Disclaimer: Everything I write in this post will probably seem very dramatic and over-the-top, and I'm sure you'll be thinking that I must be exaggerating my emotions. Rest assured, I am not. This was an incredible achievement for me, and it was every bit as emotional as I am going to make it out to be.
I had been thinking about nothing but this race for the past week, so I was kind of surprised that when my alarm went off at 5am Sunday morning, I turned it off and thought to myself "Hmmm...why did I set the alarm? I must have made a mistake." About 3 seconds later, I was jumping up out of bed, realizing that it was no mistake, and I had to get moving!
Stuck with my traditional pre-race breakfast of coffee, banana, and a plain bagel with butter and jam. Finished getting all my stuff together, double-checked that I had everything on my list, and gave the boys (all three of them!) a kiss, and I was on my way shortly after 6am.
I had my running playlist blasting in the car on the way over, and it definitely did the trick in getting me really excited and inspired. Driving over the bridge into Newport was pretty awesome, too. It's a huge bridge, and overlooks the area that the tri was going to take place in, so that only got me more excited.
Once into Newport, it was only another 5 minutes to the Naval Station, and they did a great job posting signs for parking, so I was in the lot in no time, and got right over to the registration tent around 6:45. This was a small event, so there was no waiting, and I got my packet and went over and got my number marked on my arm (yes, getting that number marked made me feel pretty cool!).
Brought everything back to the car, got my number put on my bike, and pinned my race bib to the singlet I'd be wearing on the run, and investigated the goody bag, which was pretty great - long-sleeve technical shirt, a pair of socks, some Power Bar gels, and a few other things. One of the best goody bags I've gotten at a race.
Once that was all ready, it was a short (1/4 mile) walk to transition, and I got there early enough that there were still plenty of spots left, so I just chose one randomly and got my stuff set up. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I just set stuff up the way I imagined I'd need it, and I feel like I did a pretty good job.
It was now 7:15, and I wandered over to the water and asked one of the volunteers what the swim course was. She pointed out a white buoy WAAAAAAAAYYYYYY out in the water, and told me we'd swim diagonally out to that, then pointed out another one WAAAAAAYYYYY over in the other direction, and told me we'd swim to that one next, and then back into shore.
I thanked her and smiled, all the while thinking to myself "There is no way in HELL I can swim that far!!!" For someone who's using to looking at a 25m pool, seeing a 1/3 mile course laid out in open water like that was very, very intimidating.
But, I have to say, that was about the only moment of doubt that I had all day, and I quickly quelled it. As I continued to mill about and make a few trips to the bathroom, I was continuously giving myself little pep talks - 'You can swim three times this far in the pool, and even though this isn't the pool, you know you can do it. You got a taste of the murky water sensation yesterday in the ocean, and it didn't freak you out at all. There are tons of kayaks for safety if you get in trouble, and there's always breaststroke to calm you down and even out your breathing. All you have to do is put your head down and SWIM.'
I opted not to do a warm-up swim. Not sure if that was the right decision or not. It might have helped me, but the air temperature was still kind of cool, and without a wetsuit, I worried that I'd be standing there shivering after I got out of the water, and that didn't sound very appealing to me.
The start was fast approaching, and at 5 minutes 'til 8, I pulled off my shorts and got my swim cap and goggles on. I was in the second wave, which would go out at 8:02. The waves were small, thankfully - probably no more than 30 people in each one.
I watched as the first wave went out, and then it was like an out-of-body experience as I moved down the boat ramp and into the water.
The whole thing was so surreal.
I made sure to stand at the back and outside of my wave, so as to avoid getting kicked too much as everyone headed out.
And there I was, standing in waist-deep water as they counted down to our start.
1:15...... 50..... 30....... The air gun sounded, and that was it.
I don't even know what I was thinking at that point. I was definitely nervous, but I think I was just so determined to get this thing done, that I didn't even allow myself to entertain any doubts or fears. I just got in and swam.
Being at the back of the pack was good, as I really didn't get jostled much at all. And for quite a while, I kept my head out of the water, just to make sure I was going the right way. And as I quickly realized, even calm ocean water (the swim took place in a very well-protected cove) has lots of little tiny waves that come up and smack you in the face repeatedly. It was pretty annoying, and I think I actually preferred the swells that I was practicing in the previous day.
Anyway, somewhere in the first 100m, I knew I was going too fast, and I forced myself to stop and do some breaststroke, just to even out my breathing and slow myself down. Then I started to get my head in the water and do some actual swimming. And that was pretty much what I did for the entire swim - alternating breaststroke with freestyle, with lots of swimming with my head above water, because I quickly realized that I am really, really bad at swimming in a straight line.
Having my head above water definitely tired me out more, though, because of course with my head lifted up, my legs dragged down. This is where I think a wetsuit would have been a big help. Next time....
As we rounded the first buoy, I was getting passed left and right by the third and fourth waves, but it didn't bother me one bit. I just tried to stay in open water as much as I could. I got kicked a few times, and someone grabbed my leg once, but overall I was able to stay in pretty open water, which helped a lot.
Again, the murky conditions didn't bother me at all. And it was really murky - I could barely see my hands, never mind see the bottom! But I was fine with that, and when I did get into those good stretches of freestyle, I felt so good, like I was really moving along at a decent pace.
After the second buoy, it was a straight shot back to the boat ramp, and I tried to do as much freestyle as I could, and although I was getting tired, I was really enjoying myself.
When I was within 100 or so meters of the ramp, the sun started peeking out through the clouds, and I just had this moment where I thought "Oh my god - I'm really doing this! I'm about to complete the swim portion of a triathlon!" And I did sneak a peek behind me, and was very happy to see that I was not going to be the last person out of the water. That was about my only time goal for this race - to not be the last swimmer - and I made it - woohoo!!!
Getting out of that water felt SO great! There was a photographer snapping pictures, and I think I had the hugest, goofiest grin on my face. I can't even express how proud I was of myself - it showed on my face, though : )
I knew that from here on in, I was in good shape. The tough part was over.
Quickly dried off my feet and got my bike shorts, socks and shoes, helmet and sunglasses on, and walked my bike up a small hill to the road, and flashed another big grin to another photographer who was up there getting pictures of people as they headed out on the bike.
The bike course was nice. 4 miles up the road, 4 miles back, and we did that loop twice. It was hilly, but the hills weren't too terrible. I'd call them just challenging enough. The first few did a number on me, though, and I found myself wishing that I had a) used a wetsuit, to make my swimming more efficient and b) practiced a few swim/bike bricks, because my legs were TIRED.
But once I got past the first few hills, I settled into a good rhythm and my legs warmed up, and for the rest of the bike I felt absolutely wonderful. My miles were clicking off at around a 3:20 pace, and I was having so much fun! The tight turnarounds were a little tricky to navigate, but I did ok, and I passed a LOT of people on the second loop of the bike.
I was actually starting to wonder if I was pushing too hard on the bike, and was I going to pay for it on the run. But I figured I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.....
Glided into the bike finish with my bike computer showing 48 minutes and change - probably the fastest 16 miles I've ever ridden!
Did a pretty good job getting out of my bike shoes and shorts, and into my running shoes and shorts, but struggled a bit with the singlet - it was tricky with the race number pinned to it. Will definitely invest in a race belt for next time.
Got my Garmin on, and jogged up the hill and onto the road, feeling pretty darn good. The run course headed out in the opposite direction of the bike course, and was a simple out-and-back. I was feeling great, but when I saw that I was running at just over a 7:00 pace, I made myself slow down a bit. I knew I'd crash and burn if I kept that up for too long.
The first mile was mostly flat, but when the 1.5-mile marker approached, that changed.
Right at mile 1.5 was a huge hill. Not steep, but loooooong. I trudged up it, and definitely felt myself slowing down. We were treated to the nice downhill on the other side, but since it was an out-and-back, we'd of course have to come back up the hill one more time after the turnaround. That resulted in mile 2 being my slowest of the run - 8:40-something. But I was still feeling ok, and I knew that once I got past that hill, the rest of the course was flat.
Mile 3 was a blur - I just chugged along, knowing the end was in sight. It was a very small race, so no real crowds to speak of, except for a small cluster of spectators at the finish line, but there were volunteers all along the run course, and they were doing an awesome job of cheering everyone on - it was really nice.
As the final half mile approached, I picked up the pace so I could finish strong. I think I was grinning from ear-to-ear for that entire half mile, but when I saw Scott and the boys, I grinned even more. I also almost burst into tears at the sight of the finish line, and at the sight of the clock, when I saw that I was going to finish in well under an hour and 45 minutes!!!!!
Into the chute I went, and then quickly circled back to meet Scott and the boys for hugs and kisses.
What an amazing, incredible experience. I know I've blabbed on and on about it, but my words don't even do it justice.
I crossed that finish line feeling stronger than I've ever felt in my life. And feeling more convinced than ever that I am really built for this stuff, and that with some more practice and more focused training, I could turn in some really great race performances.
And the other thing I was thinking as I crossed the finish line - "How soon can I do this again??!!"
We didn't hang around too long after the race, since the boys were getting antsy, but I did show Scott the swim area, asking him "Can you believe that I SWAM ALL THAT WAY???!!!" He said he never doubted that I could do it : )
I'm not sure what the story is with race photos - I did see several photographers, but not sure where photos will be posted. Hopefully I'll have at least a few. But even if I don't, I don't care - photos or not, I will remember this race as long as I live.
Lessons learned, and things I will do differently next time -
1. Get a wetsuit. I know it will help me in the swim, and I just have to allow myself enough time to get one and practice in it.
2. Practice more open-water swimming. I think I did a pretty good job of holding my own, but I really need to learn how to cope with the little waves splashing in my face, and learn how to sight, so that I don't swim off course so much.
3. Do some swim/bike brick workouts, and more bike/run brick workouts.
4. Starting with a sprint was absolutely the right decision. I think I could have finished the Olympic distance, but I KNOW I would not have enjoyed myself so much, as that long swim would have really drained me.
One thing I would not change is my mindset. I think I had just the right mix of nervousness and confidence, and I did a great job of talking myself through any doubts that sprung up at the last minute.
Without further adieu - the final, official numbers
Swim - 1/3 mile - 16:32 - 96 out of 118 (pretty obvious where I need the most improvement!)
Bike - 16 miles - 48:23 (3:20 pace) - 56 of 118
Run - 3.5 miles - 28:43 (8:13 pace) - 64 of 118
They didn't list transition times - they were built into the bike time - but since my 'official' bike time was 53 minutes, 5 minutes slower than what my computer showed, I'm guessing my transition times were in the neighborhood of 2.5 to 3 minutes.
Overall time - 1:38:22
69th out of 118 finishers, and....... drumroll please......
FOURTH place in my age group!!!!!!!!
I could not be any happier with how this race turned out. Sure, there are things I'll change for next time, but for my first foray into triathlon, I think it was a huge success.
And most important of all - I loved every stinkin' minute of it!!!!!
Wow what a great race!!! You should be so proud of yourself, because I know your boys are. Such a great accomplishment! Great race report too!
FYI...Wild Dog Tri in Bristol is 2 weeks away if you want another small sprint to do!!!
Again...Congrats!
Now I am heading to the pool for a swim workout!!
Posted by: shawn | August 04, 2008 at 08:11 PM
Not over the top at all... I loved every minute of it. I had to wait for my second triathlon to have that kind of experience, and it brought back such great memories.
You did great on the swim. Now you know why I did not want you going to an Olympic and seeing the .9 mile swim course for the first time :-) Breast stroking and swimming water polo style will definitely slow you down, but as I already mentioned, for your first race, bah! Who cares :-) A wet suit makes you more buoyant, but swimming flat (a.k.a. freestyle) is much faster and much more efficient. But take it from me, a wet suit does not necessarily mean faster times! LOL!! You will absolutely get better at it.
You absolutely excelled on the bike and the run. No surprise there! You rocked it!!
That's so cool that Scott and the boyz were there to see you finish!!!
Congrats again! Big time!!! :-)
Posted by: Wes | August 05, 2008 at 09:55 AM
Awesome job with the race! I loved reading your report. It does sound like you have found something that you really love to do. Keep up the good work and have fun!
Posted by: Chad Aaron Sayban | August 05, 2008 at 04:26 PM
Congratulations! Its amazing how emotional it can be, isn't it? I hope you are still reeling... and its fueling you for the next mountain - the marathon! :)
Posted by: SJ Goody | August 11, 2008 at 11:13 AM