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Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon
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Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon - Triathlon
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 Swim
Comments: The seasoned racers in my tri club told me to get to the very end of the dock and jump out further toward the middle of the river and use the current to the best of my advantage. Scared as I was, I still did this. I panicked for the first 50 feet - jumping in and starting was just a new experience for me -they did not allow diving. I didn't feel much faster but I did realize I was the furthest person out toward the middle of the river, but still wasn't even close to the guys in the canoes. I stopped focusing on the other swimmers and enjoyed the race- I kept asking myself about what state of my mind would I want to be in if I did this race in April as a HIM. Plus, having swam very slow and conserved all my energy on the 4th of July Tri helped me realize that I could just enjoy the swim and make up time on the bike. Being in Wave 7 of 9 was tough. Wave 8 consisted of guys 20-29 and they caught us and passed us in not time. About halfway through the first lap of the swim I calmed down enough to not need to kick, but I was still breathing only on my right side every stroke. I did catch up to several ladies as I got close to exiting the water and then jogged back up to the swim start for the second lap. The second lap was way easier. I had a little navigation trouble and had to reposition myself several times. I swam closer to the shore this time and wasn't happy about it. I did breather bilaterally, every third stroke and honestly had a great swim. It was the first time I finished a swim and didn't feel like I had exerted a lot of energy. As I got out of the water, I saw Karl right in front of me. He was not happy about his swim, so I just reminded him that it was OVER. What would you do differently?: Swan further into the middle of the river on the second lap.  Transition 1
Comments: When I got into transition, I never expected to see a traffic jam of guys all near my gear. I must of had a decent swim afterall. I had to touch the bum of the fella at my bike so he could make a little room for me. Got my gear on pretty quick. Had rested my helmet sideways on my aero bars and my glasses were in my Bento box, so I just slid my shoes on, threw on helmet, and jogged out of transition while pulling my gloves on. What would you do differently?: Not much. I could've gotten through T1 30-45 seconds quicker, but I am pleased with my transition. I've never experienced a traffic jam, my bike is usually one of the few bikes left when I get into transition, so seeing lots of bikes there when I was in Wave 7 was even more strange to me.  Bike
Comments: The course was tricky and there were segments without volunteers or guidance - we found ourselves crossing over bike trails to the road in odd spots. One of the screws in my left bike shoe fell off and made for a very loose fit in my left clip at mile 20. I had to be very, very careful not to move the foot too much. At the time all I knew was I heard a medal clank and my left foot was loose. I didn't know if part of the clip broke off so I just kept riding... figured I could fix it later, or if my whole foot came loose, then my race would simply be over. Before anyone says anything -- Yes, I triple checked my bike stuff, including my shoes. I didn't put lock-tite or anything in the screws that go into my cycling shoes. I'm glad it happened here. I forced myself to eat a cereal bar at what I guess was mile 6~8.... I knew I needed food to get me to the finish line. I could hardly swallow the cereal bar but didn't have any trouble once it was in my tummy. I didn't see anyone else eating. I paced behind Karl for almost the entire ride, until my clip came loose. We passed at least 20 people. The course wasn't too hilly and there were only two hills to climb. Having done some hill work with our tri club, I was able to climb the hills pretty easy. I got my booty off my seat and climbed the hills. I chatted with almost everyone I passed and was making jokes, but most people looked at me like I was crazy.... I still don't know why.... My goal was to ride comfortably, at a pace I could maintain without feeling like I was working hard. I have to say, this was one of my funnest rides ever., What would you do differently?: Put something in my cycling shoes to make sure the screws don't fall out on a ride. Possible reconsider putting a GPS on the bike to monitor pace. I do love not knowing how I am doing and just listening to my body. Transition 2
Comments: Same problem as before.... got into transition and there were crowded conditions. How did this happen to me. I abandoned my hydration belt cause I thought I was going to look funny out there on the course and just grabbed my bottle with the H30 electrolytes in it. I left my gloved on, knowing I would take them off and slide them into the back of my race top when I started running. What would you do differently?: Put my hydration belt on! Lots of people were wearing theirs.  Run
Comments: It was hot. While I was feeling pretty good, the heat and running in the blaring sun at almost 90 degrees was tougher than I expected. Knowing that after the race I had to load up two little girls, get them home on 2.5 hour drive, unload, and take care of them, made me run very, very conservatively. I felt like I could have picked up my pace a little bit, but I felt like I was close to pushing it a little far and I did not want to risk feeling anything less than awesome afterward. I stopped at every water station and drank water and poured a cup on my neck. I wish I had worn my hydration belt as I could have poured ice water on my neck as needed. My left foot suffered a blister under my middle toe. Mild blister, but first time I have ever had one there. What would you do differently?: I'm not really sure. When I finished the race, I did feel like I still had gas in the tank to keep going, which was an excellent sign for me. Being right on the edge of pushing too hard -- it would have helped to have eaten a second cereal bar near the end of the bike. I couldn't get myself to eat the protein bar. Post race
Warm down: Drank a bottle of cold water and then set out to find my kiddos. Took my shoes off right away and opted to walk barefoot -- blister did not feel good in shoes. What limited your ability to perform faster: -Heat -Cycling shoe coming loose. -Knowing that the race was a very small part of the rest of what I had to tackle that day. Event comments: I found out afterward from some observers that lots of people got sick on this race due to the heat. GI issues, throwing up, a few people collapsed on course due to heat. I hope that all thee folks are feeling better today. I knew I could not take such a risk as I had a 2 yr old and 4 yr old to care for post race, who would also get to nap in the car while I drove us all home, so I had to be smart and conservative. I can't wait to start training for a HIM. I am definitely "hungry" for the HIM distance now. Last updated: 2013-05-28 12:00 AM
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 2013-08-11 11:46 AM |
Veteran  454   Cairo, GA |  Subject: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon |
| 2013-08-11 1:53 PM in reply to: #4826211 |
Expert 2380 Mastic Beach, NY | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Jen congrats on a great race. You did a great job pacing yourself. You had a great swim and bike and I know you were a little consrvative on the run but that was pretty smart considering the heat and the long ride home. The more important thing is that you could've went harder if you wanted to. I think you are right on track for being able to do great at the HIM distance. |
| 2013-08-11 5:23 PM in reply to: strikyr |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Awesome race Jen! I was just thinking the hardest part of racing is turning back into Mommy as soon as I cross the finish line. I can't even imagine driving home for 2 hours after. Great job out there! |
| 2013-08-11 7:02 PM in reply to: trigal38 |
| Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Oh, My, Goodness, Jen!! How in the world you still had energy after just getting to the race site, let alone, after the race is beyond me! Congratulations on being an OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLETE!! It makes me smile to see you ready to tackle the HIM training. I love that Karl and Pam were at the race too and that you were able to encourage Karl after the swim. Great job on a hard race distance! Way to go!!
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| 2013-08-11 7:54 PM in reply to: strikyr |
Veteran 454 Cairo, GA | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Originally posted by strikyr Jen congrats on a great race. You did a great job pacing yourself. You had a great swim and bike and I know you were a little consrvative on the run but that was pretty smart considering the heat and the long ride home. The more important thing is that you could've went harder if you wanted to. I think you are right on track for being able to do great at the HIM distance.
Thanks Tony! I had a blast and am sooo glad to end the day feeling good. |
| 2013-08-11 7:58 PM in reply to: trigal38 |
Veteran 454 Cairo, GA | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Originally posted by trigal38 Awesome race Jen! I was just thinking the hardest part of racing is turning back into Mommy as soon as I cross the finish line. I can't even imagine driving home for 2 hours after. Great job out there!
Originally posted by bswcpa Oh, My, Goodness, Jen!! How in the world you still had energy after just getting to the race site, let alone, after the race is beyond me! Congratulations on being an OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLETE!! It makes me smile to see you ready to tackle the HIM training. I love that Karl and Pam were at the race too and that you were able to encourage Karl after the swim. Great job on a hard race distance! Way to go!!
Thank you ladies. I enjoyed the race so much that it still hasn't sunk in that I covered the distance and then turned the mommy switch right back on. |
| 2013-08-12 4:44 AM in reply to: #4826211 |
Master 3486 Fort Wayne | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Congrats on a great race!! Your swim split is incredible!! You pulled off a very fast swim, current or not! That could very well be the reason that you came into transition as early as you did and had to deal with all of the busyness. It appears your friend's advice about taking your swim out into the current was the very best thing you could have done. And swimming comfortably throughout made for a relieving experience for the rest of your day. Your bike split is another solid time. Having been closer tho the front of the cycling may have given you an added psychological benefit and kept you pushing harder without realizing your added effort. I'm glad I've never had a cleat come lose in a race but it's happened on a training ride and I had no tools, so I know the feeling you had.....kinda. The heat is something that can definitely catch you on the run and it sounds like you were well mentally prepared to take it as it came. After suffering from heat related issues at one race last season I think you aren't wanting to go there either. You had a solid performance and a great race! Congrats on your first Oly!!! |
| 2013-08-12 8:08 AM in reply to: DirkP |
Veteran 454 Cairo, GA | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Thanks Dirk. The more time elapses since race day the more I feel like I am on Cloud 9. The hubby thinks I should have pushed harder, he couldn't believe I finished and had uummph left in my tank.... he thinks I should have left all out there "on the field." I sure do love that big guy, but this isn't football and he wasn't there to help with the munchkins this time. Nothing like loading up kiddos and all your race gear, then making sure they eat lunch before you do. |
| 2013-08-12 9:11 AM in reply to: jenbmosley |
Expert 1439 Tallahassee | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Jen, GREAT race! You are getting so much faster, way to work out so hard! It was nice seeing you too! |
| 2013-08-13 7:16 PM in reply to: KWDreamun |
Extreme Veteran 1222 Tallahassee, Florida | Subject: RE: Chattahoochee Challenge Olympic Triathlon Jen, it was so good to see you and I'm so proud of you!!! Glad you were ok for the trip home. |
| General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
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United States
TriColumbusGA
86F / 30C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 40/81
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 8/18
NOTE: I placed 40/81 women; I do not know the complete overall standings.
My pre-race started about 3 days prior. However, I will focus on 24 hours before race start. Friday morning - up at 4:00 a.m., prepped my liquid nutrition for the race and dumped all four bottles into the freezer. Got busy packing my race gear, packing my kids travel bags, snack bags,wrote out a grocery list and headed to job #1 at 7:00 am. Raced the clock for 2 hours wrapping up some projects Went to job #2 at 10:00 and worked until 5:30 p.m. Raced the clock all the way home to pick up my kids from daycare no later than 6:00; made it here at 5:58 p.m. Then drove by the house to pick up bike, cooler, snacks, and frozen water bottles. Set kids up with juice and snacks, potty break and off we went (6:30 pm).
Found myself racing the clock again to get to Albany, rendezvous point with friends. I was 15 minutes late. Rally point met, diaper changed, and on the road again we went. My carb loading throughout the day consisted of cold leftover pizza from the night before. Talked to Karl and Pam around 7:30 p.m., they were getting ready to call it a night and said they would be leaving hotel about 5:00 a.m. and knew where to go. All I needed to do was be ready to pull out of parking lot at 5:00. Pulled into Columbus about 9:00 p.m., checked into hotel, unloaded gear, got settled, grabbed a shower, and laid down close to 11:00. Did I feel prepared? Of course not, but I was so relieved to have made it to Columbus with all my gear and two happy little travelers, that I felt like a million bucks already.
I think I slept 3 whole hours.... Up at 4:00, got my stuff, and my little girls stuff situated for when they woke up. Ate a protein bar and an banana. Drank some herbal tea. My friend and mama of three boys, came to my room about 4:40 to take over watching my girls. I loaded up my gear and frozen bottles and waited for Karl and Pam in the parking lot. Boy was I happy to see their faces.
Off to the race location we went. Following them on that 5 mile drive relieved a ton of anxiety of having to find a new place hours before a race start. Checked in, got my body marked, and made it into transition. I placed my bike by Karl, which was a little out of the way from the bike exit--- thinking we were away from everyone.
I had brought a hydration belt with two 10 oz bottles - one had frozen water, the other H30 Fitness drink- sugar and electrolytes. I wasn't sure I was going to put the belt on for the run. I placed 2 bottles on my bike, one had a frozen water + Prolong (electrolytes, protein +sodium), the other had frozen water. On my Bento box near my handle bars - breakfast bar and a protein bar.
Who needs a warm up?
I was so relieved to make it to the race with all my gear and my kids taken care of that I wasn't full of race anxiety like I hoped. Made sure I visited the restroom a few times and then swam a few minutes about 10 minutes before my wave.
I had my GPS and a basic timing watch, but decided to listen to my body, race conservatively and enjoy the race as much as possible. I left my watches in my transition bag.