Results:
400 M Swim =Time: 12:19, Pace 3:05 M
T1 1:40
11 Mile Bike=35:36, Pace 18.5 mph
T2 0:56
2 Mile Run = 17:54, Pace 8:57
Total time : 1 hour 8 minutes
Age group : Second Place
Swim: George and I took a few minutes to warm up in the lake after setting up transition. I got in, put my face in the water and blew a few bubbles, then started my warm up swim. It was a little chilly getting back out of the water ( note for next race, keep an extra towel in transition bag), but it keep me from being afraid going in to the start. George and I were in the same wave, which was the first to start. So I didn't have the usual waiting around time to let my nerves get the best of me. We lined up at the chute, George gave me a quick kiss, squeezed my hand and we walked down to the water. He lined up at the front, and I positioned myself in the middle. The horn sounded and the wave took off. We were facing the sun until the first turn buoy, so sighting was a little difficult. Once we turned, we were going into the wind, and the water was pretty choppy. I passed a lady who stopped at the turn buoy, and then I saw the kayak head towards her and fish her out of the water. I tried to pick up my pace at each buoy, and felt like I was moving along pretty well. At the last turn bouy, I was again facing the sun, and there was one other swimmer along side me, breastroking, at the same pace as my freestyle. I pulled ahead of him just enough to beat him out of the water. I looked at my watch when I hit the mat, and was dissapointed to see that it had taken me 12 minutes to complete the swim. I thought surely I had been faster. This was my slowest swim of any race. I wasn't wearing a wetsuit this time, however, I don't think it should contribute to my swimming that much slower.( Especially since I had such a terrible time with the swim at Kemah.) But, I had made it through an open water swim comfortably without panicking, and that was my main goal for this race.
T1: Saw George's bike was gone, so I knew he'd had a safe swim. Got my gear on as quickly as possible and raced out to start the bike.
Bike: As soon as I mounted my bike and turned onto the course I encountered two obliviots who were completely blocking me. The were riding side by side discussing their bikes and the race. I was trying to figure out how to get around them, when I heard the sound of disc wheels coming up behind me pretty fast. He blew past them, cutting pretty close to the one on the outside, and she quickly moved her bike over to the right. I passed them, and sped up. They would be the only people I would pass during the race. I got passed by my the guy from the end of the swim, but I stayed pretty close behind him for the next 10 miles. I pushed myself as hard as I could during the bike, but I kept feeling like I was going faster than what my Garmin was telling me. After the turnaround, I was heading into the wind, and saw my speed keep dropping. I was getting frustrated, because I hate the wind with a passion, and I thought that racing in the summer would mean no wind. I was frustrated that I wasn't going to meet my goal for the bike, and thought I had set it too high. ( But, I would rather set a higher goal and fall short, knowing I pushed myself hard to try and get there. I don't want to just set a goal I know I can easily achieve just so I can say I did it.) I got passed by one person in my age group, and had no idea where the rest of my competition was. As I was nearing the finish, I took my Garmin off my bike and onto my arm in preparation for my run. I accidentally turned it off, then I had to turn it back on and change the mode for my run. I had no idea how fast I was going, so I just pedalled as hard as I could.
T2: The usual, change shoes, throw on hat, get out fast.
Run: this was the hardest part of the race for me. I was sucking wind for the first mile. It was hot, and I was tired from pushing hard on the bike. I passed the guy I had been trailing on the bike, and he just stopped and walked. I saw George heading in for his last half mile, and I was inspired to try and speed up a little. I ran through the aid station and almost ran over a volunteer who had decided now was a good time to be all over the course to pick up cups. When I first saw the aid station I mistook it for the turnaround, but looked at my Garmin and realized I had only run 1/2 a mile. I knew then it would be a much tougher run than I had anticipated. I tried to enjoy the tiny bit of shade and view of the lake that followed but as soon as I was back in the sun I started to feel defeated. That's when the little devil on my shoulder showed up and started to convince me that maybe I could just slow down, or even walk the rest. It was hot, humid, I was in the sun, and I was exhausted. Then I saw a woman in my age group, and decided I could run just a little faster to pass her before the turnaround. Then just a few yards ahead of me, I saw another woman in my age group. I ran faster again, and passed her. Each time I heard footfalls behind me, I pushed just a little bit more hoping neither of the women I had passed would catch up to me. I rounded the turn and saw the clock, and knew I would make my time goal. Relief was in sight, and for once, there are actual pictures of me smiling as I ran it in to the finish.
Post Race: I drank as much water as I could and tried to cool down. Then Jack brought out some frozen watermelon. This was by far the best post race refreshment I've had. When I checked the results and knew I had placed well enough to get an award, I was pretty excited. I felt so proud when Jack called my name and I went up to recieve my medal. What I love about Ironhead races is that you don't get handed a medal just for finishing the race. You have to earn one by placing. It was the first race medal that I had actually won, I wasn't just given it for completing the race.
Final Notes: Now that I've reached a level of comfort in the water, my next swim goal is to speed up and race the swim a little harder. This swim was slower for everyone because of the wind and rougher water, but I know I can do better.I would like for my swims to get faster with each race, not slower. I was pleaseantly surprised to see my bike pace ended up being faster than my goal. I think I've said this before, but my Garmin usually usually displays a slower mph during a race than what ends up being my official average pace. It certainly explains why I felt like I was going faster than what the Garmin displayed. I still have a lot of work ahead of me to get faster, but I'm pleased with the results so far. I really underestimated how hard a two mile run could be. I knew to expect slower pace time because of the heat, but only running two miles threw me off. It usually takes me the first mile to compose myself and get my breathing under control from coming off the bike. The second mile is where I start to find a good rythm, and the third mile is when I can try to push just a little faster to get to the finish. So only having two miles to run, I had a harder time finding and keeping a good pace. This was the slowest run I've had this season. And the heat really got to me. It made me feel sluggish and slow the whole run.
What I loved about this race was my husband and I were #73 and #74. We got to rack our bikes next to each other, and set up transition side by side. It was was more fun than setting up alone next to strangers, and our banter and laughter kept me feeling at ease prior to the race. It was great to start the swim wave together too, even though I knew he would be much farther ahead of me, there was something about knowing he was in the water with me that kept me feeling calm. It was amazing to be able to share the experience with him. I wouldn't want it any other way.
This was a good race, and though it was a shorter distance, it was still a challange. I'm proud of my accomplishment, and look forward to getting stronger and faster.
