Done. It was stressful, muddy and hilly; really hilly. I went 44 mph on a downhill (my fastest speed ever recorded). I swam well (for me), and dug deep for the ride and most especially the run. The finish time which included a half mile trail run (actually a muddy, root covered eco-challenge) was 4:08.
I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to a thunderstorm and downpour. I lay in bed contemplating what it might be like to just bag it, call my sister, go back to sleep. Instead, I got up hit the bathroom and turned on my computer to check the radar. Luckily this was the last of the storms, but the rains would be there for the day. I resigned myself to being cold and wet.
My sister arrived promptly at 5:30 a.m. We hit the bathroom one more time, loaded bikes, got some big trash bags and headed out. Race day breakfast is ALWAYS a plain cinnamon-raisin bagel and a large coffee (I can not live without coffee). We arrived at the venue and were surprised to find that instead of parking on the asphalt lot we were setting up in a large and rain soaked field a half mile away? It was a good thing my sister drove the SUV; I think my minivan would have bottomed out with some of the muddy rutts we had to navigate. We sat in the truck waiting as another downpour hit. My hands ached. This is a typical reaction to stress/anxiety... We walked up to registration and got our packets (not good swag - banana goo, useless coupons and a cotton t-shirt yuck). We got body marked and headed back to the truck to unload our bikes. We still had about 45 minutes until the start so we sat in the truck planning to wait til the last possible second to set up our transition.
I am SO glad I brought my old sneakers for the transition. I contemplated just using my Crocs, but the trail from the water was a mess of slippery mud (lots of butt slides), stumps to trip on and moss covered rocks and leaves and I am clumsy by nature. I was happy to have my wetsuit on. It definately warmed me up (outside temp was 58-60). The water at 66 degrees felt warm. I swam slow - I didn't want to push anything today; just finish. It took about 1/3 mile before I could settle into a rythym and I felt strong. My swim time for the mile 33:38. The transition was slow because I did not want to fall going back up the trail. I learned that it also helps speed transition if you take your wet suit off before you put your socks and bike shoes on... (yes, stupid). Leaving transition there was a HUGE muddy puddle. They had lay some carpet and burlap over it, but it really didn't help that much. My feet were soaked through and my bike tires were caked. I stomped off my feet, clipped in and headed out.
The bike course was hilly (2 - 2 mile uphills and one 3 mile downhill were the highlights of this 13.5 mile, 2 loop course). They kept the roads detoured so I was able to stay on my aerobars most of the time. I think this ended up causing me some issues because my lower back began to pinch/ache the last 5 miles of the 2nd loop and into the run. I averaged 14.5 miles per hour on this pretty tough course and I went so fast I almost fell into a panic 44mph - I really scared myself. My time on the bike 1:48:17.
The smartest thing I did this day was change my wet socks. My feet had been soaking and cold for nearly 3 hours. I have a circulation issue with my left foot (a casualty of frostbite as a kid) and it was definately numb as tucked it into a nice dry sock and dry sneaker. I thought it would be harder to start the run, but I was surprisingly comfortable and it felt great to be upright. The run course was the toughest 10K I've ever done. The first half mile was a gradual up hill, the second mile was a steep downhill which made me cringe as I passed a string of pained faces making their way to the top and the finish a mile away. I passed one guy looking ragged and told him "you're on your last hill!" to which he replied "I wish I could say the same for you". It was a LONG run. I made sure to hit all the water stations, and I could only walk uphill. I wish I could have been a little faster. Oh well. My time for the run was 1:31:32.
I finished my first Olympic Distance Triathlon on one of the toughest courses in New England. I consider it a pretty big accomplishment. I challenged myself and was DEFINATELY out of my comfort zone. Obviously I have room for improvement and with Danskin just 5 weeks away, I'll be pushing myself to better my 5k time and think more about my transitions (no matter what the weather). I have to continue to eat healthy, but to focus more on portion control and get back to weighing myself daily and journaling my food.
Today I will try to get my house back together, work at the library for a few hours and tend to my kids (one is home sick). My grandmother died Saturday night and the funeral is tomorrow. I am glad that she is no longer in pain and that my aunts can go fight about something else now. Family drama is a stupid waste - I hope they can hold it together for one more day so gram can be remembered in a peaceful way! Life should be back to "normal" by Wednesday.
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