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 Swim
Comments: The horn went off, I hit the split button on my watch, ran into the water yelling with my hands in the air- I was excited. I think smarti was laughing at me- I can't remember. But someone was. I probably looked like a moron but I didn't care- I was having fun. I instantly lost track of smarti and possum once we got into the water. I ran as far as I could and starting doing a few dolphin dives- those are so fun BTW. I started swimming and the right side of my goggles were leaking- DARN! I instantly flipped on my back to adjust them and they were fine. It was hard to swim at first and get into a rhythm. The waves seemed huge and I was getting mouthfuls of water everytime I tried to spot. It was hard seeing the bouys with the swells. I breast stroked some to make sure I was on course. At one point 2 girls next to me were doing the same. I commented that this was tough and onen girl made a comment that this was ideal for surfers. Made me feel better knowing I wasn't in it alone. At that point, I realized I could keep complaining and not get into a pattern, or I could suck it up and just swim. So I started to swim. It was tough swimming into the waves. I felt like i wasn't going anywhere. I kept inhaling water with bilateral breathing, and decided to breath only on the right side since I was more comfrotable with that and wasn't inhaling water on that side. I was breathing every 2 strokes- that's more often than usual but I was feeling comfortable and kept at it. I eventually looked to my left and was past the 2 bouy- what a miracle. I was so happy to finally reach the first yellow bouy. At that point I noticed my wetsuit chaffing my neck and my left underarm. I forgot to put body glide near my underarms and was mad that I forgot. But I wonder if it would really have helped since my neck was still getting chaffed with 2 layers of BG applied within hours of each other. I was changing directions and now swimming parallel with the shore and waves. I was now in a groove. I switched to breathing only on the left side so I wouldn't get smacked int he face with a wave when I breathed. I thought it would be easier swimming this length of the race, but it was harder because I came across stragglers from pervoius waves- they were getting tossed and flopping around everywhere. It was hard to get around them. This part of the race seemed to take forever. I passed a guy swimming with a snorkel- I was wondering if it was filling up with water from all the big waves. Reached the last yellow buoy- I was so estatic. I was making progress! I thought about checking my swim time on my watch but deicded not to. It would just waste time and I also had no idea how far I had left. So at this point my time woudln't mean a whole lot to me. I turned and was now facing the swim finish. The waves were to my back and I felt like I was body surfing into shore. The waves were great to carry me forward, but when they ended I almost felt like they were pulling me back. This part of the race was mentally challenging. I could see the finish but felt like I wasn't getting closer to it. I finally deicded to start my bilateral breathing, breathing every third stroke, so that I woudn't keep spotting the finish and getting discouraged. The blue andwhite balloons at the swim finish started getting closer and closer- I could see spectators lining the swim finish. As I was finished the swim I could see run4yrlif sitting on the sea wall everytime I breathed on my right. I got to the steps and had to wait for a few others ahead of me. I threw my hands in the air and yelled for Jim. He saw me. I got yanked out of the water onto the steps, and almost fell. It was hard to stand up after being tossed every which way in the water. Put my goggles on my head and jogged into transition. There was a water station after exiting the water. I grabbed a cup to rinse my mouth- it really helped since I got so much salt water in my mouth. What would you do differently?: Nothing- maybe figured out my breathing before the race. Also I should have made sure my goggles wouldn't leak. I was happy with my swim time. Despite the conditions, I shaved nearly a minute off last year's swim time. I'm still excited about that!!  Transition 1
Comments: Got into T1- unzipped my wetsuit and peeled it down to my waist. Rna iwht my cap and goggle in hand. Spotted Sherbet quickly- I was the 2nd bike form the end so I was in a good spot :) Threw my cap and googles down, peeled off my wetsuit and thre it on the rack. tried to dry off my feet, but wasn't successful. Put on my bike shoes, sunglasses and helmet and ran off. As I was running, I realized that I didn't velcro the straps on my left bike shoe. Ran over the chip mat, and before mounting my bike I had to velcro my left bike shoe. it bothered me that this would add a little time to my bike time. What would you do differently?: Remember to velcro BOTH bike shoes. This was a very smooth transition for me. One of my goals was to have faster transitions and I was happy with this one, besides the left bike shoe issue. Also, I had a hard time getting in. For some reason my shoes keep slipping and I couldn't clip in. It took me a few tries. Also, using my Bento Boz saved me time becuase I didn't have to worry about putting anything into my tri pocket after the swim or taking a gel in T1. I love my Bento Box!  Bike
Comments: This is where the fun started for me. I was really happy and proud to survive the swim and be out of the water. Riding out of T1 on the coblestone wasn't bad. I didn't get into my aero bars yet becuase the area was so congested. And I didn't want to bite it in front of everyone on the coblestone. The crowd was awesome- spectators lined this part of the course and were cheering- I felt like a rock star. I rounded the first corner and found a good gear. I decided to use my Bento Box for this race to practice for GC in two weeks. I grabbed the Start Burst that Jim gave us, and popped it into my mouth to get rid of the salt water taste. It worked really well and tasted good. Got into aero position and was off. I had a nice tail wind on the way out. I was enjoying the bike- I felt comfortable. When I hit the wind and got slow, I kept going knowing that it wouldn't last forever. AFter being on thebike for 20 minutes, I reached into my Bento box and ate a Cliff Blok. I was going to eat 2, and save 1 for alter (I only brought 3 with me for the bike) and then I dropped one- bummer. So I ate one, and saved the other for later. I made sure to drink often. I had my E Sports drink in my aero bottle and a bottle on water in my bottle cage. I loved yelling Go Team to all the TNT'ers. It was so fun and I met a lot of cool people on the bike. As we were passing we'd exchange a few quick words. There were about 3 people who I rubber banded with the entire bike. As I would pass them I would tell them that it's their turn. Later they would pass me. I passed a girl who had a Chattanooga Waterfront water bottle. I briefly chatted with her and told her that I did that race. Come to find out, I recognized her from the race. She was right ahead of me in line for the swim start for that race- this is a small worls! Anyways, when I got to the golf course, a girl was on the side of the road with her bike on the grass asking for an extra CO2. I had 2 with me and they were readily accesible in my Bento Box. I yelled to her that I had one, stopped real quick to get it out, and tossed it on the grass as she was running toward me. Not sure why I was feeling generous, but I figured I had an extra one and if I didn't use them in the race I couldn't bring them home wiht on the plane. So I rather it get put to good use. Around mile 15 I started eating my energy beans slowly and finsihed the pack by the end of the ride. Toward the end of the bike (last 5 miles) I was ready to be done. I pushed myself harder than I should have. I knew it would catch up with me but for some reason I wasn't willing to take it easy. What would you do differently?: Nothing- the bike was great. I had so much fun with the TNT'ers on the course. Maybe I should have taken it easier to save my legs for the run, and drink and eat more on the bike. The bike gave me time to reflect on my whole TNT experience. It really hit me when I passed another TNT'er from MI who wore a sign on his back that said "1 year remission". It was very cool :) Transition 2
Comments: My T2 took a little longer than I wanted it to. I had to put on socks for the run. When I took off my bike shoes I stepped into a bunch of sand in front of my towel. So then I had to wipe off my feet. Also, I put my running on in T2 which took more time. What would you do differently?: Not step into sand and step on my towel to keep my feet clean. Run with my hat in hand and put it one running out of T2 instead.  Run
Comments: I really struggled on the run. I started out running out of T2 and saw Jim- he slapped my hand. I didn't feel too great though. I also saw huengsolo who yelled for me- thanks because I needed it. I knew I was in trouble when my legs felt heavy after the bike and I could barely run my bike into T2. It was hot and seeing all the other people done made me want to be done. I started off running and felt slow. Not to mention I had to pee really bad and couldn't find a place to go ont he run course. I kept scouting out the scrubery in people's front yards, but the run course was so busy that I couldn't go unnoticed. From a distance I saw Shannon and Renee gave her a sweatty hug. I ran passed Shannon and she said I looked gret. Boy did I fool her- becuase I felt like crap. I saw Renee who BTW ahd the best tri outfit of the race! I compleimented her on her outfit and went along. I got to mile one and surprised to see I was running a 9:23 pace. I was hoping I could hold that pace. I really wanted to run an average of a 9:40 pace and thought it was doable before I started running. I made sure to stop at every aid station and drink a sip of Gatorade and a sip of water. The more I ran the slower I got. I felt awful. I had a gel and didn't want to take it until mile 3 so it could get me through the race. Bad mistake- I should have taken it after mile 1. I struggled really bad with the run- both mentally and physically. My breathing was the only thing that was fine for this run. When I realized I had no gas left I scraped the idea of running a 9:40 pace and did what I needed to do to finish. I saw smarti on the course and high fived her. She looked great when I saw her! the last 2 miles were the hardest. I had no energy- my legs were extremely heavy and I was mad at them. I was very hot and felt like I had the shivers. my stomach didn't feel great- it felt quesy and I felt like I needed to puke. I've never felt this way during a run (like I was about to throw up) and didn't know what to do. I started to walk, but that didn't help much. So then I decided to just keep running so I could be done sooner. I was able to pick up the pace right before I finished. I got to the Atlanta TNT tent with all the TNT'ers cheering loudly as I rounded the corner. It was awesome to have such great support when I had such a sucky run. I was so happy to cross the finish line. I was very disappointed in my run but happy to be done. I just never got into a groove on the run. What would you do differently?: Maybe drink and eat more on the bike so I had energy left for the run. Not sure what else- I'm still not sure why I bombed the run and ran slower than last year. Maybe take it easier on the bike. Post race
Warm down: Crossed the finish line, got a water, Gatorade, and received my medal. A volunteer gave me a cold wet rag- it was awesome. It felt so nice to wipe my face and hang it around my neck. Checked in at the TNT tent and went back to sit with run4yrlif and my other teammates. Cheered other TNT'ers as they finished- that was a ton of fun!!! Went back to the tent, got some food. Met Dave Scott again and had him sign my medal. Went to TA to get my stuff, walked back to the hotel, showered, and went to grab a bite to eat. Ordered a burger, choclatte shake and fries from Johnny Rocket's. Got back to the hotel and had to drop my bike off at the truck. Got back to the hotel and napped. I was very tired. Woke up, went to the TNT victory party, ate bena dn Jerry's icecream and was in bed by 10pm. What limited your ability to perform faster: The swim took more energy out of me because of the choppy conditions. Also, the heat. Not eating and drinking enough ont he bike- I only went through my aero bottle of sports drink, and 1/4 of my water bottle. I should have drank 2 full bottles. But I had to pee toward the middle of the bike and figured that meant I was hydrated. Also, I didn't taper a whole lot for this race since I'm training for Gulf Coast 1/2 IM which is in 2 weeks. So I knew I might be lacking some speed. Event comments: Despite the choppy water conditions (which made me feel really tough!) this was an awesome race. It's my 2nd year doing this race and I highly recommend it. The volunteers were awesome- they were on the ball. I made sure to thank the officers in the road stopping traffic and the volunteers at the run aid stations. This race was well organized and the course was nice. What I loved most about this race is participating in TNT. The support I received from other TNT'ers during this race was so nice. And it was so nice seeing so many pruple jerseys from other states. Last updated: 2006-01-09 12:00 AM
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United States
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = TNT
Age Group Rank = 28/234
Woke up at 4am. The team was meeting in the lobby at 5am to go to the TA. I woke up a little bit before the alarm went off, and hopped in the shower before my other 2 roommates woke up. This is when my type A personality kicked in. I wanted to be ready and not feel rushed. I wanted to shower to help wake me up so I hopped in the shower. Got dressed, and ate breakfast in the room. I ate a small whole wheat bagel with all natural peanut butter, and a banana. Drank some water hung out in the room while my other two TNT'er roommates were getting ready. Finally, we were off to the lobby. It started to seem real at this point. I kept hoping I wouldn't forget anything. I got a new TYR transition bag that I hadn't used before in a race. It has so many compartments that I couldn't find a lot of my stuff the entire weekend. I went through my bag twice before the racce- I shouldn't be missing anything at this point. Got the lobby and waited for the rest of my teammates. Saw possum sitting on a couch with her Wisconsin TNT'ers- she seemed very awake for it being so early in the morning. We sat around in the lobby for what seemed like forever, and we were off to the TA. Got to body marking and smarti and I looked for Shannon. We wanted her to body mark us, but didn't see her on our end. So we settled for a random guy to body mark us. This is when the first bad thing happened to me. I had my transition bracelet on, and my race number was 3795. But...with it being so early in the morning and somewhat dark, my 5 looked like a 6- honestly, it did. Then the guy asked me my number, I looked at my bracelet and told him 3796. He looked at it too, and started repeating my race number over and over again. I was convinced 3796 was my BIB number. I got body marked- had smarti take pictures and then got pictures of her being body marked as well. Got to the TA and found Sherbet racked at 3795. What??? My number is 3796! Then I looked at the number on the rack with my name on it, and it was 3795, not 3796. I realized at that point I had the wrong BIB written on me. No biggie- after setting up transition I'll have someone change it for me. Luckily there wasn't anyone next to me, so 3796 was vacant. So I could have been 3796 for the photographers and no harm done. Started setting up transition- I was surprised at how organized my TA was. It usually looks like a mess! I set up my aero bottle and fought to get the stupid bracket on- I hate putting that thing on but finally got it secured. Laid everything out, pumped up my tires and I was done. I even remembered to put my bike computer on my bike and test it to make sure it worked. I reset it and I was pretty much ready to go. I got my wetsuit, cap and goggles, grabbed my camera, sunblcok, Snicker's marathon bar and another banana. I finally exited the TA. I went to the other end to get someone to chane my 6 into a 5. Found Shannon- told her what happened, and she so graciously converted my 6 into a 5. I felt stupid but hey- things happen. I was relieved when I knew I was body marked with the right number. I was ready. We all walked back to the hotel to chill in the lobby instead of going to the swim start. run4yrlif, smarti, and a few other of my teammates just chilled inthe lobby. I went to the bathroom twice- I was defintiely hydrated. At this point, I was getting nervous and antsy. I absolutely hate witing before a race and doing nothing. Finally, we left the hotel and started our trek to the swim start. We ran into Sue and Jen walking to the swim start. Got to the beach and picked up our chips. Stood on the pier and watched the other waves start. I felt really hungry and ate my Snicker's marathon bar. The longer we stood there, the windier and chillier it got. And...we could see the water getting choppier. We were all getting cold and decided to go to the beach and get in line for the porta-porties. After going to the bathroom, I shed my long sleeved running top and flip flops. run4yrlif was kind and let us put all our stuff in his back pack. I got greased up with bullfrog sunblock (which is awesome BTW) and PAM and put on my wetsuit. Applied a second layer of body glide to my neck- I was sure I woudn't have chaffing issues from the wetsuit. Split a banan with my friend. Hoppped in the water with smarti- had to pee and practice swimming. Got out of the water and went to the chute too see my TNT rommmate's wave start. This is really when everything became real. She was in the TNT wave, and all the women were shouting "GO Team!" After they went, smarti and I hopped in the chute and put ourselves in the front. Possum was right there with us. I was nervous being up front, wondering if we were too far up, but figured we were fine. The music was playing, we were clapping and dancing, chanting "GO Team". It was awesome! The excitment and enthusiasm of this wave was unbelievable. Parents, spectators, friends we holding up TNT signs, snapping photos, cheering- it was awesome. It really helped calm my nerves for what was to come with the swim.
Walked about a 1/2 mile from my hotel to the swim start. Before my wave start, I got in the water with smarti and my friend Sandee to swim a little and get used to the huge waves.