Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Location: Lake Anna, Bumpass, VA (Between DC & Richmond)
Race Type: Triathlon - International Distance
Division: Athena
Time: 3:15 (unofficial) - Personal Record!
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Race Report:
Race morning
Lesson learned: set two alarms! At 5:00 AM I woke up on the spot, woke up the family and we all got ready and were out the door by 5:25 AM (perfect since I didn't want to leave after 5:45 AM).
I was a little off schedule with my eating because I knew we'd have a 2-hour trip to the race venue so I didn't want to eat too much before I left. I attempted to get a quick bowl of oatmeal but the oatmeal exploded all over the microwave so I knew I wouldn't get the meal I had planned on eating. Instead, I grabbed a banana w/peanut butter and then had a Lara bar at the race venue. I probably didn't eat enough for this race and I think it showed a little later on.
When I got to the race venue at 7:30'ish, it was COLD!!! I had clothes on over my tri suit and as I walked toward the lake my teeth began chattering. I knew it was going to be a colder day than expected but not THIS cold! How in the world would I ever make it through the swim let alone being soaking wet and then biking???!!! Well, as the time got closer to the race the sun actually came out and the wind died down so it became bearable.
The race venue was really nice. I plan on doing more races at Lake Anna (they have several there!). Everything was very centrally located and the family had a very easy time getting to and from the car to rest and wait for me.
Before the race I was able to meet two of my Facebook friends - Kevin & Renee. I know most of the people I'm Facebook friends with (really, I do) but I'm friends with many local triathletes that I've never met because in the small world of triathlons you know you're pretty much assured to meet them one day! Kevin was there as a race referee and Renee was there to rock the race with me. It ends up that Renee is also going to rock Eagleman with me in June! We're both hoping to do better there! :)
Swim (1500 meters) : 40 min (approx)
As I'm writing this report, I'm looking back at my race report from the Reston Tri last fall. At the time I was complaining about 72 degree water temps. Well, chalk this race up to my coldest water temps to date - 66 degrees!!! Brrrrr!!!!
The water temps weren't my only problems in the swim:
1. My wetsuit was choking me to death! What the heck? I guess I'm going to have to invest in my own suit so I can get one that doesn't choke me so much. I had to stop several times just to pull the suit away from my neck.
2. I had to stop three times and massage my calf muscles because of horrible cramps. I'm assuming I must have been dehydrated and that would make sense since I really hadn't done a great job of hydration the previous week and had drank this 200 mg caffeine shot right before the race (duh!).
3. I couldn't see because my goggles were all fogged up and the sun was right in my eyes!
4. I drank about 2 gallons of lake water
5. The water was pretty rough for a lake.
During the swim I kept thinking I was going to get a DNF (did not finish) on this race! I didn't know if I'd ever make it out of this swim alive. As I finally approached the finish line for the swim and was helped out of the water up onto land, I noticed I was feeling very light headed.
T1
I was feeling VERY light headed. As I tried to take off my wetsuit I thought I was literally going to faint. That DNF was looming beyond the horizon and I didn't think I could stop it from coming. I took my sweet time in T1, had a packet of honey (thanks for the suggestion, Lou), and headed out on my bike.
Bike (24.9 mi): 1:18 (approx)
Getting on my bike I wasn't sure if I would be able to go too far. But, within a few minutes I was starting to feel better and decided to start pushing it. I knew the bike was my strong area and if I didn't push it here I'd be really far behind my goals.
The bike was two loops of a fairly flat course. There were a few small rollers on the course but nothing I couldn't handle. I began pushing it hard and was very proud of what I was accomplishing. At one point the wind was really strong and I was on the edge of the road and I was blown over into the ditch! Thankfully it was a grassy ditch and I was able to have control of the bike and get back up on the road without even clipping out of my pedals. Whew! As my two fellow triathletes said as they passed me "What a save!" Moments later I thanked them as I passed them! Those guys didn't like getting passed by a girl too much! :)
T2
Uneventful...except I forgot to pick up my race number.
Run (6.2 miles): 1:12 (approx)
Again, as in Reston, my toes were numb and hurting. And again, it took me about 3 miles for them to warm up! So, the first 3 miles were all about just pushing through the run and knowing I'd be better soon. Of course, once I realized I could feel my feet again I immediately started feeling the blister that was forming on the top of my foot. OUCH!
Although I never noticed it on the bike, I still had water in my ear from the swim. But, with each and every step I took I could hear the water swishing around in my head and it made for a very annoying and slightly out of balance run.
Around mile 3 I started to get some energy and I picked up the pace for a pretty strong finish and a PR!
Post Race:
It was SO GREAT to see my family at the finish line. And today I got a special treat because Dakota (my dog) came out to cheer me on, too!
Summary and lessons learned
Get anti-fog goggles!
More hill practice on bike & run so I can get stronger
More longer bricks so I can feel my feet after mile 1 rather than mile 3!
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!
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