O.k., here's the story of my race. Warning: it's long. Only embark upon this journey if you're really interested in all the details...
I got up at 4:00 a.m. so that I could shower and pack everything up to meet my friends Honeylyn and Loy at 5:30. From there, we had about an hour-and-a-half drive to the race at Deer Creek State Park. Along the way, we passed many other cars with bikes attached, and at that obscene hour it was fairly safe to assume that they were also headed to the race. Already the sense of camaraderie began…
As we were sampling several free muffins from my first trip to Mimi’s Café for dinner the night before, we suddenly noticed a car with a bike heading the opposite direction. "Hey, he's going the wrong way," I thought. Momentarily confused, we then noticed mile marker 87, though we were supposed to have gotten off at Exit 84. Oops! I guess WE were the ones going the wrong way... So we found a turn-around and were soon back on track. Glitch number one of the day, but not a major problem.
We arrived at the park about 7:00, just as we’d planned. However, we soon discovered that the line to pick up race packets was very long and moving at a snail’s pace! We utilized the time in line, however, to take turns using the restrooms and to check the temperature of the lake water. I decided not to wear my wetsuit since I was already sweating just standing out there and since the water felt comfortably cool at 72 degrees. By 7:30, the line was longer than when we’d arrived and we realized that there was no way the race was going to start on time. Comforting on the one hand, because we’d have more time to get everything ready, but that also meant we’d be finishing later when it was even hotter… Glitch number two, but what could we do?
After we got our packets and timing chips, we went back to the car to collect our things. But, as I was pumping up my tires, I encountered my third glitch of the morning: a busted tube. (Funny, all week long I’d been saying that I hoped I didn’t get my first flat ever during the race; I figured I was about due, though, since I had put almost 1000 miles on the tires since I got the bike in August.) Fortunately, I had a spare tube, so Loy helped me change it. But… the tire itself was really stretched out apparently, because it kept coming off the rim as we pumped it up. So I had to go to the guys at the Wheelie Fun tent to get a new tire. Still, lucky all this happened before the race!
So then I ran over to the transition area to set up. There was no more room on my assigned rack, so I shifted a couple bikes a little to make room on the next rack over and hurriedly laid out all my gear. Meanwhile, everyone else had already gathered down at the lake for the start of the race. "This is the worst feeling ever!" I thought, to be so rushed. After one last pit stop I ran down to the lake to join my competitors. Fortunately, the sprint distance racers were starting first, in waves, so I really did have plenty of time. While I put on my cap and goggles, I met a few women from Columbus who were doing their first triathlon that day. But, since they weren’t in my age group, we could all be friends. :-)
Finally, it was time for the Olympic-distance women to begin. We lined up at the water’s edge and waited for the horn to blow. (That was a little different: last September we started out in the water, but this time we were still on shore to begin. The water last fall was also very low, so there was a nice beach, and really you could probably have stood up at any point if you needed to. This time, however, after all the rain we’d had in the preceding weeks, there was no beach, and as we ran through the mud into the lake, we could still feel the grass beneath our feet well out into the water. Weird…) As I began swimming, I felt so refreshed in the cool water, even though I was still getting kicked and grabbed. When I looked up a little later, I remember thinking that that first yellow buoy was still really far away! “And I have to do TWO laps?!? What was I thinking?” I thought to myself. People seemed to be passing me a lot more than last year, too, and I thought for a moment that perhaps I should have worn my wetsuit after all… But as I rounded the first corner, I had more room and got into a better rhythm of breathing, and just started to enjoy the swim. As I completed the first lap, I was shouting “Halfway!” to myself in my head. I finished the second lap with no problems and actually ran up the hill to the transition area (unlike last year), feeling pretty good about my start, though I had no idea how long the swim actually took.
My transition was much quicker, too, I could tell, in part because I didn’t have a wetsuit to shed, but also because this all felt somewhat familiar and therefore more comfortable than last time. So after I put on my socks, shoes, gloves, watch, and helmet, and grabbed my bottle of Hammer Gel, I slid my bike off the rack and ran out of transition. I mounted, clipped in, and was off! After pedaling hard for two miles, I was surprised to look down and see I’d only gone two miles! And I kept looking for that first turn to get out of the headwind… But I was passing a few people, so I felt pretty good about my speed, and the wind felt terrific! I actually wasn’t even hot at all. After the first turn finally came, I wondered why I’d looked forward to that since the second road was much rougher. Oh, yeah, I remembered that. Too bad I wasn’t riding a Roubaix like Loy! O.k., time for some gel. Mmm, raspberry… Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Excellent. A couple more turns on the flat country roads, and then I came to the first of two small hills (which felt a lot bigger than they really were after racing along for ten miles!). I cruised downhill at 35 mph, and pushed up the other side, standing briefly. Then it flattened out and I quickly caught my breath before coming to the last little hill, just before completing the first lap. I looked up along the levee to see if I could happen to see Honeylyn and Loy on their run, but no such luck. “Halfway!” I again shouted in my mind as I came to the park entrance. The volunteer standing there said, “Sprint to the right, Olympic straight ahead.” I asked her to confirm, since last year we had to ride into the park, past transition, and back out again before beginning the second lap, but she said, “Yes, straight ahead,” so I kept right on riding! I checked my computer at that point and saw that I’d averaged 18.9 mph on the first lap. Awesome! And time-wise I was right on track to meet my three-hour goal as well. Second lap, same as the first. A few more swigs of gel and some water to wash it down just before finishing up the bike leg. Good stuff.
Back in transition, I racked my bike, tore off my helmet and gloves, changed shoes, threw on my hat, sunglasses, race number belt and nutrition belt, and was off! Suddenly, I felt the heat. I was tired. Immediately. I wanted to walk. Already. But I jogged along, hoping that I would pick up my pace as I continued, like I had in my training runs. Mile 1. Wow, it’s hot! Oh, man, and why’d we pick this course? I hate this stupid, grassy levee! O.k., onto the dam, much better. Water? Yes, please! I have my own, but only two 8-oz. bottles. I have a feeling I'm going to need more than that today… Mile 2. Keep going. What, NO shade? Not even a single, solitary tree? Wow… so… hot… Left turn down toward the boat ramp. Um, yeah, I’m definitely not maintaining the 10 min/mi. pace I need to finish in time. But I’m doing everything I can... Seriously, could it BE any hotter today?!? There’s the turnaround! “Halfway!” I need to walk. O.k., that’s enough. Go! (Then I started singing to myself.) “Just keep runnin’, just keep runnin’, just keep runnin’, runnin’, runnin’…” (Like the Finding Nemo “Just keep swimmin’” song.) Mile 4. Two… more… miles… So hot… Hmm, how should I narrate this race for my blog? Narrative? Thought processes? Will I write about thinking about what to write about? Will I write that? And that? O.k., enough. “Just keep runnin’, just keep runnin’, just keep…” Mile 5. Wow, I’m slow today. And I was so sure I’d shave the most time off my run… So hot… But look: there are still people just starting their run, so maybe I’m not doing SO bad… Or maybe everyone’s just really slow ‘cause it’s stupid hot out here... WHY are we doing this again? Oh, that’s right, it’s not supposed to be easy or everyone would do it. The dam, yea! The grassy levee... stupid levee… But that means I’m almost done! “Just keep runnin’, just keep runnin’…” Back into the park. Mile 6! Past the photographer guy. Past an ambulance and several people holding up a towel or something to create some shade for some poor, dehydrated, overheated runner. "God, be with that person. God... That's all I've got, just be with them..." I can hear the announcer at the finish line! I can SEE the finish line! Right then, that’s when I was finally able to pick up my pace to more than a slow jog. I sort of sprinted to the finish line, and there were Honeylyn and Loy cheering me on! Awesome, I made it!
A guy took off my timing chip. A lady told me I was second in my division. Seriously? I almost laughed. Oh, but then again, there might only be 2 ladies in my age group… Still, they put a medal around my neck. Honeylyn and Loy congratulated me. Someone else gave me water. Then I stood there and filled up my cup two more times. So thirsty… So hot… Honeylyn and Loy took my hat, sunglasses, belts, medal, etc. and I went back down to the lake for another quick dip to cool off. Back up the hill. Collect all my gear. Do I have to eat? ‘Cause I’m not really hungry, just thirsty. Nope, let’s just get going. Ah, air conditioning…
On the way home, we all talked about the race. Honeylyn and Loy did NOT care for the swim. They waited for each other at the transitions, though, and ran together. How sweet! Then we talked about the next one. Are we really gluttons for punishment? Perhaps. But it was so much fun! Except that stupid-hot run… (It’s kind of like when I used to go backpacking a lot: we’d get rained on, our feet would hurt from hiking, our backs would be sore from sleeping on the ground, we’d be dirty, and tired and, let’s be honest, a little grumpy. But as soon as we got back to the car, or maybe back home and showered up, all I could think was, “When can we go back?!?” It’s the same thing.) We also talked about trying a relay in the September Toyota Challenge tri. I’d swim, Loy would bike, and Honeylyn would run. Maybe we’d do the half-ironman distance, too, then, since we’d each only be doing one leg. Awesome…
I also called my apartment community office on the way home, to remind them not to give away the last room at the inn. It was mine! Since my air conditioner still wasn’t working, I told them they’d better give me a room there because the 90-degree apartment just wasn’t cutting it for me. After all, I had to get a few hours of sleep in before my two soccer games that night! Yeah, o.k., I guess I’m a little crazy…
(Just for the record, I wasn’t planning to play much at the games, but just to sub briefly if others were really tired. But when I arrived… One, two, three, I counted. Three? “No way!” I said, shaking my head. "I am NOT going to run around for two more hours!" We had to borrow players from other teams, and I ended up playing most of the first game. But I also got to score! Granted, the ball bounced off my leg into the goal, but still! Right time, right place. It was sweet. I played a good portion of the second game, too, but I was pretty much useless by then. Not to mention the fact that I messed up my toe somehow. I’m just really glad that that happened AFTER my race because I don’t think I’ll be running until the swelling and bruising go down!)
