I completed my eighth Triathlon on September 11th. Ever since then, I haven't even wanted to WRITE the word "Triathlon". Last year, I completed 2 sprint (shorter distances) Triathlons and an Olympic distance (nearly twice as long). This year, I think I got a l
Pre Race:
I am so burned out with racing that I didn't even prepare. I trained a little bit, but I had no idea of anything race related until the day before. I usually don't drink too close to race day... well, not drink that MUCH too close to race day, but not this time. I awakened on Saturday morning and had to deal with being a little hung over from drinking too much and Karaoke with friends on Friday night. I pulled it together, rode my bike to the host hotel, racked bike, etc., and was ready for whatever race day would bring.
The Swim: Canceled
The swim was cancelled due to a week of heavy rains that brought a lot of debris and other nastiness to the Potomac River. There were actually logs floating in the water along with a camel back and heaven knows what else. I hear that there was a sewage leak into the river too. Yuck!
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| The pre race music was GREAT! Looks like I was the only one not taking the race seriously, huh? |
T1: My fastest YET! I didn't have to deal with being wet and weary from the swim, so I was quite the speedy one! Time: 3:13
Bike: 25 miles
I thought that I was going to NAIL the bike. Well, I had to make sure that my bike was working properly, because even though I thought I was going super fast at times, these folks were BLOWING past me. In my defense, it was very crowded on the course, so at times, I could not be as speedy as I wanted to be and be safe at the same time. My time for a 25 mile bike ride is very consistent. I always finish a little slower than I want to. From here on out, I want to ride with folks that kick my butt on the bike and make me feel like I am chasing them the entire time. I also plan to strengthen my legs during this off season too. I think going on speed rides, weight lifting and losing some weight will all help me to be faster next year. Time: 1:26 ( I wanted to finish in 1:15. Maybe I will do even better than that next year?)
T2: I actually did better than ever on my T2! Go me! Time: 4:20
Run: 6.2 miles
I can honestly say that I did run to prepare for this race. I did not run enough and definitely didn't ever run fast, but I can say that I did more than I usually do before a race. But, I didn't do many brick (cycle then run) workouts at all. WHY don't I run more? WHY don't I do more brick workouts?? Yeah, that is what I am always asking myself on race day. I had the usual plan to walk/shuffle/skip/run and I actually ran a little more than I did the other stuff, but I was consistently slow as usual. I was very happy to see the large crowd of Tri Unify folks at Mile 1 and then I had a NICE surprise cheerleader between Mile 1 and Mile 2, which made me have an extra pep in my step/run. I sang more than ever on this run. I am sure that I came across as a little obnoxious with all of my songs that I made up and sang out loud, but it helped me. It was very nice to see Lisa's husband about 500 meters before the finish line. I ran across that finish line like I was going to take my place on the podium to receive a trophy. Time: 1:23 (I want to finish in 1 hour or less next year)
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| I always like to take the time to pose for the supporters! |
I was happy to be done with a very long Triathlon season. Like Lisa's daughter says: "You got a medal, so you WON!". In my mind, I win every time I cross a finish line.
Total time: 2:57 (I want to finish an entire Olympic race in 3 hours or less next year)
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| My smiles are always the biggest after a race! |
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