Shall I start from the beginning? That would take me to Thursday night. I didn't sleep. Why, who knows. It was like a sleep before a race. Tossing and turning, thinking about random things. I didn't think I was all that nervous about the race. Been there done that twice now. I knew everything I needed to about the course yet I still found myself wondering would I make it up that one HUGE hill. So I got about 3 hours of interrupted sleep that night. Hit the road with the kids Friday morning. Traffic was good so we made excellent time and got to Miami by 5:30. Went straight to packet pickup where we could see my sisters and pick up our huge shirts. Note to self stop ordering large T-shirts. They don't fit anymore. And if it's a technical shirt like this one was forget it medium will be too big and small too small. One of the first things that one of my sister's friend said to me was, you look nervous, really? I thought I was just tired. Headed back to the hotel and checked in. Two queen beds, yes, no doubles. Maybe I will sleep tonight after all.
Had a very late dinner at around 8. I swear every time I eat in that town the service is terrible. My husband claims it's because it's a college town. Why should that make a difference. I ordered a yummy pasta dish and barely got down half. That worried me. I eat like a horse and I just couldn't eat much. Felt like my stomach would explode. Back to the room and chilled out. Hoping to fall asleep by 10:00 when my oldest son got dropped off. He was kind enough to help out the volunteers with anything they needed done for the next morning.
Our hotel was "uptown" where you will find restaurants, shopping, bars, bookstores and just about anything the town has to offer is on this one road about 1/4 mile long. The roads that run parallel to them are lined with college housing. Each house sporting it's own name. Some are kept up well and some look like they could be condemned. Out our lovely hotel room window we had an alley. To the right was Buffalo Wild Wings. To the left a house with a party starting around 9. Underneath our window that you couldn't see but would hear throughout the night, a dumpster. Needless to say I was up the entire night. I didn't sleep. I didn't even get a bit of sleep. I didn't get 10 mins here or 20 there. I was awake the entire night. I was miserable. Banging of the dumpster, the entire staff from the restaurant yelling outside or the frat boys screaming, hooting and hollering until about 4 am, guests yelling in the hallways at 3 am after the bars are closed in the hotel. One of the worst nights of my life. I vowed as nice as the location was to everything I refuse to stay there the night before the race again. So now I'm working on about 3 hours of sleep in 2 days and it's race morning. Up and out of bed at 4:50 since I was up anyway.
Forced down a bagel and knew my stomach still wasn't right. Usually when I travel not to be graphic but I get clogged up for a better lack of words. This was not the case. I was going and going often. Another sign something wasn't right. I tired to convince myself that this was a good thing. All cleaned out before the race. Usually I have the opposite problem. Headed the two blocks to transition around 6 am. Dad and I racked our bikes right next to each other then proceeded to watch the rack start to fall. Actually it was my husband who saw it fall. One bike fell off at the end and the rest just leaned. We tried to get it upright again and secure. Hoping that the bikes would still be hanging after the swim and not in a pile on the ground when we needed them. Temperature was chilly. I'm not even sure if it was 40 yet at 6 am. I do know inside they reported the temp as 41 when I started the swim. Now it's the waiting game. Transition was set up and it was off to the lockers to get changed for the swim. Meeting was at 6:50 and the race started promptly at 7:15.
I like to watch the swimmers. This is a Olympic size pool. A perfect first triathlon for someone. No open water swimming needed. Just 8 lanes, up and back, across the length of the pool. We were put in numbered order based on your estimated swim time when you registered. I find it fascinating to watch the fastest swimmers (about a 5 min 400m) as they glide through the water. They make it look easy. They don't even look like they are going that fast. After another trip to the bathroom to do more business (what's wrong with me) Dad and I got to start at about 7:55. I took a chance and dove in which you aren't supposed to do. Thought I would be able to get right into the stroke faster that way. Nope backfired. My goggles got clogged with water. Had to stop after a few strokes and fix them. Then I was off. Nothing to really report on the swim other than I had plenty of room. I was on my own for most of it. No one to pass and no one passing me. About 1/2 through I started questioning myself. Could I go faster? Yup I knew I could, I was swimming like I would in training, a comfortable pace, no pushing. I decided to stick with that. I shouldn't of. This is not a training day this is a race.
The bike gets harder every year! I swear they add more hills. The first 3 miles are slightly uphill. A straight road that keeps going up and up. My breathing was labored and I could tell my heart rate was high. I needed to get the breathing and heart rate down. I managed to play around with the gears to get myself to pedal with not much resistance yet not pedal too fast to slow down the heart rate. This of course slowed my speed but I knew if I didn't I would be in trouble later. It's not much farther into the race you come across "THE HILL" What makes it so challenging is that you come around a curve that reduces your speed down so much you have no momentum to get up the hill. It's all up to you. The first year I made it 1/4 of the way. The second year 1/3. This year 1/3. Really? I thought at least a 1/2 maybe just maybe the whole way. So I unclipped and was happy that wearing the bike shoes was ok on this hill. I still had enough traction to get up. After getting back on the bike and being happy that was over, I was reminded that it doesn't get much easier. Hill after hill. Some rolling and some again straight up. I am so done with hills. I hate hills. Always have. So why are the first two races I do this year known for their tough courses because of the HILLS!? After a 51:42 I was done. Thank god. Another change of shoes. Whip off the helmet, glasses and jacket. Put on a hat take a drink and I'm off again. Now I have no times for T2 or the run because the race officials aren't done posting times. That's another long story. I would guess I took 1:30-2 mins in transition.
I had the hugest cheering section. Probably the loudest of anyone but my Dad. My sisters had gathered friends and family and just screamed as I ran by. Yeah me, I thought. It put a spring in my step and I took off for about the first 2 tenths of a mile then realized I was sprinting at about a 7 min mile. Couldn't breathe and backed off. Got my running legs back by mile 1 and was just cruising along. This would be the second time I would question myself. Could I go faster? I decided I could, but for some reason I didn't. I was comfortable, no pain, my shin was just stinging a bit not too bad so I just kept with that. I later learned I should of pushed it. I crossed the finish line happy to be done with a time of 1:32:55. About 2 minutes longer than last year. My dad finished just 6 1/2 minutes later. Giving him 2nd place and a well deserved age group medal.
To sum this lengthy report up. I am NOT a sprinter. I am an endurance athlete. This race just proves that. I have slow twitch fibers that will carry me for hours on end. I do not have fast twitch fibers to carry me through a race like this. Especially this year as about 85% of the training I do is not meant for short distance athletes. When I question myself if I'm going fast enough, go faster. Don't wimp out. Because I didn't push it, that "boy" I so badly wanted to beat, beat me by 53 seconds. 53 seconds. And why? Because his transition time was 2 mins shorter than mine. I swam faster than he did, I biked faster than he did. Not sure about the run yet. But possible I ran faster too. Looks like I need to work on transition.So I'm disappointed with my time. I always want to do a little better each time I do a race I've done before. But it didn't happen. I try to take into account that I hadn't slept in 2 days. And I obviously was having stomach issues as they lasted the entire day after the race. I was pretty miserable. Couldn't even stay long at my sisters party they had for my Dad and me. Sorry girls. I'll make it up to you next year.
I have one more year to tackle this race. Kristy and Kelly will be seniors next year. I am determined to get better. By this time next year I will be able to focus on more sprinting and less endurance training. Right now my focus is on that 1/2 iron man.
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