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 Swim
Comments: This swim was what I'll call an epic fail, though I canNOT believe I was in under an hour. I had some sort of panic attack or s/thing. Never ever had one, so don't know what it would be. I don't know what happened! I did two 1 mile OWS races this summer, I'm not fast but *very* comfortable in the water, so WTF?? Water was generally calm, not glassy mind you, but I just could NOT catch my breath. I did everything I could, breast stroke, back stroke. Finally I waved for a kayaker, I mean I wasn't even 250 yards from shore and felt like my heart was gonna jump out of my chest. Then I began again, went about 100 yards and AGAIN! The kayaker woman followed me, and I hung on again. I lamented to her, asked her the time --she claimed she didn't know. I mean do they tell them to do that? --thinking if it was getting too late I'd bail. I was 90% close to calling it quits altogether but thought, OH GOD, if I can JUST get to the bike! Once I caught my breath, I started again, and somehow, once I rounded the what I guess was the 700 yard buoy, I was OK the rest of the way. I easily lost 10 minutes right there. Which is disappointing. I had hoped I could do the swim in 45 minutes, which was a real possibility if I hadn't had a freakout! What would you do differently?: Um, not freak out? Talked to another BTer -- great swimmer btw -- who said the cold took her breath away too, so I dunno, maybe it was the cold water / running into the water that spiked my HR?  Transition 1
Comments: Ha, I wasn't racing this! I was SO SO SO happy to be out of the swim and into T1. I said "Hi" to WonderWoman, got to my bike, kibbitzed with the hubster and got my stuff. What would you do differently?: Well, if I was racing, um, RUN for starters, and ignore everyone :-)  Bike
Comments: I was SOOOO happy to be on my bike!!! YAY!! I did a lot of 3+ hr bikes this summer so it was just, OK, here we go. I wasn't in a hurry (I know it's sposd to be a race but this was more of finish and feel good for me) I talked to EVERYONE. I thanked every volunteer, every cop at every corner, and just had F-U-N FUN! The wind coulda been a little less on that one 10 mile stretch but I just went 'ehn' I'm not fighting it. When I'd see the few full distance guys on their 2nd loop, I thought Oh Em Gee. Oh well, I know that's not who I am. Peed twice -- but not on the bike LOL -- and chatted with the gal who was holding my bike while racer boy came up. I decided he looked more in a hurry so let him go into the portapotty first. Crazy, I know? When I got to T2 there was a funny spectator who made me laff, and I realized I'd rather have fun than be hurting trying to gain an extra mile or 2 per hour. What would you do differently?: Nothing! Given my wicked swim, I started eating immediately, used Nuun tabs in my water. Had a Clif bar and a half, bottle of Infinit and lots of water. I was very happy headed into the run. Transition 2
Comments: I wanted new, more cushy socks for the run, so that prolly slowed me up, but my feet were happier for it. Grabbed my stuff and went. Not much to linger about in T2, except I just don't rush like the "real" racers. What would you do differently?: Nothing, this was gonna be a long day anyway for me, so what's 30 seconds to change socks for a slowpoke like me?  Run
Comments: Loved this being so much on the water. As I exited the parking lot, there was Ms. Trish, the uber speedster. Unreal, I'm *starting* my run and she's finishing! Then as I hit Mile 3 I saw Sushi Jaclyn coming and thought OMG is she fast! We high fived and that brought a smile on my face to see her. I kept looking for others as I knew everyone else was speedier than I. The aid stations were great! And what a GREAT HUSBAND I have. He left the Park and came out and surprised me at Mile 5, then 8 and actually jog/walked with me a 1/2 mile. (ok, he's 6.5 and I run slow LOL) Again, I was all chatty with the volunteers. I ran into a gal I rode with on the CTC training ride in July who volunteered and she finally said "GET GOING!!!" I couldn't believe at Mile 6, I actually thought, "Oh, only 7 more miles" in a good way. I am not a runner. The sun was shining, and I was happy. I just paced myself as I had been on long runs. I didn't have any preconceived idea of "hurry up! gitrdone!" I kept plugging along, and around Mile 10 I see a white "Michigan Rawk Squad" shirt and blond pony tail. I speed up and it's Kristen and we slow to a walk and chat. And to round out the run, as I'm coming into Mile 12, there's Coop, all lathered up with sunscreen, headed into his second loop! Boy do I feel his pain (well not really). I give him a hug, secretly thinking, OMG, I am so glad I'm not him. I canNOT fathom how those full distance folks do it! Seriously, you Iron folks have something I just don't. Whether it's 10 hours or 17 that you finish in you're all amazing! What would you do differently?: Um, remember the sunscreen. Someone's a rock lobster today. Post race
Warm down: Saw the hubster in the finish chute, which got derailed a bit by coming in right after the 1st Place Full Distance Woman's winner. No announcer, no jumbotron, no picture. Oh well. But *I* knew I finished. *I* knew I followed through on something that took **every ounce** of commitment and energy I had. What limited your ability to perform faster: Not caring. To think I finished this race 34 minutes faster than my last HIM, more undertrained, not trying, and 15 months older. Imagine if I actually gave a damn :P Event comments: I think Rev3 did a GREAT job for a first event. I give HUGE kudos first to how many volunteers they had in the water -- one of the most dangerous parts of the race. THAT was impressive. Then the aid stations on the bike and run course were OUTSTANDING! Not like I'm some HIM pro or anything, but compared to HIM Boise, Rev3 was head and shoulders above them in this regard. Downside, maybe out of their control: **Hotel Breakers was NASTY! You'd be better off camping! **Chip sealed roads, yuck. Thankfully I ride on Continental Grand Prixs which are a little sturdier than slicks, but I'd be worried. The new chip seal wasn't driven on enuf to smooth it out and my girlie bits are the worse for it. Last updated: 2010-02-10 12:00 AM
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United States
Revolution3
60F / 16C
Overcast
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 45-49
Age Group Rank = 21/22
Doing Cedar Point for me was a journey of a different sort. Some of you know I was miserable training all summer. I quit about 20X. Thanks in large measure to BT & the Michigan Rawk Squad I stuck with it. I followed many of you in cyber space and drew inspiration from all of you! So thank you!!
Two summers ago, driving home, high on the endorphins of doing my traditional women's only tri (the 1st one I ever did in 2006 that got me hooked) I recieved a phone call that shattered my life as I knew it. I was told over the phone that my uncle was murdered by a random gunman who stormed into the church where he was an usher. He was much younger than my mother. So for 30 years he was the big brother I never had. When he remarried, I became equally close to his wife. In some sort of karmic kick in the gut, she died 14 months later of pancreatic cancer--which will be one year next month.
I pray many of you sail through life never having to experience anything like this. For sure, people lose parents, grief of a different sort. We don't choose our parents and have varying degrees of relationship with them. I *chose* these people. They *chose* me...to be confidantes, teachers, mentors and friends. We traveled together, laughed together. Not only were they friends, but they shared the "code" of being family.
I have struggled to care about anything at all for a very long time, much less triathlon, a relatively meaningless endeavor.(unless yer getting paid the big bucks for it) Finishing this in a way has been a testament to re joining life, to try to celebrate life again, and like my blog says, somehow searching for inner joy.
I ate a bagel and hightailed it to the water to watch Coop go off for the Full Distance and continued praying for calm waters. Downed some Gu Chomps before my wave, and did a quick in and out to make sure my goggles sealed.