This was my first entry into this race. I had heard about it from several other members of my tri club as being “fun” and “beautiful.” Since it fit into my training schedule I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m really glad I did. It really was fun and beautiful, and definitely a do-over. I felt that overall I did much better at this Oly (my 2nd) than I did at Pittsburgh. Of course, I won’t know that for sure until the detailed times are posted. All I know is that I finished 21st in my age group with a 3:10 finish (I don’t remember how many seconds). Here’s the breakdown:
Swim: This was the one discipline that didn’t go as well as my last few open water swims. For some reason I kept veering off course. At one point something got lodged in my throat and I had to stop and gag-reflex it out. Fortunately whatever it was that was trying to wriggle its way into my gullet decided to take a different direction. Once I got my head back into the swim I was surprised at how quickly it seemed to be over. When I came into the transition area I wisely didn’t take note of how many bikes were already gone from my age group area.
Bike: The bike route was so beautiful it was easy to get distracted from the fact that I was supposed to be racing. Of course, the angry cyclist who was screaming at everyone in his wake brought me back to reality. I can’t understand why people like that even bother. Really. Just stay home if you’re going to be that miserable. Anyway. Once I remembered I was racing I started looking for other ladies in my age group by checking out all the calves I passed and all the calves that passed me. For the record, I got passed alot more than I passed. Looking at all those calves was a nice distraction, though. Mostly. Also for the record, I didn’t pass a single person in my age group and not a single one passed me. Towards the end of the ride (which came quickly … yay) I thought to myself that I must be bringing up the rear.
Run: Again, the run was gorgeous. Short portions in the beginning and end were trail-like. I surprised myself by passing more people on the run than I did on the bike. Shocking, really, given my usual pace. At one point I caught up to Fabio. I don’t know if that’s really his name, but he looked like a young Fabio so that’s what I called him. He was running shirtless, hair flying free in the wind. It was quite a sight. All good things must come to an end, though. I had to smoke him because he was running far too slowly. His hair must have been holding him back. Around mile 3 I finally, FINALLY, passed a F50-54. At mile 4 I passed two more! At mile 5.5 I passed the 4th and held my position through the end. This was a good run for me. I felt strong and faster than normal and my legs felt like they could have carried me farther. I’m really looking forward to seeing my official pace to learn if it was just a state of mind or reality.
After the race I enjoyed some time with my daughter and friends eating the post-race meal, listening to music, and watching the awards. The lady who took first place in my division finished about 30 minutes ahead of me, so I’m glad I didn’t kill myself vying for a position on the podium. I am glad, however, that I did this race before my half Ironman in two weeks, because its given me the confidence I need to forge ahead.