First race report!

[tygab]

Hi all,

Well here is my race report, and there are other sections too if you feel like reading.

BTW the distances were:
"A little less than a 1/2 mile" [the course was changed to out and back and this is as precise as it got on Saturday]
10 miles bike [was 12 but last week the DOT carved up 2 miles of road they were planning to use, so they changed it a bit, but as we were told, next year it will be fresh for the race]
5k run

From my blog:

It is 5 AM. I am lying in bed, perfectly still. Aaron is asleep, and I can see that the sun is about to come up. I am not ready to get up, but I am not able to go back to sleep either. My mind is racing, even if I am not. How will it go? Do I have everything I need? Will I have fun? The weather is predicted to be sunny and dry, but it will be a cool fall morning. After a while of just staying still, at least resting my muscles, it is time for the alarm.

I get up, get dressed (showered the night before), have a sip of water and have an adverse reaction to it. My early morning eating/drinking woes continue. Oh well, I won't try that again today. I feel pretty ready otherwise. I put on BodyGlide over all the areas I think will be sticky in the wetsuit. Aaron is ready to go, and we drive over to the site. It is only 5 minutes away from the hotel.

While Aaron is performing a tire check, I head off to find twist ties for the bike race number. Then I get body marked, meet Aaron with the bike, and head over to transition. I set my bike in the rack, and set out my towel like I'd practiced just a few days ago. Basically from toe to head, as I get to the area, with some extra Gus and waterbottles. I put on the wetsuit, as I notice a few others doing the same. I wander down to the water, looking out at the mist coming off as it is warmer than the air, in fact it is quite chilly out. I hope the swim goes well.

The race organizers make some announcements, and it is time for my wave, the first one, to go. The horn sounds and what seems like a phalanx of swimmers rushes toward the water. I follow, but not particularly enthusiastically. At first I am breathing very fast, just feeling panicky. Some water gets in my mouth. The buoy looks very far away. Putting my face down in the water and realizing it is dark, and I am not headed toward anything but deeper water causes me to wonder why I am doing this, and if I should just turn back now, before I get into into a bad situation. I haven't done this enough, I can't get my hr down, aaagh! Why would anyone swim out into the middle of a lake?

I tell myself to just keep breaststroking, and following the others. Safety in numbers, I guess. I try about 3 freestyle strokes, and more panicky feelings. Fine, fine, just keep breaststroking. I am looking up every breath at this point and then I notice the buoy is a little closer. It is not that far. You can get that far, I tell myself, and I begin to calm down, doing more freestyle and noting the sun is reflecting low in the sky on my left. Soon, there is room to feel comfortable swimming, and the buoy is a very near, visible target. Around the backside, and now my target is the beach. Good! The beach, I can go back now. I start freestyling in earnest, and actually pass other swimmers. The beach gets closer, I get more comfortable, and before I know it I can see the lake bottom. Just a few more strokes, and I can put my feet down. Standing, I make my way to the shore, and even get halfway out of the wetsuit. I think the swim has gone pretty well, for a first attempt, and now my favorite part, the bike, awaits.

Getting to the transition, I wipe my face and arms with the towel, just like I had done in my mind, then my feet. The wet suit pops off easily, much easier than it has when I tried it in Cape Cod or on dry land. Good! Despite baby powder in my socks, they still prove annoying to put on, and I probably lose some valuable ticks there. Helmet, decide against armwarmers, even if it means I am cold, gloves, swig of gatorade and I need to go. Aaron is yelling loud from the sidelines, "Go! You can do it! Great job!." I shoot him a look of "man, this is crazy" and grab the bike to walk it to the mounting zone, and then I am off. With being wet, it is a cool first two miles as the air rushes past my arms. I can actually feel the goosebumps. But I am not shivering, and before I know it I am dry enough to feel comfortable, and clinking through my familiar gears. I am not tearing up the bike course, by any means. For one, I still feel a little weird from the swim and it takes a few miles to get my breath into cycling rhythm, and it is a very short bike course. The second reason is, I still have a 5k to run, and I don't want to waste the whole tank. However, I am riding strong, and passing many. I am passed by some others as well, but it is about even. Before I know it we are heading along the wide flat field which leads back to the park road, and I am into transition. A decent bike. Off with the shoes, on with the running shoes, remove helmet, put on hat, "RACE BELT" Aaron shouts from the sidelines, he has seen me come and go for each leg... - I know, I should do this all as I leave the Trans, but I am not thinking like that at the time... I even reracked my bike with back wheel in, which takes more time. WHY??? I am not going out on it again? Silly me. Annoyed by water bottle which has wandered away to my rack mate's area... drink, and time to go.

I settle into my trot, and am running along a pretty trail, but there are rocks, roots, pine cones, and ... HILLS. Yes, not a flat course. I cannot run up hills right now with the tendinitis, so I just walk them. My pace is not blistering but it feels very comfortable. However, I am getting passed like crazy. I guess I should not be surprised. I spent the least time on running, have some injury issues, and most other people who are runners can run quite well. It also does not help that I have no idea where I am on the course, or what my pace actually is. I wasn't able to see this part yesterday. But I keep trotting along, knowing I will finish, and will not be last. This makes me happy. I am even able to chat with others going by (yes, not exerting myself to the max).

Finally, I can hear the announcer, but still maybe a tenth of a mile to go, kick it into a faster pace, and hear Aaron, once again "GO BUG!!!" This is great, and I can see the finish gates, sprinting toward them. Is that time right?? 1:37? Holy cow, that is awesome for my first one, I think! I was thinking somewhere around 2hrs would be my time, but this is with over 20 minutes ahead of that! YES! And more importantly, I had fun, feel great, and want to do it again!! AH, why is it September?!!

I finally locate Aaron, give him a big hug, and we walk over to find the food. I have earned myself a USAT car magnet, and a twinkie (this is a work joke) for my efforts!

About the event:
I think it was the first women's tri done in the Hartford area, but it was put on by the Hartford marathon people, so it was fully well done. I never got confused about where to go, the course was safe with police or volunteers at every intersection, laid out well, and the venue scenic. The race director/refs were very clear in their presentations Saturday. I have no quibbles and would recommend this as a first race for any woman wanting to do a tri.

My times: 1:37 overall; 17:11 swim, 39:53 bike, 40:19 5k - 191 of 253 overall, 42 of 54 in my age group. My swim and bike times were solid middle of the pack times (134, 127 overall), while the run, EHHH, not so much. So, I know what I need to do to improve.

more ramblings here:
http://www.crankynstinky.com/blog/in...po-Part-2.html
http://www.crankynstinky.com/blog/in...n!-Part-1.html

Now photos, all taken by my husband who did a great job capturing it all:




I am in the midst of uploading more to my Flickr account, feel free to take a look - he took over 100 pictures so I am trying to pick some of the better ones.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35435787@N00/


Thank you all for your encouragement, it was a great experience and I hope to do it again soon!

[Veronica]

Yay! You did it!

When's the next one?

V.

[light_sabe_r]

Great report and photos tygab! Well done on a fantastic time and a great race! Love the action shots!

[KnottedYet]

Hooray!

[Wahine]

Yipppppppeeeeeee!!! You did it and now you're hooked. You'll never look back. Good Job!!

[RoadRaven]

Thanks Tygab - really enjoyed reading that - I don't "tri" but your writing made me feel like I understand a tri...

Congrats on exceeding your expectations for your hoped-for time.... I'm well-impressed

[Tri Girl]

HOORAY TYGAB!!!! Fantastic report- loved reading it!
You did a great job, and had a wonderful race, despite a rocky start in the water. Good for you for digging deep and having a wonderful day out there!!!

Now I'm off to look at more pictures...

[teigyr]

That was great!!! I was too beat to write more than a few sentences let alone write something eloquently. That swimming is a huge adjustment, isn't it. I'm so impressed that you got through it then actually was able to pass people I'm glad you felt good at the finish, too. Your husband got some great pictures! The run is difficult even without preexisting problems so I fully understand not pushing 100%. Talking to people, too, makes the time go by faster

Are you sore at all today?

[HeatherErin]

Wow - fun report! And a great time! Congratulations!

[tygab]

Thanks everyone! I want to do another but the season is ending here in New England. So, I will have to look around and see what comes next. I may switch to a run event for my next milestone.

Yes, Teigyr, the swim I have realized is a very mental thing in terms of controlling your thoughts and emotions. I sort of knew this going in, but having it actually happen makes me really understand that. I know I can swim the distance at a decent pace. I know I can swim in deep water, at least for a while. But somehow, the combination of it all in the race environment, plus lots of people around you, is something else!! I think for me it is easy to swim to or along shore even if I cannot stand, but not so easy to swim to the middle somewhere where there is nothing but water around! No quick exit, if you will. I will have to do more of this in future training.

As for soreness, I'd say I am moderately sore, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. I will not exercise today, but probably could tomorrow or Wed at the latest.

Two questions, that struck me after doing this.
1. Are those in the later waves time adjusted? If I am in a later wave someday, I'd hope this is the case, otherwise it seems like a time penalty at the gate!

2. My race belt kept moving on me the whole run. Does this mean it was not tight enough?

I am sure there are others, but not at the moment.

BTW Teigyr, sorry to hear your race conditions were challenging. I think that makes a huge difference in one's confidence going in, and you're good to have toughed that out!

[HeatherErin]

2. My race belt kept moving on me the whole run. Does this mean it was not tight enough?

I had a problem with that in my first tri. I snugged it up a bit yesterday and it seemed not to move as much.

[Kimmyt]

I think for me it is easy to swim to or along shore even if I cannot stand, but not so easy to swim to the middle somewhere where there is nothing but water around! No quick exit, if you will. I will have to do more of this in future training.

Yes, this is my problem with the OW as well. I am a strong enough swimmer, and I even am confident in my ability to self rescue or at least know what to do if the panic starts to happen, but for some reason the possibility of no escape is still scary. I have found it does get easier with repeated Open Water swim practice, so keep at it and hopefully you'll get more comfortable with it!

Two questions, that struck me after doing this.
1. Are those in the later waves time adjusted? If I am in a later wave someday, I'd hope this is the case, otherwise it seems like a time penalty at the gate!

Yes, the times are adjusted, however you'll still have your 'clock time' and your 'chip time'. The clock time will not be adjusted for your wave start time, so if your wave started 20 minutes after the first, you'll have an inflated clock finish time (which can be frustrating if you're aiming to beat a certain time and are running in to a sadly high time), but really it's no biggee. The officials for events will know your chip time and the results are usually posted with both.

2. My race belt kept moving on me the whole run. Does this mean it was not tight enough?

Possibly. It also might be positioning. You obviously don't want the belt so tight it impedes breathing, and I've found for me it works better to have the belt up higher on my ribcage then around my waist. When I have mine on my waist proper, it shifts alot and is generally annoying. When I have it lower the numbers rub or crinkle annoyingly when my legs move. Maybe experiment with it a bit to see where it's most comfortable for you.

K.

[KSH]

Congratuations on completing your first race! Very exciting stuff!

Looks like you did a great job!