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 Swim
Comments: I hated this at the time but looking back on it two days later it makes me really happy. My first OWS in a race and I didn't freak out too much in the water or get kicked or anything! It was so cool to be surrounded by all these people doing the same thing as me. When I was overwhelmed with the distance I just looked around and saw all these other people doing it, so why couldn't I? I just wish I gave it more. I probably had a little bit more in the tank to give, I was just worried I would run out of fuel since this was the start of the longest race I've done to date. I wanted to save it for the bike and run. What would you do differently?: since we had to round the first buoy on our left, I would have stayed more to the left! I was just nervous so I positioned myself kind of away from the main pack. Now I feel like I must have swam further because a few different times I looked up and realized I was pretty much on my own and I had to keep moving to the left again. It almost seems like everyone cheated because I swear I was in line with that first buoy and everyone else shortened the distance by starting and swimming to the left of it then just circling around it when they were close. The day before during the practice swim I noticed I swim to the left, so I think I was overcompensating during the race. Not going to beat myself up about it though because this was my first race OWS and I can't wait to do another one! Party in the water.  Transition 1
Comments: I love transition. Seriously it's my favorite part of the race. The PAM on my ankles helped the wetsuit removal, I sat down to take it off and took a second to swig some water and rinse my feet before putting on bike shoes. I was just so fucking happy the swim was over! Time for what I'm comfortable with! My rack was the absolute furthest rack from bike out which I'm sure added a little time to T1 but that's alright. What would you do differently?: ummm be quicker?  Bike
Comments: At first I was fkying! I ate a balance bar and sipped Cytomax and had a few watermelon Gu Chomps throughout the ride.I was doing really well and I wasn't passing tons of people except the slow ones but I was holding a good pace. Every time I checked I was around 20, which is something I don't usually average! Around 45 minutes in I started feeling like I was running out of fuel so I sipped more Cytomax and slowed down a bit; I wanted to run really well and I knew it would only be getting hotter outside. I didn't see anyone from my age group but I literally was doing so well on the bike ( I thought so anyway) that I started thinking I could be top 3 in my age group, no joke. I felt really really good. I thought my bike and run could make up for my "take it easy" swim. What would you do differently?: Go even faster and make it hurt and treat it as it's own thing and not worry about the 6 mile run we have afterwards. Transition 2
Comments: that elite bitch put her bike in my spot! I had to put mine in hers. I put my running shoes on and it felt like the insole was folded so I pulled it off but everything was fine, my foot must have felt folded on its own! as I racked my bike I heard the announcer saying "Doug Close". I laughed inside because he finished the whole damn thing and I still had 6 miles to run. It was awesome to hear him finish, I didn't think I would get to since I would be busy racing. It was sort of like everything came together. It also let me know he would be there to cheer for me which I really needed! What would you do differently?: nothing this was awesome on my part.  Run
Comments: I felt okay at first but about one to two minutes in my legs felt sooooo heavy and my head wanted to keep reminding me that I've never ran 6 miles after swimming 3/4 mile then biking 24 miles. I kept telling it to shut up but it kept making itself heard, explaining to me that that's why I was feeling slow and heavy, I've never done this before and it's taken a toll, etc. I kept trying to push it but in all honestly I was kind of feeling like complete shit. I didn't feel okay until I saw Doug and took a GU at the beginning of the second loop. That's when I kicked it up a notch and took it home. I just wish I had more to give. What would you do differently?: I wasn't dying when I finished so I think I could have made myself suffer some more. I hoped for sub 8s and that's what I did but after seeing my placement in my age group I've unfortunately started to second guess everything. Post race
Warm down: ate a little bit, got results from Doug via his iPhone, then packed up and left. I know it's silly but I really wanted to place in my age group. Last year only 3 people in my age group participated! I had just trained so hard that I couldn't figure out how those other 5 girls could be so much faster than me. I was really really happy I did it but kind of wanted to leave and miss the awards ceremony. What limited your ability to perform faster: I need a tri bike instead of a road bike and maybe it's time to start doing two a days. I've been at this for a year but technically 5 months of that time was training and racing in a marathon, so it's not like my swimming and biking were maintained last march-july. I can just keep it at and stay consistent and even if I'm training for a running only event I can make sure I cross train periodically. Event comments: I think I'm being hard on myself. If I didn't have access to other people's results I would honestly be the happiest girl in the world. I trained so fucking hard, I raced as hard as I could, and finished in my A goal. I set 3 goals and I literally accomplished my A goal! It was my second triathlon and first olympic so I'm just going to be proud of myself. I can't wait to see how much I can improve over the years! Last updated: 2010-10-25 12:00 AM
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United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 424/739
Age Group = F20-24
Age Group Rank = 6/8
woke up early after sleeping relatively well at the hotel despite waking up every two hours. This was my second triathlon so I was feeling nervous but also excited because it had been about a year since my last one and I remembered how much fun I was going to have. Unfortunately towards the end of the week I had been really tired maybe just mentally (I had to work 7 days in a row to get the weekend off) or maybe just because I'm a female (you know what that means), not really sure why. I was just hoping I would wake up on race day feeling energized and strong and ready to kick ass. I needed to prove to myself and the world how hard I had trained and how much I've improved. Doug was signed up for this race too, which actually put me at ease way more than I imagined it could. We both had our routines- his oatmeal, my coffee, packing up, etc. I actually felt more relaxed with the focus not solely on me, which is what I thought I would originally want for my first Olympic distance. We were out of the door in good time and set out to get to transition when it opened. We both got a spot at the end of our rack!
Set up a little bit, then took a nice easy poo. The poo before a race is crucial so I was really happy about this. I saw it as a sign of good luck. Walked around a bit, set up some more, etc. I was super relaxed because we got there an hour and a half before the official start, which is what I want to do every time. I also think Doug and I should regularly do races together, that way we are both allowed in transition! My best friend Jenn was there as well since her boyfriend signed up for the race as his first. It was cool to have them there too. I was feeling pretty relaxed and confident, just nervous about the swim. I went and jogged a teeny bit then came back and put on my wetsuit. About 5-10 minutes before the start I got into the lake (did a practice swim in it the day before) to get comfortable with the water temp.