Not too sure what I was expecting with my first OWS of the season. Looking back now, it really wasn't all that bad, but at the time I was hating all things liquid. I just couldn't get into a rhythm for the first 200. My sighting was pitiful, mainly because I wasn't drafting off anyone. I breathe on my left and when I finally realized that drafting was going to be my best form of navigation, things went smoother. Had to make sure to spit on every exhale. Saltwater tastes a whole lot better when you're a kid at the beach. So went the rest of my swim...catch, pull, roll, spit. catch, pull, roll, spit. By the time I reached the last 100m, I had a bad feeling that I was going to be on the losing end of the bet. That didn't make me feel much better. Just get me out of this damn water!

Not get so frustrated so early. This was an OWS PR for me (2:28/100 according to official results), so Masters (the few times I went in March) is paying off.

Cringed at the hill and long run to T1. HR was through the roof (as usual). Hit the deck for the strippers and was surprised to see it was a bunch of high school kids. I thought for a split second they would be a little timid about ripping the suit off, but they peeled me like a hungry monkey into a chiquita!! Suit got caught on my ankle, but came off quickly and in that short amount of time, I calmed down quite a bit so I wasn't so dizzy going into transition.

I think I barked at the stripper when my ankle got caught, so maybe be a little nicer next time.

Dread. Dread. Dread. I never regret my lack of saddle time more than coming out of T1. Got out of the winding streets and onto Seawall Blvd. without too much incident. Noticed a lot of inadvertent drafting in the first couple miles. Tried to be extra mindful of my position and dropping back quickly if I was passed. I soon realized that we had a tailwind going out, so if I was going to give Derek a run for his money (literally!) I had to hammer out hard. I passed a few people on the way out, all the while looking for Derek and his Blackwells to see how far ahead he was. Never did see him, but did see Steve and also noticed the other people heading back pedaling much slower than I was going out. Ruh-oh. Hit the turn around and expected to be blasted by headwinds. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. Kept hydrated much more this time to stave off cramps and felt the gu I had out of T1 kick in. Felt so good that I decided to down another one before T2. Bad idea as I found out on the run. Turning onto the side street for home, I hit a bump and launched my poofy from my aero drink. The penalty gods were shining on me, no black mark. Got out of my left shoe way too early, got out of the right about a minute later and hopped off the bike feeling great.

Nothing. I was pissed to see I came out 5th, but there was 39 seconds between 3rd and 5th, 1:10 between 2nd and 5th.

No complaints about T2. No hamstring cramps, so all is right with the world.

Nada

Legs felt like lead coming out of T2. Not used to that. Passed Marcy, Hannah, Holly and the gang not far out of T2 and asked how far ahead Derek was. Either they didn't hear me or didn't want to tell me, but I knew pretty quick, because there was Dr. Smug 100 yards ahead, leaning up against the barricades looking all satisfied with his finish. I tipped my hat to him in defeat and headed out. The first mile sucked pretty bad. Some unexpected inclines kept my HR up high and a stitch in my left side. I walked a lot, but still had an 11:43 split. About 1/4 of the way through the 2nd mile, Hell showed up. Torrential rains and wind came down, not to mention lightning and thunder. About this time I saw my good friend Ed about 200 yards ahead of me. Soon after, I saw Steve and knew he'd easily pass Ed and that made me smile. I still am so impressed by how solid Steve is racing! About 2 minutes later I hit the BT aid station and wish I could have picked my head up long enough to see who was there. The rain was coming down so hard! I heard you all and thanks so much for the cheers! I can't beleive Angel was taking pictures! I'll be amazed if they come out. Within 5 minutes of the ran starting, there really was no place to run without running in standing water. There were spots towrds the end that were so deep it made more sense to run in the wet grass and mud. I don't fault Keith or Endorfun at all for this. If it were dryer, the run course would have been super. My second mile was 12:51 and I was pissed that I was letting myself slow down mentally and physically. I decided to pick it up and run the entire 3rd mile. Running high-knee'd through the rains had a dual effect- gave the hamstrings a little rest, but shot the HR way up. I was breathing really hard coming in behind the expo tent, thinking I am almost home, when some moron walking the other way said, "Only a half mile to go!" Whaaaaat???? I immediately started walking, turned the corner and there was the finsher's chute. CRAP!!!!! I stomped through 4 inches of water as fast as I could and (I found out later) almost caught Ed. My last mile was 11:12. It was great to see Steve smiling away at the finish, me not knowing that I had been his rabbit all along.

Suck it up and push harder.

Warm? Nothing warm about being soaking wet! Stood around the BT table for a while and went check race results...I shouted out a very loud HOLY SHIT! (oops!) as I saw that I got 3rd place Athena. Wow. I guess it's a testament to how far I've come in 2 years. I've actually built enough of a base to not train as hard, but still come out and compete with the fat chicks. That's pretty cool, but I know I can train harder if I can get more time during the week. Hardware was a cool little star paperweight that Ron's kiddo Trevor used to trace pictures on later. He got some paint on it, so that makes my hardware better than everybody else's!


Rain, rain go away...


First of all, let me congratulate my dear husband on winning the house bet. You left it all out there and I couldn't be prouder. Now that you're getting Powercranks, I want a bigger handicap.

Second, Keith (KEJ) and Endorfun Sports put on a fantastic race! I have been looking forward to this for a while now and it really was everything I expected and more. The emails and updates in the weeks leading up to the race were great and just got me more pumped up! I will definitely race with you guys again!