Pumpkinman Triathlon Festival - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

I am thrilled with my swim. I felt so good. I was relaxed and strong and I kept 10-2 in my head the entire time - as well as my core rotation and getting as much as possible out of my glide. I could feel the water rushing on my forehead to tell me I was doing it right. I didn't fear contact - I was fine with it and just swam my swim without looking up and trying to go around people. Most often if I was side by side, I wound up ahead. I felt really good on both laps and so thrilled with my swim.

Nothing

This was an odd transition because it started with a 100 yard run straight uphill. I decided to jog slowly while removing my cap and goggles and the top of my wetsuit. I was slow up this hill. The hill took me 1:39 - so my actual transition time was 2:23 or something like that - funny because my hill climb time was SLOW in relationship to the group (I was 255th overall) and then my T1 time was 173 overall. I guess everyone made it to the top of the hill and died in transition. I didn't try to stand on my wetsuit to remove it - I used my hands and pulled it down and off while standing. Overall I am very happy with my transition time and most happy with my placement here. I worry about my transition performance in comparison with others but I think this one was good.

I might give it a little more on the hill - but I thought for my first half that I should be conservative.

Do you see that?!?! 8th in my age group. I am happy about that. Average speed 18.7. The weird thing is that I got bored. And I didn't want to push anymore. I just didn't feel like it. I had to pee the entire time which kind of stunk. I tried to keep my power up. My stomach did start to feel funny but I just kept drinking rather than changing my plan. About 2/3 of the way through I had no idea how I was going to make it. I was slow/bored/angry and knowing that I had to run a half-marathon wasn't helping. It was tough mentally. I tried everything. Luckily there was a man that I had been leapfrogging with practically the entire race and we started chatting and that made me feel better. Just to talk to someone was nice. I was worried about the run. When the guy I was chatting with started pulling away - I was trying to keep up and my quads were burning.

I really don't know. Part of my says mentally I need work - but then I wonder since my run was so bad, was I correct in doing my last 20 miles a little more relaxed? Don't know for sure either way. The one major thing I would do differently is pee on the course despite the lack of places. I kept thinking they'd put a portapotty somewhere so I wouldn't have to lean against a tree. Next time - just get off the bike and pee.

This should have been faster most likely. But I was smooth and didn't do anything twice. For doing transitions the way I do them (taking my biking shoes off, not jumping off the moving bike, it was a good transition. My relative time was awesome 112 overall the field in time (top 32%) and 5th in my age group! I'm not even quite sure how that happened - but it did and I'm happy.

Nothing

Well, this is where it all fell apart from a results perspective. I was pretty done and this was as fast as I could push myself. My first mile was pretty good (finally got a desperately needed bathroom stop and my first mile was still only 11minutes). And then I started the long slow grind. It being a two loop course, I tried to stay nice and relaxed and just under 10 minutes/mile on my first loop. Then I thought I would push it on the 2nd loop. I stopped and walked every aid station and drank my entire cup of Gatorade. Someone passed me on the first loop and actually made a comment on how good I looked and how relaxed my stride was - she said more than just, "looking good", so I thought that was nice. She sounded sincere. So that made me feel better. Look relaxed, feel relaxed. Then on the 2nd loop I tried to give it some more - but had none to give. But the mile markers were getting higher so I was getting more excited because by this time I knew I was going to beat 6 hours. So just checked my watch consistently to make sure my pace was 9:40 ish. Then on the 2nd lap, to counteract the woman who had said I was looking really good and relaxed, another woman said, "Dude, you're looking good", then she realized I was a woman. She apologized - such is life. Then with 3 miles to go I really tried to PUSH it. And I had nothing at all. Nothing. It was funny. So I just finished the way I had started - at around a 9:30-9:40 pace.

I don't know if I can - clearly my run needs the most work here - I think I have to run faster to get faster. I don't know if I had the ability to do anything differently yesterday though - I feel like I gave it my all. I'm just slow!

I walked a lot. I was toast. Then I tried to stretch. That made me feel better. But by this time my shoulders had really started to hurt a lot - I was getting shooting pains every time I tried to use them. So I had to take a few advil to try and combat that - I haven't taken pain meds since this whole training thing started. So my stretching was important - probably did 10 minutes or so with the kids.


I was afraid to push really hard on the bike for sure - which turns out might have been a good idea - and then my speed on the run certainly was a factor.


I enjoyed the race overall - good learning experience. The volunteers were the best I'd seen. So nice and helpful. Very small crowd compared to Timberman/Mooseman/Black Fly which was nice. But the athletes weren't quite as friendly. Not a whole lot of encouragement.
I am surprised that mentally I wasn't as tough as I thought. I really got bored. That worried me a bit of course knowing what is to come. I really wanted the race to be OVER from about 2/3 through the bike through the end! Even in the days leading up to it - I was more excited about it being over since it really took over so much of my life.
But of course the feeling of accomplishment has now taken over and my body is feeling better. It's a little embarrassing saying it was harder than I thought it was going to be - but it really was!