WE Did It: Chelanman Race Report!

Well, I wanted to check in and give a race report before I forget all the details.  I am still trying to get back into the swing of things after being away and have not yet downloaded race pictures.  The above photograph was taken courtesy of a race sponsor and it is a photo of that photo, so I apologize for the quality.  My daughter completed her first tri as well and this photo makes me so proud.  Every ache, pain, frustration, and ounce of self doubt is worth it when I can share moments like these with my children!

The summary stats:

Overall Time:  1:31:02 (48/192 Overall, 3/24 Age Group)

Swim 1/4 mile: 08:43.04 (41/192 Overall, 2/24 Age Group)

Bike 13.1 miles: 43:49.4 (34/192 Overall, 1/24 Age Group)

Run 3.1 miles: 34:30.1 (105/192 Overall, 11/24 Age Group)

So, here we are where I can finally say "I seriously NEED to work on my run!"  The run was just flat out bad, although as you will read, I had some technical issues on the run too!  Let me start out with how much FUN I had this past weekend.  Sharing successes and challenges with so many fabulous athletes (and fantastic Ladies!) was just priceless.  I had so much fun, I reserved a hotel room for next year's race weekend!  We started off the weekend Friday evening with a wonderful dinner at a fabulous Italian place with fantastic views!  I can't wait to share pictures later this week!

Saturday, I watched the Olympic and Half Iron races, which were so inspiring.  So many of my teammates did the Olympic race and really inspired me to train for that race next year!  Saturday afternoon the family arrived and we headed to dinner and then hung out at the pool of the hotel.  That is where a little bump in the road occurred that would shake me to my core for the remainder of the weekend, and impact my run due to technical difficulties.  During a group picture (well, just after as everyone got up in front of me) I lost sight of my 2 1/2 year old on the steps of the pool.  In an instant she had fallen off the steps and over her head.  I ended up leaping in after her with the baby in the carrier (he stayed fairly dry) clothes (and running shoes) and all!  I have never had such a frightening experience and it has taught me that my children will wear life vests around water until they know how to swim flawlessly.  Never again will I think I can watch them adequately around water.  I ended up blow drying my shoes that evening.  Note to self:  next time your shoes get soaking wet, double check your Yankz laces - they may slip from their little clips!

But, on to happier things.  Sunday was race day.  The morning was gorgeous and I took a walk around the hotel grounds at around 5:30 am to just get myself moving, enjoy a cup of coffee, and listen to some music (and try to avoid waking my roommates!).  The lake was like glass and very peaceful.  There were a few of us already roaming around in nervous anticipation.

The SWIM:  I was overall very pleased with my swim time!  I had hoped to get it done in under 10:00 so I exceeded that goal!  I found that if I waited on the start just a second or so I could sneak between two swimmers and I was off for the races!  Except for battling the passenger ferry wake on the lake, it was a delightful swim.  I did, however, literally stop to chat with two ladies who were struggling from the wave before mine - and I have no regrets about that and were happy to find they had finished the swim!

The BIKE:  This time, my bike ride was AWESOME!  I was first in my age group on the bike and it was smooth sailing the WHOLE way.  Of course it was an easy rolling hill course without a lot of technical areas so that made it much easier than my last bike course.  My only issue was with some of the people riding side by side (really, what is with that?) to chat and making it difficult to pass since it was an open course with traffic!

The RUN:  Here is where my issues came into play.  First, within the first 1/2 mile of the run there is a steep hill out of the park.  I pushed my bike hard so that initial hill was ridiculous for me!  I actually had to stop and walk!  Very frustrating.  Then, as I got on the road portion of the course, I noticed my shoes were loose.  They kept getting looser and looser until finally I stopped.  My Yankz laces had basically slipped out of the clips and kept loosening.  I spent a good 90 seconds or more trying to fix my shoes at the guardrail while getting passed over and over again by runners.  NOT a happy moment (and I apologize to those who passed me for my language as I was grumbling at my shoes!).  I got off and running again only to still have one shoe come unclipped AGAIN!  So, stopped again by my dang shoes.  Then, as I stood up, my race belt "button" holding my number pops off into the grass under the guardrail.  For some unknown reason I stood there and searched for it and put it back on - still not sure why really - but I did.  My run time was horrible.  Considering all the time I spent stopped (and, unfortunately, walking sporadically during the first 1.5 miles) I am actually surprised it was not a worse time. 

So, the next two weeks I work on my run and brick workouts.  Along with the run I am FINALLY growing up and transitioning to clipless pedals.  Wish me luck, I will NEED it. 

With races back to back every two weeks right now, it really has become difficult to keep up with more than just race reports!  Once my next race is over I should have some breathing room to come back with more substantive posts as well!

Well, I DID IT!

And, honestly, I have to keep reminding myself I did it and that was the point of this whole exercise.  I have to remind myself that I completed the bike/run and I only registered for this to get out there, finish, and experience race conditions before adding the swim.  I MUST KEEP REMINDING MYSELF!

As you may remember, I was pretty nervous.  You can see this from a transition photo someone snapped of me (I think I was searching desperately for my husband and kids because I was TERRIFIED!)

So, here is the report:

Bike:  50:36.1  (grrrrrr)
Run:  32:14.2 (ok, I will take that, need to get 2:14 off soon!)

Swim:  Yeah, this was easy - my friend completed it in 9:48!  A very good time!  I know she was hoping for under 9:00 but, really, GREAT JOB!  My only complaint was on my behalf of fumbling with the timing chip after she came in and NOT having my bike off the rack because, well, all the other teams left theirs up there and I was not sure of the protocol/rules (I am a stickler for the rules, which I learn in this sport COULD actually hold me back or maybe it was just this event where penalties were apparently NO WHERE to be found.)

Bike:  This is supposed to be my no brainer.  Well, maybe I should have realized that it wasn't exactly a no brainer when, several days before the race, I began to freak out about the bike.  I was very conservative on the bike, taking turns too slowly, being apprehensive on the pass (it was an open course, meaning cars and trucks on the course). 

That left turn I was so worried about?  Piece of cake, really.  At least the first loop was a piece of cake.  I wish I had taken it harder and saved precious seconds.  It was a fairly easy ride, some moderate rolling hills, some definite potholes.  The potholes were significant enough that the race organizers marked them!  I started off a bit slow (and on the wrong side of the bike out, but thankfully no one was headed in at that time) and was really slowed by my cages on my bike - I truly need to get to clipless pedals by my August race, I just don't want to do my first fall (everyone falls at least once) on race day so I keep putting it off. 

A few minutes into my ride, I really started to feel comfortable and was on a straightaway so I began to hit the speed.  I was passing people quickly, and with little effort.  Then, as it got more hilly, I realized how conservative I was.  I would pass people effortlessly on the way up, only to have them pass me on the way down!  WHAT????  Obviously, I was too conservative when I should have been letting it fly - I did get better at this, but it took some time. 

After about 2/3 of the first loop (it was two 7 mile loops) I settled in to a pace (in hindsight too slow of a pace) and seemed to have found my spot in the group.  Then, we headed back onto a main road which, from my previous drive of the course, meant I should be able to power this pretty good, so off I went.  I began passing people, aware that there would be a hill in my future.  From my recollection, just a normal hill, no big deal.  As I approached the hill, I gained speed and kept powering through.  In the initial incline, powering through and then "WHAM" it hit me - I should have downshifted several hundred yards ago because this was WAY steeper than I had thought it would be and my quads were screaming.  Unfortunately, that basically threw the whole hill for me - it was impossible to regain the momentum as I downshifted over and over with the hopes I would make it to the crest without *GASP* getting off my bike and walking!  This hill wasn't straight up, but it was steeper than I thought and it WENT. ON. FOREVER.

So after powering through the hill (and I didn't have to stop!) I descended to the beginning of the course to start my second loop.  I thought to myself "ok, you navigated it fine, now put on more speed."  Off I went, make the quick right to the "left turn" and in front of me is a tow truck going SLOOOOOOW.  Held up by a bunch of riders ahead, the tow truck proceeded slowly with his right turn signal on the whole time.  I wanted to pass him on the right, but was too concerned he would turn without me seeing him.  I was going insane!  Every time he passed a side street I would groan louder and louder each time he didn't turn.  After a minute or so I was yelling "turn, turn, turn!"  This made all the race volunteers on the corners howl with laughter!  Finally he turned and I shouted "Hooray!" followed my more howling laughter!  I passed the group of cyclists that had been ahead of the truck and off I went. 

The remainder of the ride to the "big hill" was fairly uneventful.  Then, at the slight descent leading to the hill I put on a ton of speed hoping to catch the momentum.  As I began the hill I was flying, so happy I wasn't going to almost stall again.  I began downshifting slowly to accommodate the incline and then "WHAM!"  Downshifted to fast and my legs were spinning without resistance.  DAMN!  There went all my momentum AGAIN!  I struggled again to reach the crest.

As I turned in to finish the bike, I was not exactly pleased:

Finally, I turned into the bike dismount area only to have my husband screaming "KEEP GOING!"  He was annoyed I slowed down to early - but I was concerned about my cages catching (again, I REALLY need to get those clipless pedals on!).

Run:  So, off on the run I went.  It was significantly less eventful than the ride.  I even took a brief moment to wave to my husband and kids:

I did walk a bit through the brick part as my quads were really having a hard time adjusting and it was impacting that glute pain I warned my body about!  But, it did work itself through way before the midpoint and I continued from there with few issues other than it actually was WAY warmer than I expected!  As I re-entered the park I found a great burst of energy and finished strong. 

So, I finished.  I was NOT happy with my bike time and I start working on that Wednesday at my team training.  My run I was ok with, and hope to get faster the next time around.  In less than two weeks I will be doing another Tri - I have to admit, I can't wait.  But, I am getting cold feet on the 1/2 mile swim, so I "downgraded" to a Try a Tri at this event to limit my swim to 1/4 mile.  Of course, as soon as I did that I had a great swim on Wednesday night.  So much of this is a mental game, and once the pressure was off I enjoyed my open water swim tremendously!  But, the upcoming race is on a wholly unfamiliar out of town course for me that will be in hot temperatures but COLD water, so I am thinking it will be best to ease into it.  I will probably regret not doing the full half mile swim, but I will get that opportunity on my home course in early August for a swim race prior to the Sprint there in late August. 

In all honesty, this has all been kind of anticlimactic.  For some reason I have been kind of in a funk about it.  Maybe it is the slow time.  Maybe it was that I recovered fairly quickly and don't feel I gave it may all.  Maybe it just IS.  But, it is time to move on to the next race and training the bike and swim!