Richmond Sprint Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 4)

I posted this race report-which was my first one ever! I thought you all might like see it since you were all there with me! Wish I could have met you all! What a great day! Started out cold but was beautiful by the end. It really couldn't have been a better experience! If you don't like long winded reports, skip it! I really wanted to relive the moment! You only get a first once!



As a former couch potato...embarking on one sport was quite a task for me, but I learned to at least tolerate a 5k run over the course of a year, even though I never really enjoyed it. After watching my 12 year old son complete a youth triathlon, succumbing to a bit of peer pressure, and looking for something to help with the knee problems I was having, I thought I could probably complete a sprint triathlon with some work. As my user name suggests, certain parts would be more difficult than others as I really couldn't swim! All it took was a couple of "naysayers" to really get me going! (Do you know how much work that will be? Do you really think you can do that?) That was just the motivation I needed. (I think that might have been their goal all along!)

I am a teacher, so I started in June when school let out. I quickly learned that swimming was really going to take a serious commitment on my part as I could not put my face in the water and was unable to swim one length of a 25 yard pool. The race I had hoped to be ready for was in late August and was an open water swim. I faithfully showed up in the pool 3 days each week (that was all it was open for lap swimming) missing only one day the entire summer due to illness. I told myself that I would see where I was in August. As it was...I was pretty sure that I would need to be assisted from the water if I attempted it, so I delayed my first tri and kept training. Unfortunately here in the northeast, it gets COLD in September. I searched this site for a race and found the Richmond Sprint Triathlon. It was the perfect place to start as it had a relatively short pool swim.

As it was Columbus Day weekend and there had been no hubby/wife getaway all summer, we decided to make the 8 hour trip a mini-vacation and left kids and dog with willing friends and family. I was a little nervous, as I had a poor run on Thursday and was not feeling well on Saturday. No big dinner for me, rather a late trip to Panera after my late nap to get rid of a bad headache. Better to be sick the day before than the day of!

I expected to wake up numerous times, but really slept quite well. Alarm sounded at 5:30 and I threw on my tri gear and packed up to check out of the hotel. I must admit to fixing my hair a little and putting on some make-up. (I mean really...there were to be pictures all day after all!) Breakfast was a cinnamon bagel from Panera (YUM!) and a vitamin water. It was pretty cold when we left. Thank goodness I picked up a fleece the day before.

We rolled into the parking lot at 6:30 and there were already people setting up. My hubby, bless him, pumped my tires and loaded up the spare tube and tools. He became my support crew/photographer for the entire day! I found my spot and sited the portapotties directly across. No balloons for me! The potties would do just fine! We were seeded by swim time, (577/650) so I made friends with the other slow swimmers and set up my area. I tucked my pool stuff in the pocket of my fleece and headed to get marked and pick up my chip. There was something a bit surreal and exciting about that first body marking...not to mention the smell of those permanent markers! I decided to leave my fleece so that I could throw it on for the bike (it was still freezing)and put on a different jacket to wear into the pool area that I would leave with my hubby when I swam. We headed in and stopped at the bathroom.

Now if you were paying attention...you will remember that I put all of my pool things (cap, goggles, noseclips) into my fleece. Is it all making sense? Yep, everything that I needed to swim was outside in the transition area in my jacket, and was closing in 2 minutes. I bolted for the door and raced through the building to my bike. There were literally only 4-5 people left and as I reached my rack, I heard the officials yell..."Transition area is closed!" No matter! I needed that stuff! I grabbed it and raced out of the area thinking that if I got a penalty, it would at least make for a good story. I must have made it in the nick of time, because there was no penalty. I hear something always goes wrong your first time. Hopefully that would be my only mistake!

Inside the pool area were the 600+ swimmers. My swim time was 9:17 and it was only 8:00 so I had awhile! Chatted with friends and cheered them on as they were ranked well ahead of me in the swim. I kept waiting for the nerves to kick in, but so far I really felt calm and fine. I had it in my head that in a perfect world, my times would put me around an hour and 40 minutes. That was if all went perfectly. It wasn't that likely to happen, so I planned to enjoy every darn minute no matter what happened and smile the entire time. I slipped into the pool for my start and streamlined off the wall...that was first sign it was not going to go well! My tri top caught water and the entire first length was spent trying to keep "the girls" from leaping out! Not an easy feat to swim with one arm! Heartrate went way up and I started to panic. The two ladies behind me were catching up and I felt someone pass me and someone else tap my feet. I managed to finish the lap, slip under the lane and start my next 100 meters but couldn't catch my breath. Crap! I flipped over for some backstroke to get my face out of the water and try to get control of my breathing. I had thought that if the swim went well, I would finish in about 12:30. (Told you I am slow!) I finished through sheer force of will, telling myself that it would be all downhill after that. I climbed out and exited for the long run around the building on freezing cold cement in barefeet. I think that was the worst I felt all day. (Actual time-12:59)

T1 was slow due mainly to long run, but also inexperience. Got into my shoes, helmet, glasses and ran my bike (minus the jacket that was the cause of the earlier problem) to the mounting area. I stood up and took off fairly quickly as I am most comfortable on the bike. (Time 4:30) I spent the first mile or two just recovering from the swim, then kicked it in gear. I wasn't able to use the aero bars right away (which were fairly new to me) due to car traffic and the narrow bike path. If you wanted to pass, you had to basically move left into the street. It was impossible to be in your tuck and look behind you at traffic so I gave it up for the moment. I passed a number of people who passed me in the swim and felt pretty good about it! The first half was all downhill so I was able to get my speed up to about 30 mph. But like all good downhills...they must end and when you turn around, well you know what that means! There was a nice little upgrade, a turn and then a 1.5 to 2 mile climb. I had been dreading it, but geared down and rode up it pretty easily. There was one tough spot where I thought in my head that if Lance Armstrong rode up Alpe D'Huez after having cancer and with one testicle, I could certainly manage this little hill. I picked up the pace and managed to pass quite a few people and only got passed by 2 people the entire ride. The last 4 miles were flat and quite fast. I almost passed the turn back to the transition area. I had hoped to complete the bike in 45 minutes, and it seemed like I had according to my computer. I was slightly over but that included a few seconds of transition time. I dismounted and really understood only then how the legs feel like the jello I had heard about. Apparently I had not trained hard enough during my bricks, because I hadn't felt that before! (Bike time-44:28)

My hubby was near my area and was talking me through it. Take off helmet...check, put on shoes...check, and I was off-without my race belt and number. A nice official brought that to my attention and I had to run back 50 yards to get it! Live and learn. (Time-2:25) I took the first half mile slow. It was my goal to run the entire thing, so walking was not an option. I heard a man huffing and puffing behind me and encouraged him to run with me. I thought it would make the time go faster. It was his second tri and he told me he walked to the first water stop the previous year so he was already doing better than he had. Apparently the first water stop was enough for him because he stopped for water and kept walking. I wished him well and kept on going. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful run through the neighborhoods of Midlothian. There were lots of volunteers including one teenage boy offering "tissues, water and encouragement"! Funny!  I thought that was mile one and was disappointed a half mile later to see the first marker. Seemed like a really long 5K!! I chatted with a few people along the way. I probably should have run faster, but I was having such fun I didn't want to ruin it! had my arm marked at the half-way point and headed back. The second half seemed way faster than the first. Thank goodness! I picked up the pace for the photographer and smiled pretty!  I heard the announcer and realized that it was almost over and actually got a little teary! I crossed the line with the official time of 1:38:26 and ended the day with an impromptu parking lot beer with friends! It's official...I am hooked and can't wait for next spring and a new triathlon season! WAY more fun than a 5K!

Nada
You go girl, You got bit by the bug.

Wow, you did a great job for your first tri!!  You want to trade bike times?   I actually saw a woman heading out of T2 run back for her race belt - that was probably you!  Congrats on your first tri and way to go!

X2 (especially the beer)

Nada, I enjoyed your RR - thanks for sharing. Gratz on your first tri you did great.
This was my 1st as well and I really enjoyed the experience.

That would have been me!  If I come back (not sure I can talk the hubby into another long trip, but I will definitely try!!) I'll be sure to bring a case and look you all up! And I think I'll keep my bike time!! That was the only respectable part of my day! I was 62/65th in my age group swim! Nice! (sarcasm!)

Dano, I actually looked up the Cannonman in the summer, but needed a few more weeks of swimming. Is that the one where you tread water before you start? That was intimidating to me! I want to be in the water as little as possible! That mightbe a nice place to start next year. Ultimately, I want to be able to do the Presque Isle Triathlon with my friends next year.

Nada, sent you a PM regarding cannonman.

Dano

Nada and bayrunner, thanks for filling us in on your races.  Congrats on your great finishes!! Enjoyed ready the race reports.