Harvest Moon Long Course Triathlon - Triathlon1/2 Ironman

This was a fantastic swim for me. I was 1 minute faster than last time I did this race and I have to believe it's because I drafted. I drafted off some girl going out and drafted off some guy coming back into shore. I looked up and damn it if I wasn't finished. Didn't even fell the swim. No panic even though we started in the water with about 200 people in my wave. Nass starts suck but it wasn't too bad. No one swam over me so I was doing all right. I've never drafted before. I highly recommend it. I was so busy keeping up with the draftee that I really didn't notice how long my swim was. It was fantastic.

Nothing much. Go faster?

This was about 1 minute faster than last time as well. I have to think it's because I went without socks! Woo Hoo. I forgot to eat a bananna though and that would prove potentially fatal.

OK. I started this race with a record pace. At the halfway mark I was at 1:43 on pace to beat last year's 4 hrs on the bike. I was really strong and kickin' ass on this course. Then when we left 36 I began to slow down. I looked down at my mph meter on the bike. It had a handy liitle temperature gaugae. The gauage went 80, 85, 87, 90, 03, 05, 99. By mile 35 I was having muscle aches and by mile 40 I was cramping so bad I had to get off my bike. The temp guage was 104 at that time. Nothing but me and the black asphalt and the hilss of Quincy Avenue. All the bike gains I had in the beginning of this race evaprotated. I stopped racing and began wondering if I was going to finish. I cramped so bad in my left leg I had to get off the bike and began walking. I prayed to Jesus and told him I would be healed in his name. I cried out to the Lord. i began singing worship songs and ignoring the pain I got back on my bike. Passed a guy with a flat, gave him my spare tube and pump and dhe gave me some Heed. I dropped my back from 3rd to 2nd and then finally to Granny just to gut out the last 10 miles. I was NOT going to let my simple mortal body demolish my celestial will. So I gutted it out. Gritting my teeth as person after person passed me, people I had whizzed by earlier. I kept thinking how in the world am I going to run 13 miles? I can't even walk? Saw Cathy with two miles to go. She was screaming my name. And I just grannied it home. Still wasn't the last one in. A girl came after me tears, sobbing really. She was so disoriented and upset. I told her "Suck it up girlie, hard part is over. Just gut out these last 13 miles and call it a day..." She smiled and put on her running shoes. Later she said to me, "Thanks for getting me out of transition, I'm going to make it. I'm going to finish." She's doing IMCA with me next year hopefully she can do the same for me one day.
All in all I was 20 min xlower on the bike that last time but I felt 100 percent better.

Eat. Find something on the bike that can pump me full of calories but not make me sick. Ughh. Freakin' leg cramps!

This was hard. I was so totally worried about cramping but I kept downing HEED and eating Oreos, and graham crackers. It was very hot and sunny by this time. Then the cloud covered the entire sky. Lightening blasted the air. The resorvior water began to get whitecaps the wind was gusting so bad. About 10 mintues after I made the turnaround the sky burst forth and dumped, hail, rain, wind and whatever else. It was like Geesh someone didn' t want me to finish this race. But I rain through the cold, the rain the hail and the lightening. The RD offered me a ride and I said unless you're making me leave this course I'm staying. and I did, finishing 12 min faster than last year's run. Woo Hoo.

All in all it was a good race. I've got a lot to do before IMCdA but I'll get it done. Woo Hoo. It's over.