"Barb's Race" HIM Report

[redrhodie]

Bummer that old injury popped up again right then. That must be really frustrating. Do you think there's some kind of tape or compression garment that will help keep that at bay on race days?

You look amazing, btw.

[Crankin]

I like the way you have a good attitude, despite the fact not everything was perfect. Enjoying the training is a good way to put the race in perspective.
Of course, I can't imagine having the perseverance to do this. Every time I think I'm tough, I am reminded what a wimp I am!

[Veronica]

Bummer that old injury popped up again right then. That must be really frustrating. Do you think there's some kind of tape or compression garment that will help keep that at bay on race days?

You look amazing, btw.

Thanks!

Yes, it is very frustrating. Generally rolling it, yoga and muscle balm at night, keep it at bay. After our vacation I hadn't been as on top of it as I had been. Also, I suspect in my eagerness for a PR I was probably using too big a gear on the rollers in the first 18 miles.

Veronica

[maillotpois]

Good job on completing the event - it sounds like things really went according to plan till you started having the pain. That's crummy - and just a reminder that there can be so much out of our control, no matter how well we plan.

And it sounds like you had fun - which is the key.

[Veronica]

Being totally obsessive - I'm now looking at data for four years of doing this race.

My transitions were really slow this year. In T1 I was stuck behind some people walking in and then I helped the woman who was racked next to me get her bike jersey on.

T2 had a totally different set up this year because of some new construction at the school. We had to walk (run) 3 to 4 times as far as we had to in the past. I actually ran a bit of it, but it was on a concrete sidewalk and in bike shoes it felt very jarring. I wasn't worried about slipping, more about how it felt on my joints. Probably 3 people asked where the run out was and I gave them directions.

My run and my bike were actually my second best times and the swim was only 3 seconds off my second best. Overall, I was only 3 minutes off my PR.

I have to say I was kind of surprised at how unprepared some people were about the logistics of the race. The organizers had sent out bucket loads of e mails about the race with info. Their website had everything laid out clearly. We needed to attend the pre race meeting before going to packet pick up. I watched three people get turned away from packet pick up because they hadn't gone to the meeting. The meeting for me, was a waste of time since no new info was presented. In multiple places it said no dogs. One woman wanted to take her dog into the pre race meeting. Then on race day, tons of dogs around. WTF - do the rules not apply to you? You had to have a USAT license - either a yearly or a one day - before you went into packet pickup. Two people got turned away for that. We had to know our race numbers before packet pickup... they were posted on the website and on a wall outside registration. People didn't know their numbers...

T2 had a totally different set up this year. After registration, I explored the bike in and the run out, making sure I knew where the bathrooms were and the first aid station. I do that at every race. Don't you want to know where you're going and where you can get water?

USAT rules are no listening devices on the bike or the run. A USAT official told a runner to take out her earphones. The runner replied, "Go ahead and dock me all the time you want. I'm keeping them in." Really... I wish they had DQ'ed her. Such flagrant disregard for the rules really irritates me. I would love to run the race with my Thumps on, music definitely helps me run. But it's against the freakin' rules!

Maybe I'm oddly obsessive, but I read everything on the race organizer's website and all the emails they send. For big events, I'm reading their Twitter feed. I want to be as prepared for the event as possible. I've got other stuff to stress about on race day...

Veronica

[sgf726]

Veronica,
Great job with the race, love the write up too. I wish I could swim that fast. Even with swimming 3-4 miles a week I am still slow.

My first HIM is in 3 weeks.

Have fun with the sprint in Sept

Sharon

[colby]

Great analysis - only 5 minutes off your PR with a nagging injury is really awesome. Not to mention how you felt on the swim - that's a huge victory and a reflection of your endurance.

Loved reading the report, and the pictures. I totally know what you are talking about between the "why do I do this" and the exercise in determination. Sometimes that's just what it is, and those longer races really test your mental determination along with the rest of you if something starts to go south. You dealt with it, you adapted, you adjusted your goals, you persevered, and you learned a lot.

I look forward to next year's report.

A fun sprint - that's my style. Just go all out and if something goes wrong, it's over in 2 hours or less anyway.

[spindizzy]

You do love what you're doing. Obsessing over the results and times and analyzing your race. Pacing is so important. (something I need to learn)
You did a great job to harness perserverance to finish that race. Congrats.

Officials are so strict in our races. The girl with the earphones would have been DQ'd not only for the earphone violation but talking back to the ref. People get DQ'd for going over the centre line on the road, not putting on their helmet on before unracking the bike, blocking..the list is endless. I don't understand why people don't read the rules..or don't think that the rules apply to them...