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Final Tri of the Season and New Bike Pic
I did my last triathlon of the season yesterday. Although I would love to do a couple more, there are no more OW tris close enough to avoid having to stay in a hotel. I am consoling myself with the thought that cross season is almost upon us. :)
I raced a few weeks ago and felt the need to avenge my somewhat lackluster finish. I had decided to camp the night before that race and, well, I don't camp. I bought a tent, set up camp with my youngest dog, and proceeded to have the worst night of no sleep one can imagine. At 10:00, fireworks. Around 11:00, something small, and probably rodent-like, was climbing the tent fabric. (We were sleeping in the back of the Element with the tailgate down and the tent was attached around the back of the vehicle, making a sort of tunnel.) Throughout the night, the pitter patter of raindrops. At 1:00, 2:15, 3:15, and 4:00, marauding coyotes howled and hunted and made unearthly noises as they dispatched their prey. They were uncomfortably close! At 4:15, owls screeching. At 4:30, the buses to take athletes from T2 to T1 showed up and idled about 1/4 mile away from the campsite. And through it all, my dog's response was "zzzzzzzzzzzz."
So, the night before this race was lovely by comparison. A comfy bed, indoor plumbing, and no sounds of Wild Kingdom outside my window!
DH drove me to the race site but, because dogs are not allowed in the park, he found various locations to cheer me on out on the road and overlooking the run course. He's done this race in the past, so knew where to be.
This was a very big race, probably the largest one I have done. I started about mid-pack for the swim. I tend to avoid the back now, as I am more comfortable in the pack than I was in my first tri about a year ago. This was a tough swim in that the wave was pretty big and I never really had any clear water. It was fun, though, and I put in a good time for me.
I ran to transition, dodging everyone who was trudging up the boat ramp and through the parking lot. I zipped in and out pretty quickly, although I still put on a long sleeved sun-protective jersey and gloves. The bike was uphill for the first 7+ miles and then downhill on the way back. This was my first race for my new Lynskey T230 and it was heavenly. A constant barrage of "on your left" on the uphill and then WHOOOOOSH for the return trip. There was a big headwind for most of the course (how does that happen?) and being in aero position was great. The bike is so fast and stable and comfortable. As a surprise, DH bought me an aero helmet and, when I hit the second half of the course, I was flying by people. Only one sprint guy passed me on the second half of the course, and that was because I was going over 41 and applying my brakes down a very steep and short hill. I managed to pass him back after I got back on my aero bars, though. :D
My stomach had felt a bit funky after my usual toaster waffle breakfast and it felt sort of sloshy during the bike. I wonder if I drink more because of the aero bottle? I need to figure that out.
I zipped in and out of T2, and began the uphill 1.5 mile run on pavement. It was very hot, we were running in full sun, and I dumped water on my head and down my shirt at the aid stations. My stomach didn't feel great, but I just ignored it. After running on the road, we dropped down onto some dirt trails, and I could hear DH yelling from the road high above: "GO GO GO GO GO! Anyone can suffer for 15 minutes!" (Yeah, he was taking a page from the Evil Coach Troy playbook.) There were a fair number of short uphills and people were walking. By continuing to run, I passed a pretty good number of folks. I can tell my running has improved since the spring, but there is more work to be done.
Finally, I hit the boardwalk path leading to the finish and I was done! I was spent and hot, and got a bottle of water and sat in the shade and alternated pouring it on myself and drinking it. The transition area was 1/2 mile away from the finish, and I felt like I was on a never-ending treadmill walking back. My stomach was not feeling well at all by then and I took a couple of Digest Caps.
I packed up my things, rode my bike the 1/2 mile back to the finish, and learned I placed third in my age group. Very happy with that as I was really pushing on the course and felt like I did all I could on the day. It was a nice change from my last race, where I was so tired that I actually put down my stuff and rested while walking to T1 on race morning before the race even started!
Here is my lovely titanium beauty. All 17 pounds of her! I'm looking forward to getting in some nice rides this fall. DH found pink tires and a pink chain and he assembled her for me, too. He extraordinarily patiently dealt with my tweaking the fit by millimeters over the course of several days! He is a most excellent sherpa and wrench and spectator, and he even bought me blueberry pancakes from a local diner to eat in the car on the way home from the race.
