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 Swim
Comments: This was an entirely average swim for me. This is the pace I can go with little or no effort extended... and little or no meaningful swim training. Not too bad... but I'm fully aware that I will need to invest lots and lots of hours in swim training if I ever decide I want to take my swim to the next level. This pace is aerobic for me, pretty darn easy, and doesn't require much training. It pleases me. That said, I know I am capable of "more". It's just a matter of whether or not it's a wise time investment for me. Don't know. What would you do differently?: Not much. :)  Transition 1
Comments: I am always so frazzled when I come into transitions. I am in a haze! I missed my spot on the first try, had to run around the other side and find it... then I couldn't get my wetsuit off... but this didn't take as long as I thought it did. It felt time warpy and really really long. What would you do differently?: I'd have a towel down in T1. I forgot to pack my little transition towel, so I rode the bike leg with tiny little pebbles in my bike shoes. I tried to work my toes and force them out of the drainage hole in my bike shoes, but I was not successful.  Bike
Comments: This was hillier than I thought it would be. I've gotten some good bike miles in in the past couple of weeks, but I haven't yet felt the bump in fitness from them... so... this was kinda sucky for me. Knees felt good on the bike, though, no grinding, crunching, pinching, pulling or other bizarre discomfort or aches... so that's a plus. And the climbs went well... there was just a seemingly endless supply of them! Overall a very nice course, though... scenic, through the farmlands of Kansas. I did see a huge dead buck (eyes still open!) and a squashed turtle, though. *SNIFF*  What would you do differently?: More bike training over the winter for these early season long course races. Riding the trainer 1 hour a week (if that!) throughout the months of December/January/February and much of March did nothing to maintain my bike fitness. :O Transition 2
Comments: Discombobulated. Had trouble getting gloves off... only wore them because it was so DAMN HOT outside... I figured I'd need something with which to wipe my sweaty brow. Wiped feet free of rocks and pebbles. Almost forgot to take my helmet off. What would you do differently?: Nothing really. I flail around in the transition area. I need a giant sign next to my spot that says SERENITY NOW!  Run
Comments: I absolutely melted. Aimed for a 12:30 per mile pace. I knew this was going to be tough, so I aimed low. Turns out I should have aimed even lower! I was able to hold that pace (or better) for about 4 miles, and then I stopped to pee. I was sweating profusely in the porta potty, and I could barely breathe. I busted out of the porta potty and apparently left my run mojo in the toilet. I had a really hard time cooling down and gathering myself and regaining any semblance of a forward running motion. It degenerated into run/walk... and then further degenerated into a walk. I had ice stuffed down my top and balancing on the top of my head, inside my visor. I even stuffed a couple of ice cubes down my shorts. They ended up in some very inopportune locations, if you know what I mean. I thought they would MELT, but they did not. At least not right away. I had to do some creative gyrating in order to free my crotch of the lodged ice cubes. I'm sure it was comical. Didn't feel as good as I thought it would, and it did very little to cool me down.  HAAAAALP! What would you do differently?: Turn off the sun! Post race
Warm down: Crossed the yellow brick road finish line.  Then sat in the community ice bath. The water was greenish and a little bit disgusting when I thought too hard about it... but it felt really really good. What limited your ability to perform faster: Early season bike fitness (or lack thereof). Heat. Poor running skills. Event comments: I liked the race. It was fun/well organized/and a first class event. Chrissie Wellington stayed and handed out medals to all of the finishers. She has got to be the hardest working woman in triathlon. Had a blast. Loved hanging out with all of my BT pals and meeting some new faces. It was great to see Shannon and Ocky again and finally meet Jen and Craig. Big THANKS to Barkeep (Mike) and Lisa for arranging the camping deal. Last updated: 2010-03-24 12:00 AM
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United States
WTC
700F / 371C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 0/
Woke up in our tent. Slept sort of fitfully... it was really windy the night before the race and while that was better for sleeping, the constant whistling of the wind kept me awake for much of the night.
Not to mention the fact that I was camping for only the 3rd time in my life and sleeping in a sleeping bag on a tiny little foam pad in a tiny little tent. I kept hearing what I thought was a small animal scratching outside my head.
Anyway, woke up when we started to hear activity around the campsite. Ate the Wheaties that came in the race package for breakfast... had a RedBull, packed up my stuff and walked over to the transition area.
Once I got to the T2 area, I noticed I didn't have any of my run gear with me. So I walked back to the campsite, grabbed it all, and hightailed it back to T2. I was a maniac by this time, afraid I was going to get shut out of transition. Running around, stressed out, breathing heavy... quite the sight, I'm sure.
My wave was one of the first ones to go off, so all of that darting about served quite well as my warmup. I also took a couple of photos with Jen Hogan and Craig. You know me, always with the photos.
Please excuse my tired looking eyes. That's what camping before a HIM does to you. I was exhausted before I took the first swim stroke! But hey, it was fun, and I knew in advance I wasn't going to win. Really. I knew.