana as I walked around the transition area. I didn't feel rushed at all, which was great.
After setting up my stuff, Chris suggested I get jogging to lose some nerves, so I jogged for about 15 minutes while listening to my classical favorites on my Zune to get me centered (nothing like hearing Serenade for Winds while running through the woods at 6:30am on a beautiful day). On my way back to the start of the course, I saw a deer - maybe about 10 feet away. She watched me as a jogged on by - kinda cool.
Once I got back, it was time to warm up in the water, so Chris and I swam out to the first bouy and back with wetsuits and caps on. Not very many people did a swim warm up. As soon as I got out of the water, I saw my parents. It was so great to have them there - cheering me on even though they had no clue what I was doing or why. They even made me a sign. I love my parents! Right before my wave got lined up, my ex-husband showed up with my daughter. It was so great to have Abby there. She brought her cheerleading pom poms and had made a great sign for me. Nothing motivates me more than hearing my daughter cheer "go mommy go"! :) With Abby there, I was ready to race!