I did my first race this morning!!! :D
Okay, so it's only a reverse-sprint but I got the monkey off my back and decided to do it, rain storm or not.
Weather Report:
Forecast was for early showers with a low of 40 degrees. Fortunately,the rain clouds cleared out and all was dry. Desert temps were very cold, though, and after I registered and set up, I spent a great deal of time in my car trying to keep my knees warm. Brought the Sugoi mid-zero tights just in case and they really helped until it was time to go.
Game Plan:
I suck at running (blame mom for short legs) so I decided to keep it slow and steady, and try to make up time on the bike instead. The pool swim was a mere 150 meters, piece of cake. I train every week between 1000-1600 meters so I wasn't too worried.
Running Leg:
I had no idea what to wear. It was still too cold to wear my tri-suit, so I opted for my tri-swimsuit, my CW-X knickers and my PI Microsensor jacket. I started out ok, but got a little bit too warm later.
I knew I couldn't keep up with most runners, and about a third of the field registered for the 5K-only. I could tell because they had red numbers, while the tri-folks got black numbers.
At the starting gun, everyone took off and it wasn't long before I was doddling along near the back of the pack. Everyone passed me - even the groups of kids and the elderly people with knee braces! Trying not to get discouraged, I kept telling myself to keep my heart rate steady and no matter how slow I went - to never stop. Sure enough, after a half mile, I started passing people who slowed to walk. This kept on for about two miles, and then I fell into people who were running at the same pace I was, about an 11-minute mile. (Note to self: train without an iPod more often!)
I ended up back in the transition area and was kinda bummed that almost all the bikes had departed. At least it was easy to find my bike.;)
Bike Leg
Again, I had trouble deciding what to wear for the bike leg and wasted many precious minutes. I was warm from the run, but would I stay that way? I went with the CW-X knickers over my swim suit, but at the last minute decided to go back and put back on my jacket. You never know about those desert winds, esp. right after a rain storm.
I hopped on my bike and started out slowly from the transition area. There was about a half-mile side road to the main highway, which was flat, exposed and closed to traffic for the race. Once on the highway, it was 5.5 miles out, 5.5 miles back.
I felt great on the bike (much different than on the run) and on the lead-out road, quickly got into an 18mph pace. As soon as I turned out onto the highway... AHHHH!! Headwinds like you wouldn't BELIEVE. Toss in occasional bone-chilling crosswinds, too, whipping across the desert. I'm glad I decided on the jacket.
As I headed up the highway, the headwinds started getting to me. Slowly, I saw my speed decreasing... 15mph...13mph...11mph. I went into smaller and smaller gears and at one point, was tempted to get into my granny gear. But I didn't.
Side note: For those wondering about choosing a hybrid over a road bike, here's the difference. As slow as I was going, I was passing dozens of riders who were struggling with the MTBs and hybrids. I kept my gears small, my cadence up, and tried to make myself as streamlined as possible. I probably passed a hundred cyclists on the way out. Believe me, a road bike made the difference.
On the turnaround... at last! I got out of the headwinds and started my real riding. I felt really strong and with a tailwind, I got into my big gears and started hauling. Not only was I passing MTBers at this point, but road cyclists as well, male and female. It felt good to be passing the same people who humbled me on the run. Every mile I felt better and my speed reached 22mph... then 24mph...then 26mph. I got into my drops and heard people cheer me on as I passed them (tri people are so supportive.) People were yelling out,"You go girl!" and "She's going for a podium position!" It felt really, really great.
At one point, I passed an obviously-experienced gentleman who was going slow for his companion's sake. He left his friend, caught up to me and told me my gears were too small. I clicked up. He said, "One more." Click again. More power to the legs! I thanked him, he wished me good luck and then dropped back to his friend. Like I said, tri people rock.
With a mile to go, I had my sights set on a lone rider ahead of me, in full matching bike/kit. I took aim at his bright yellow butt. (Gosh, I didn't realize how competitive I was!) Slowly I made up ground. With a half mile to go, I pulled up along side of him and for some reason knew he was not going to let a mere Girl pass him. He picked up the pace and so did I. When we passed people, I fell back and sucked on his wheel, then tried another pass at him. There was no way he would let me do that, and we sprinted to the finish. We turned off the highway for the last stretch side by side and then were hit with a blasted crosswind. At this point, he stood in his pedals and started cranking.
I couldn't keep up and conceded, but I was happy enough to have pushed him to that point. After all, I only started riding in July. When I got back to the transition area, I now realized that only half of the bikes got there before me. :)
Swim leg
Like I said before, I didn't worry about the swim. I do 2 miles in a workout so 150 meters was nothing. Boy, did I have another thing coming. Those 150 meters were the hardest 150 meters in my life.
After the first few strokes, I realized that I left everything back on the bike. I was huffing and puffing, my form was dreadful, and I all could think about was wishing it was over. At one point, I even did a backstroke to keep going. By the time I crawled out of the water, I wanted to hide my face in embarrassment. Did I forget how to swim? At least it was over! :o
My final time was 1:29. I know it seems slow, but I was happy because I was aiming for 1:40. My first and last race as a 35-39 age grouper! (40 next year)
Okay, I think it's time for me to pass out on the couch. I'll post pictures later. Then I'll plan for my next race. You TE gals are so supportive - I couldn't have done it without you. :D
