Iron Girl Columbia Women's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I had such high hopes for this swim, I had a really good swim in the practice earlier in the month. I was in the 2nd wave and we bobbed around for about 5 mins before we started. Several people kept getting ahead of the start bouy so they were constantly making us back up. The result was that everyone was really packed together when we started. Lucky me, I just happened to end up in the middle of a pack of breast strokers - I don't know how many times I got kicked in the ribs before I managed to get ahead of all but one of them. I ended up bumping into one of the breast stroke crew on and off for the entire rest of the swim. I was pretty close to the last bouy before I felt like I had enough clear water to put my head down and really swim. Toward the end I passed someone from the 1st wave - hats off to you, it is a true Iron Girl that will hang tough and get to the end even though the going isn't easy!!!!

I guess I just need to swim faster so I can get to some clear water sooner.

OK - this took me long enough that I could have stopped by the Starbucks tent for a latta, but I swear I didn't. Since I'm terrible at drinking on the bike on a flat course and knew it would be even worse on the hilly course, I had decided to take my gels in the TA, which added some time. I didn't think I spent much time getting the grass off my feet, but there was a lot of it - everywhere. Also there was a women that was racked next to me that had a million question. She was waiting around for her sister who was in a later swim wave. I didn't feel like I spent much time talking w/ her either. Then of course - there's getting up the hill out of T1 in the goofy bike shoes - that could be a sport all on it's own. Guess all the little things just added up to a very long T1 time.

Gotta do this faster, it would be such a easy way to improve my time!!

My plan was to take the start of the bike fairly easy. I did that, perhaps a little to well, because at one point I realized I was actually enjoying the ride - which meant I was doing it all wrong!!!! There are a couple of hills on the course that are just mean. On those I had to accept the fact that if I was going to make it up them it was going to be in the granny gear. At the top of the 2nd big hill (Fat Albert) the woman in front of me missed getting her bottle back in the holder and droped it. It was rolling toward me and there wasn't anything I could do but run over it - thank goodness it didn't cause me to crash. I stopped to make sure she was fine and the bottle was still usable (it was), although I don't know what I would have done for her if I'd flattened it. On one of the next corners a girl from the Hammer Gel Team that passed me on the way out of T1 had wiped out big time. There was a policmen with her and an ambulance was on the way. She was sitting up so I'm guessing she'll be fine but it's not the way you want the race to go for anyone!!! To the turn around, I was being passed - a lot!!! On a flat course I get to pass more people than pass me - I like it that way better. On the way back I decided I had to cut down on the number of people getting ahead of me. I did pretty good - although I was still passed some on the up hills. When I got a chance to look at my bike computer my max speed was 32.5 - woohooo!!!!. This girl from the flat Eastern Shore has come a long way from the first time I rode the course and I was cranking so hard on the brakes on the down hills!!!! The section on 108 from Homewood back to the park is pretty fun - it's rolling hills, none of them being to painfull to get up. No body passed me there!!!! When I got to the dismount area I rubber noodles for legs - I had a pretty hard time getting off my bike.

More training. Also I need to work on leaving the shoes on the bike. Getting up and down the hills of the TA was just ridiculous in bike shoes.

Too long. Guess the rubber noodle legs didn't help. I should have taken the gel on the run course.

Do it faster!!!!

I'm am not a runner, and I am fine with that. I knew there was no way I was running up the hills on this course. I walked up and ran down - it worked out pretty well. One thing for sure is that the volunteers on the course were very supportive. But it was very weird having every one know my name since it was printed on my race number. At one of the steeper hills a volunteer says to me "Brenda you are looking good, looking strong" considering I'm walking I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to say "liar, liar, pants on fire!!!" That got a laugh out of him. After slugging it out on this course it was so cool to come into the finish line with ALL these people cheering for you. All the kids had there hands out for high fives - one of them being Buck, which didn't really register until I was already past him.

I'll just keep plugging away at the running and hopefully my pace will eventually improve!!!

Almost immediately after I crossed the finish line I bumped into Allison. She had been swimming at Chespeake College. When I first met her in March she told me she had just started swimming and until just a few weeks before hadn't been able to put her face in the water. Here she was standing at the finish of her first tri and she'd had a great race!!! Glenn and the kids caught up with me. Then we ran into Susan (sk2a2005) and KLynne, who had both had great races. One of the things that make this sport so fun is the wonderful supportive people that are involved in it!!! After chatting we headed up to the food tent. Which I was actually glad was uphill - walking around made the legs feel pretty good.
After packing up I changed and headed out w/ Glenn and the kids for lunch and Cold Stone ice cream!!!!


Too many germs shared by the lovely children. A lack of sleep thanks to my own stupidity. Plus there are only so many hours in a day.


I am impressed with how well organized this race was. It was a huge number of people to get through the course. I had read that 60% of the participants were first timers - I think it is very cool that this event could motivate so many to get out and put in the time and effort to make it across the finish line.