THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
Pre-race
I really did not want to do this race. Mentally I just wanted to go for a training ride. It was on my training schedule even. I went through all the motions to get ready and pumped up.Moose said it best before the race-"This is training for pre-race jitters and doing a race. "
The Good
I felt great on the bike. There was a lady that started 2 waves behind me(45-49) riding a mountain bike that kept pace with me the entire course. Our average speed was 19-20mph. On the second lap she thanked me for setting a great pace. I thanked her for pissing me off that I couldn't beat a mountain bike on my tri bike. We laughed and pushed through lap 2.
The Bad
My run time was 4 minutes slower than last year. I couldn't seem to get a rhythm. I wasn't upset and just set out to not walk and enjoy the run. I even took time for a potty bike. Everyone that I had passed on the bike course now passed me. I had alot left at the finish so I know that I did not push too hard out there.
The Ugly
Because of the water temperature being cold, it was suggested earlier in the week to wear wetsuits so I did. I was feeling good waiting to start. The area is very tight at the start and goes not get deep until half way to the first buoy. I had just reached the deep water when the person in front of me pushed off with her foot into my stomach. I went under and sucked in a major amount of water. When I came up, I was panicked and couldn't breathe. I tried to swim and couldn't catch my breath. I flipped on my back and kicked until I felt better. Finally the swim was over As I walked to transition, I tossed my cookies. Somehow my swim was only 4 minutes longer than last year.
Because of the water temperature being cold, it was suggested earlier in the week to wear wetsuits so I did. I was feeling good waiting to start. The area is very tight at the start and goes not get deep until half way to the first buoy. I had just reached the deep water when the person in front of me pushed off with her foot into my stomach. I went under and sucked in a major amount of water. When I came up, I was panicked and couldn't breathe. I tried to swim and couldn't catch my breath. I flipped on my back and kicked until I felt better. Finally the swim was over As I walked to transition, I tossed my cookies. Somehow my swim was only 4 minutes longer than last year.
Post-Race
I actually am happy with my day. My total time was 10 minutes slower than last year. I was encouraged that although I wanted to quit during the swim, I finished. It was not anywhere near my best race but also it wasn't my worst.
Tri-Sharkie and I at the finish.
Special thanks to Iron Snoopy and Moose for being the best supporters ever and taking photos.
Waddling into week 10 of training............
13 comments:
I didn't know you had "tossed your cookies"! Oh, man...that is rough. You should be proud of yourself for continuing. It's all behind us now. Good job on our "D" race.
Great job esp. on the bike!
I don't know, I sure don't see any "bad" or "ugly" there.
You ran a smart race where you learned that you can keep moving forward when you really, really don't want to and bad stuff happens. That is a HUGE lesson for Ironman (I sure hope I have learned that well enough. We will see I guess).
Awesome pictures! You looks so strong! (The REAL "looking strong", not the mile 23 of a marathon, when everyone hopes you won't fall over dead "looking strong" *wink*)
Great job!! Woo hoo!!
Congrats on your race! Great bike pace! and you have bigger fish to fry later on in the season, right? So don't let this race get you "down"-call it a great training day and move forward! :-)
Good for you continuing on after that unpleasant swim & post-swim experience. You really look like you're having fun during the run. Way to get out there and show those pre-race jitters who's boss!
Never Give Up.
Sorry you didn't feel great on the race, but you sure looked good!
Way to get out there and get it done despite all the negatives. That's what it's all about -- going when you want to stop so bad.
I hope you feel better soon.
The BIG NEWS here is you overcame your concerns and did the race. This is just huge. Especially to persevere through the lousy swim experience.
You grew a lot here...and conqured much. I'm very happy for you. This is a necessary test for bigger challenges to come!!
Way to go!!!
I'm really impressed! You kept going!
Wonderful race pictures!
Good job!
Congrats! Sometimes those races that end up slower than other years turn out okay just by getting the practice in and keeping going despite things not going so well. Good pace on the bike!
Hey woman! I'm so sorry I didn't realize you were there on Sunday, I'd have totally tried to meet up with you! I'm so far behind on blogs these days I've been learning things after the fact :-P
I was in Wave 17, and holy cow was I happy to have splurged on the wetsuit. Not sure I could have survived the swim without it. That's such a bummer about getting a foot in the gut - you're a rock star for keeping going after that!
Way to go!
Way to go out there, especially after the swim.
I think it shows some serious endurance to get through!
And freaking WOW! on the bike. Nice!
Awesome job for the mtb girl too. I am impressed
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