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 Swim
Comments: I went out kind of hard to get a clear spot away from people at my sides, which was easy since I started near the front. my navigation was awesome since I was at the front. we were 1/4 way throigh before I knew it and I was actually having a great time. I was feeling exceptional and in the zone. i even backed off a little bit because i noticed i was trying to breath every other stroke instead of every 3rd and reminded myself it was going to be a long day- this wasn't an olympic! tried to draft and was semi-successful but everyone was either too fast or too slow for me so I was better on my own. I was so happy to see the finish in sight before I knew it- came out of the water and saw my parents and doug! doug said I was "right on schedule" but I had no clue if that was for my A or B goal- turns out I was 2 minutes ahead of my A goal! What would you do differently?: absolutely nothing. This was by far my best race swim. a 1:47/100 yd pace is slow to some but a PR for me. I am self taught and have yet to attend a masters class or get any coaching.  Transition 1
Comments: my wetsuit came off so fast thanks to triglide and a volunteer brought me a towel for my feet :) i love M dot events. this t1 is weird since the mount line is right after a turn and up a hill- i watched everyone else run their bike up the little hill and decided i would too. even if i had no trouble getting up the hill i knew there would be some yahoo in front of me randomly stopping or some shit so i played it safe. What would you do differently?: I put my race belt on before swimming for the first time and I think it saved a little time!  Bike
Comments: are you kidding? 18.4 on this course? I was hoping for 17.5 tops. I am so happy with my time. I went out a little bold the first 10 miles and noticed I was trying to chase people with my AG on their calf. I had to say "Lauren this is not an olympic". I went back to an article I read in my head and remembered that those girls might get a flat, they might pay for their bike pace on the run. this was my first 70.3 and sure I wanted to push but I had to pace myself. my favorite part about this whole thing was the last 12 miles after chalk hill- i knew i was averaging 17 or 18 something and had only prepared my family for 17 something at best. I was a little worried I would pay for this on the run but mainly happy. i had prepared Doug for a 3:06 something best case scenario and I could hear the surprise in his voice as he saw me rolling up to the school! Nothing is better than surprising yourself and your family with a kick ass time. I also felt so validated once I saw my results- i can never seem to get above 17mph on training rides with all the stoplights and traffic so this showed me i am capable of what i always feel like i am! What would you do differently?: nothing. I think in the future I could push a little faster seeing as I felt so good on the run but for my first 70.3 this was a smart pace and I did not let myself get out of breath once. Transition 2
Comments: speedy t2 for the course- it's a long t2 (point to point course)and you have to run with your bike through grass and along the other side of campus until entering transition. I was happy to still see a bunch of running shoes for my AG. I am so competitive it's crazy. this was my first 70.3 and I was only racing against myself but get such satisfaction out of placing well. I really couldn't believe it was time to run- the day was going by fast! What would you do differently?: nada!  Run
Comments: saw my dad as i was running out of the school-he took a pic as he said "girl you are rocking this thing" which made me happy because I knew I must be "ahead of schedule" with my bike time but still had no clue about my swim. i could not believe how good i felt- the first 3 miles went by so fast- i didn't even feel like i had just biked 56 miles of hills. i was a little tender but nothing more than i ever experience in training after my long runs being the day after hard long bike rides. my inner left ankle felt strained but it was okay. i couldn't believe people were walking already. I thought they must have not done weekly bricks in their training plan. For the first time in a race, I stopped at every aid station. drank water at every one and gatorade every few stations. to beat the heat i poured water on my chest and head and kept it my mission to stay wet. was still feeling so good but knew i still had 8 miles and kept thinking fatigue would show its ugly face any moment...it was getting hotter outside.. between mile 6 and mile 7 i picked it up a bit. i had no clue what pace i was running before since my garmin is stuck in bike mode but I knew I had to be sub 9s. my A goal was an 8:30 pace since that is my comfortable pace in training. I was starting to feel the gel I took in and mentally knew I was half way through and could push. I did not want to finsh my frst 70.3 without pushing and giving all i had- i was actually relieved when it started to hurt for the second half once i picked up the pace. i had been expecting pain and did not train 20 weeks and lose 5 lbs to go out there and take it easy. seeing my splits I was 8:32 pace the first 7 something then kicked into a 7:21 for the last 6! i've ran half marathons slower than this. i could not believe i was getting close to finishing my first half- i continued to push but was saving a teeny bit for the end to sprint to the finish- my garmin was off and a volnteer said "you guys are doing great you have about a mile to a mile and a half left" and i remember thinking, which one is it lady?! haha. getting closer to the school i knew how close i was to the finish- i heard doug yell at me and saw my dad take a photo but i was flying with a pure adrenaline rush- could not believe i was about to finish my first 70.3!!!! the announcer said my name as I approached and I did the Sagan wings move as I went over the finish line. I am wondering if brightroom will have any photos or videos of this... Had no clue what my time was yet but knew I hit better than my bike goal and run goals! What would you do differently?: go a little faster a little earlier- i just wasn't sure if i could handle that or not. did not want to burn out. Post race
Warm down: took my sweet ass time hanging around all hopped up on endorphins and satisfaction of kicking my goals butt! went to pattersons pub and had a beer with doug before going back to the rental to shower and have a nice dinner in healdsburg with my family. What limited your ability to perform faster: nothing, can't wait to see what else this body and mind can do! Event comments: i love love love this race. the swim is good, the bike and run courses are hard and technical but totally doable with the right training, and it's so beautiful. the only thing i hate are the unpaved roads which can be extremely dangerous. a friend of mine crashed because of this and it almost makes me mad at vineman for allowing those things to be part of a race course, but i know we all do this with our own consent and anything can happen. Last updated: 2012-06-04 12:00 AM
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United States
Vineman, Inc.
81F / 27C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 601/2468
Age Group = F 25-29
Age Group Rank = 19/84
since this was my first go at a 70.3 and my training had been more volume than i'd ever done, i was experiencing the effects of my taper and i felt awesome. i took extra vitamins, got more sleep, and did not drink any coffee the week leading up to the race. i was scared shitless here and there but once it got closer i was feeling ready and excited. Thursday night was hours of bike cleaning, race tires on, painted my nails and toes to match my bike, and other nerdy ocd things like that. drove to healdsburg all day Friday feeling mostly good but a little edgy, and arrived to the rental around 5pm and saw my parents!! they had flown in from Denver to come see me.The whole thing was extra special since they came out. it kind of reminded me what a big thing i was doing!
The expo was great; Doug and I had fun poking around at that booths. The merchandise was alright, did not spend as much $$ as I thought I would. Still in need of 70.3 sweatpants...
I had this overwhelming feeling of excitement. I was feeling ready and confident and it was weird. I hadn't felt that way about a race in a long time- usually I have so much anxiety about whether or not I will achieve my goals. I think Doug puts me at ease so much, and the fact that it was my first 70.3 ever meant that whatever I did would be a PR and that was awesome.
After the expo and packet pickip, we drove over to Johnson's Beach in Guerneville to practice the swim.Things were starting to seem more real now that I had my race bib and swim cap. The water was warm, the river helped me see straight, and I could see my hands. I think the practice swim with Doug really gave me a boost because before races I am always stressed about the swim.
Saturday night around 6 had dinner with my parents and Doug, took a shower and put my race numbers on. had a little trouble sleeping but not too bad.
I had distributed an email with A,B and C race time estimates so my family would know when to expect and look for me out of the water, off the bike, and finishing.
My main goal was sub 6 (5:45 as my kick ass goal)and thought it was possible but I was unsure of how I would feel since I had never done all three distances together.
Woke up Sunday Morning, got dressed, made oatmeal and 1/2 cup coffee to go. Doug packed the car for me and drove me- VIP service! kind of chilled out on the 40 minute drive. I was super relaxed because we would get there around 6am but my wave didn't go until 8:06am. Talked to some people, saw my parents once they arrived, got all set with my transition stuff, kept going back to Doug to relax (he is my feel good drug and makes me feel okay no matter what's going on). Went on a little jog with Doug and got the wetsuit on. The time went by so fast and it was time to get in the water! I was feeling really ready and excited. Got all the girls to cheer with me after a small warmip. Doug and my parents were actually able to spot me in the water and I saw them waving as I blew kisses.