And on this day, we raced!

[colby]

I missed BikerHen at today's race - I just didn't see you, and then got sidetracked. There will be a next time!

On to the Valley Girl (sprint) report....

I noted on the calendar last year when I registered for this race (possibly much earlier) that it was only two weeks after Ironman; usually it falls 1 week later, a precious week in recovery terms. I knew that meant it wasn't going to be my best and that it would test my recovery. That's about spot on to how it felt. But all the parts inbetween? Fun.

Late last week the pre-race email arrived: due to the cold water, the swim would be shortened to 1/4 mile (it's not a USAT race). Water temp? Upper 60s. Coming from Ironman to this race is always such a huge transition, not just the distances but the perspective. Lots of women do their first race here, that's part of what I love about it. To see it shortened further made me a little sad, but I guess it just gets me on my bike faster.

Packet pick-up on Saturday was super quick and uneventful. So much less a production than Ironman, too. Packet, check. Chip, check. Tshirt, check. Put chip on ankle. Put number on bike and race belt. No complicated bags, stickers, or thinking required. I accidentally left my heart monitor at work and debated going to get it, it helps me stay in the zone. Instead, I got out my tri suit - the smell of sunblock permanently affixed to my suit flashed every race back into my head - and packed my bag for the morning.

Up at 6, 25% "go back to sleep" 75% "but we're racing today." Half a PBJ down. Suit on. Sunblock on. Helmet on. Lucy got her number on. We rode down to the transition area. Lonely. Usually my husband volunteers on his kayak, but he's in LA. I've started races by myself before, but he's been there for so many finishes. I racked Lucy, set out my stuff, and stood nearby because as a first-timers race, there's always confusion about racking bikes. I debated about wearing my wetsuit, so I went down and put my toes in the water - dear water, why were you not this warm 2 weeks ago? I decided to wear it anyway, it's sleeveless and relatively easy to get off. And then I sat in the water and waited for my wave.

I was honestly feeling a little down about this race up to the point I put my toes in the water at the start line, mostly because I didn't know I was ready to invest myself into the race mentality again so soon. When the countdown began, I knew I'd be fine. Awesome swim to the first buoy, felt like I was in front (I believe I was). Turn to the 2nd buoy that I messed up last year went well, but the current was pulling me in so I had to correct. Turn to the finish, still no purple caps, but the current was pulling me and the sighting was difficult so I had to correct a few times, cost me a few seconds. I could see the finish, probably 30 seconds away, when someone passed me. I was out of the water 3rd, 10 seconds off first. NEXT TIME: remember the drifting - it's always the same. Otherwise, pretty good!

Argued with wetsuit in transition a bit. Maybe some people got out before me, but I don't usually sweat that. Onto my bike, motoring past people. Played rabbit with a couple of people, then left them behind. Dropped my water bottle before I got to drink any of it. :P Ate part of a gel serving at mile 6ish and finish. I know this bike course well, that works to my advantage, but boy was it competitive this year. More tri bikes, more fast cyclists, and later I learned that the woman I've raced against repeatedly was also out there, just ahead of me. I definitely got passed at least once or twice, and I started to feel creaky in the hips and big leg muscles, as I expected. I knew the run was going to be rough. 7th fastest bike time, just 90 seconds off 1st. NEXT TIME: don't drop your water. Not much else I could have changed. Maybe my heart monitor, I might have zoned once or twice.

Back at transition, I fumbled with my FiveFingers a bit (first time putting them on at ludicrous speed), otherwise smooth. There were very few bikes in the racks, so I knew I was still fairly competitive. Right at the start, someone passed me as I took water (thanks to not having any on the bike). The first mile was the usual grueling triathlon first mile, complicated by the fact that my legs were cranky. The finish is also UPHILL from transition, so the entire run is uphill or flat. I started to feel okay at mile marker 1 during a flat section, turned up the heat. I didn't get passed by people all at once, just occasionally. Mile 2-3 is almost all uphill. Ugh. Right at the finish, maybe 1/4 mile out, it's gloriously flat, and you can finish all out. Great cheering at the finish line, as usual. It felt good to finish. I love you, triathlon. Finished 15th AG, 8 min off 1st and 3 min off 5th. NEXT TIME: drink on bike like planned. Better Ironman recovery after better Ironman training. Stretch out shoes by wearing them the day before. Probably the heart monitor thing again to keep me pushing.

Still missing my spouse, I understood why people enjoy tri clubs so much. I appreciate the cheering I got from the people who did know me, it helped. I checked my times on the cool timing display (iPads that let you check your times instantly), then checked the overall/AG results. My age group and the one directly following are very competitive. Maybe I should have raced Athena, I'd have been 1st or 2nd. It's not about the medal, and I'm too close to the fence to consistently be Athena anymore - I'd rather give others the opportunity. Free pizza, but no raffle anymore.

I'm a natural multi-tasker. My day job is a mishmash of brainstorming, answering questions, thinking about a million things at once, dealing with people, trying to be a leader. In triathlon, in racing, I find the one thing that forces me to put everything aside for just one hour or just one day, and think about one thing. The humour in the fact that it's actually 3 things with two transitions does not escape me - obviously multi-tasking and sports still overlap in my venn diagram of life.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for everyone's support. Someday I'll learn the skill of brevity... I raced a sprint. It was great. I had fun.

[Veronica]

Thought of you today as we drove through Couer d'Alene on our way to Lewiston from Glacier.

Veronica

[salsabike]

Great report, Colby! I love reading your reports and I not only enjoy them but always learn from them too. And nice work, girl!!

[colby]

Thought of you today as we drove through Couer d'Alene on our way to Lewiston from Glacier.

Veronica

Nice. I haven't been to Glacier... one of those trips I will have to take. Hard not to being so close by. It's funny how you live closer to something and appreciate it less than people who drive many more miles to see it.

Lewiston, a little less scenic.

[Tri Girl]

Great job Colby and BikerHen!!

[bikerHen]

Great job Colby and BikerHen!!

Well then I guess I should add my report. This was my first tri. Three friends and I decided to do this. One gal lives just a mile from the start, so we had a girls night sleep over at her house. Got up, drank coffee, ate english muffins w/pb and bananas. Strapped on our backpacks with transition gear and off we went. Got over to the transition area about 6:30 and found where to rack our bikes. Not too many women in the 55-59 area yet so we actually scored a nice place to call our own. I didn't have much to lay out. Just my biking sandals, running shoes, socks and hat. Bike helmet and such sat up on my handlebar bag. I thought I must be doing something wrong, or right, the two women down the row from me had "stuff" piled high all over their towels!

I had done a practice swim in the lake the day before and was fine with the water temp so didn't wear a wetsuit. Our wave, the 55 and up, was the second to the last to go. Plenty of time to get more nervous. I stayed at the back to start the swim which was a bit of a mistake. While I'm not fast, I can swim and got stuck behind those who don't swim so well. I made it through the swim in 13 something, thought I had a fast transtion, and was off on my bike. I totally smoked the course! Had the third fastest time for my age group. OK, so it WAS the old fart group, but I averaged 16.6 mph and finished with a time of 41 minutes. Got back to my towel, changed my shoes, grabbed my hat and was off, sort of. Running is NOT my strong point. In fact it sucks. The time I gained on my bike was totally lost on the run. I finished in 43 minutes. I did jog more than walk, but still, 43 minutes?!

My T1 time was 3:06 which surprised me, I thought I was faster than that. T2 was 4 minutes. While I wasn't that slow changing, I guess the time was eaten up getting to and from where I had to enter and exit. Never thought of that!

So my first tri is done. It was fun. Can't wait to do it again! The next one is in two weeks! Maybe. I've been laid low by some hip issues. I'm working with a PT and some deep tissue massage. So we'll see. I even bought a wetsuit for the next tri. The swim is going to be in the river where moving water = cold water. bikerHen

[Tri Girl]

Great job, bikerHen!!! You did GREAT for your first tri!!! It's amazing how fast transition times add up. My DH always has transition times of less than a minute (how, I don't know). I am NOT a fast transitioner.
I think just making across the finish line is a major accomplishment! WOO HOO!!! Great race report- and way to rip that bike course to shreds! So proud of you!

[salsabike]

Had the third fastest time for my age group. OK, so it WAS the old fart group, but I averaged 16.6 mph and finished with a time of 41 minutes. bikerHen

You kicked BUTT! And aren't triathlons fun as hell?? Ha, another one hooked.

[colby]

I raced again last weekend - a week ago yesterday - just didn't get a chance to write up a report.

This one is in a river, I've done it for the last few years. It's also coed, which makes it really interesting.

The day before, I picked up my packet and saw a movie. The race t-shirts in any size other than S and XL were gone, which suits me just fine. There's a couple of booths set up in an expo, a couple of free samples, and a just the facts ma'am race packet (your #s, your chip, the end).

I got down to transition fairly early, racked my bike up toward the end of a rack (actually fairly smart - I ended up closer to the front and it was easy to find) in the womens section. The race is over 60% women, but you wouldn't know it from the local pictures I saw, which were all of the male winners. This year it was the USAT PNW region sprint distance regional championship, which is really just a developing area they are looking at building national championships for. I knew that meant people in my AG and the surrounding ones would not want to race elite, and would instead race in their AGs, so I expected decent competition. I definitely felt better than I did 2 weeks ago, but the weather forecast was into the 90s. Heat is not my thing.

You walk 1/2 mile downstream to the start, then get in the water and start in the water. My AG was forecast to start at 7:43, but suddenly they were announcing my cap color and I had to jump in the water. I thought we'd have more time, but then the horn went off! OH CRAP! I had to swim an extra 20 seconds around people. The water was amazing. It was calm, clear, no watercraft, great buoy sighting. Caught up to a rainbow of colors toward the end, but we were the second wave of women after many waves of men. I was 7th out of the water for my AG in 13:28 (not my best) and on to transition....

Which is a long run. Somehow, my transition was FASTER than 2 weeks before with all that distance to run. I guess that's Iron Brains getting worked out of the system. I was off on the bike in no time... actually a decently competitive transition time. I knew there were people ahead of me, and I wasn't sure I could catch them.

The bike, is not my fave. 3 loops and the road is not well paved for one section - where you're going almost false flat uphill, a little more than that. A grind. First loop, I'm passing mostly men and it's crowded; second loop, I'm passing men and women and it's really crowded; third loop I'm passing slower men and a lot of women and it's still crowded. I didn't drop my water this time, took in 2 shots of gel as usual (not quite full servings, I use a flask), and was caught by a few people (looks like 4). Another fast race - I averaged 19.56MPH.

Into T2 and putting on the toes - which also went on easier than last time. I made sure to wear them ahead of time, but they still don't go on as easily as others. I'm not sure how much I care, they take just as much time to put on as shoe-shoes. I sipped some water, knowing where the first/only aid station was. Wise choice! It was getting warm, and I hate running warm.

On the run, I pressed on. I pushed - I had my heart monitor on and kept it at/above my 5k maximum. Flat to uphill for mile 1, there's a pretty decent uphill section in the middle for about 1/2 mile, then turn around downhill, then flat to downhill for mile 3. I got passed - but not by people in my age group. I apparently was in The Gap - people who biked my speed ran faster than I did, and people who biked slower also ran slower. I was only caught by ONE person even though I averaged a 9:36 mile. It felt like I was going faster... ugh. Too warm for me.

I finished 12th AG, 2 or 3 minutes slower than last year, but it wasn't as warm. That 2 minutes makes a difference, last year I was 6th - but this year was also way more competitive.

A good photo near the finish: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net..._6188119_n.jpg

I took this past weekend off. I could have raced an Olympic distance local event, but I decided I'd rather take the brain vacation (a difficult decision for me). I am out of town this weekend with my husband, my next race is Aug 14 - the Danskin Tri in Seattle.

[colby]

So my first tri is done. It was fun. Can't wait to do it again! The next one is in two weeks! Maybe. I've been laid low by some hip issues. I'm working with a PT and some deep tissue massage. So we'll see. I even bought a wetsuit for the next tri. The swim is going to be in the river where moving water = cold water. bikerHen

I suck. I didn't read this before the race - I got completely sidetracked with work and haven't been able to visit except to check in on Veronica's big race. I even saw someone that fit your description at that race and thought "I wonder if that's Hen...."

How did you like the river?

[bikerHen]

Well for two people that live in the same town, sort of, and go to the same events, you would think we could run into each other!

Yes I race the river and had a great time. I liked swimming in the river, it was fun. Wasn't real keen on the hike back to the transition area though. Once again I smoked the bike course, averaged 17.11 and I have to say the road didn't bother me much. What I didn't like was the meandering, never ending trail around the lake at the finish of the run course.

My overall time was a little slower, but that's because my daughter did this race and I stayed with her a bit on the swim. But it was a fun race. A friend and I along with my daughter went over on Saturday, set up at a RV park near Riverstone, and enjoyed a leisurely day in CdA. Then raced on Sunday. I've already signup for next year.

Colby, I'm doing Wunderwomen are you?