Date: June 23, 2013
Location: Jamestown, VA
Race Type: Olympic Distance: 0.9 mi swim, 24 mile bike, 6.2 mile run
Division: Age Group 45-49
Time: 3:28
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Pre race:
It was so exciting for me to arrive in Williamsburg and share the weekend with not only my Rev3 teammates but also my local Team Z friends. This is a weekend that will go down in my memory bank for a long time to come.
After arriving at the expo, my first stop post-packet pickup, was the Biotta Naturals tent where I helped the queen of beet juice, Jen Small, share the wonderful nutritional benefits of beet juice with the expo attendees.
After arriving at the expo, my first stop post-packet pickup, was the Biotta Naturals tent where I helped the queen of beet juice, Jen Small, share the wonderful nutritional benefits of beet juice with the expo attendees.
Photo by: Miro Lehky
Of course, it didn't take me long to drop by the Rev3 green screen for some great memories. Here are some of my favorites:
Yeah, I'm pretty much a drama queen. Like you didn't know that already...
Saturday evening was our Team Z dinner. The room was totally packed and we had the amazing SimplyStu as the MC of our great event. As you may remember from my dreaded DNF report from Knoxville, Stu was my lifesaver that gave me the shoes and socks right off his feet to keep mine warm...and he didn't even know me at the time!
Saturday evening was our Team Z dinner. The room was totally packed and we had the amazing SimplyStu as the MC of our great event. As you may remember from my dreaded DNF report from Knoxville, Stu was my lifesaver that gave me the shoes and socks right off his feet to keep mine warm...and he didn't even know me at the time!
Photo by Miro Lehky
Also in attendance that night were professional triathletes Lauren Goss and Andrew Starykowicz along with the one and only "boss man" Charlie Patten (owner of Rev3).
The night ended with a stay at the Williamsburg B&B (aka Jan Stover's parents house) looking at this little pond, relaxing for the rest of the evening...
...and watching Jess try out the cool bike we found in the basement...
Oh yeah...and royally screwing up my race tats!
So, you're probably all waiting for me to get to the actual race part, right? Well, the pre-race is just a tad more exciting...as always! :)
So, you're probably all waiting for me to get to the actual race part, right? Well, the pre-race is just a tad more exciting...as always! :)
Here are the deets:
Swim (0.9 miles): 46:29 17th in Age group
I hadn't prepared for the swim. Heck, I barely have even prepared for this race. The last few months have been crazy busy and my training has really been behind schedule. I knew going into this race that I would be doing it for two reasons: 1) to prove myself after my last DNF and 2) to have fun!
During the swim I felt pretty comfortable and relaxed. SO DIFFERENT from Knoxville. The water temps were fabulous (still wetsuit legal...but barely...) so I swam without my wetsuit. I was in the last wave (of course, that's where the old women always get put!) which is always a bummer for me. But, I felt strong. There was a current getting to the first buoy but I saw my turning spot faster than I thought I would. I had swam this same course at Patriots half a few years ago and remembered getting way off course so I made sure not to do that this time. The James River can be very rough at times so I took that into consideration going into the race. During Patriots I remember getting into a rhythm with the waves but that never happened during this race. I did okay going from buoy 1 to buoy 2 with the exception of getting kicked in the face, hit on the leg so many times by the same guy that I got a cramp in my leg, and swam on top of more times than I can count. But, hey, that's triathlon for you!
The only time I felt I could have done better was going from the 2nd buoy to the shore. The current was really strong by that point and I felt I got off course with every stroke. So, I forced myself to push to the right.
After the race, I heard numerous people say how horrific the swim was for them and how many people were pulled from the race (or took themselves out) during the swim. I can't say it was all that bad for me. My time wasn't spectacular but my swim felt comfortable. My last swim of this same distance was only about 30 seconds faster and, given I haven't been in the pool much lately, I'll take it!
T1: 3:51
It was a long trip to transition but as I compared my transition to Patriots, I've shaved off about 1 1/2 minutes from T1. Pretty sweet.
Bike (24 miles) : 1:19:40 11th place in Age group; 18.07 pace
Race day was the first time I had used the multisport feature on the Garmin I had just borrowed from my friend (since I lost mine at Knoxville). When I got on the bike I realized I was still in the swim function mode and that is exactly how the watch stayed for the rest of the race. So, I raced the entire race "naked." Normally if I found myself pacing too slow I would speed up to improve my overall time on both the bike and the run. But, today I would have to do it all by feel!
The bike course was perfect for me - pretty much as flat as they come. Since the half rev and the Olympic rev started at basically the same time, some of the pro field was lapping me and for brief moments in time I was riding with them! It was great to be able to do that if only for 3 seconds or so!
Overall my bike leg was pretty uneventful (thankfully) and I just attempted to push as much as I could yet stay in Zone 2. Result: 18.07 pace. Not too shabby for "riding naked."
T2: 1:05
Pretty uneventful. I did put on socks which I normally don't do!
Run (6.2 miles): 1:17:13 19th place in Age group
Toward the end of the bike I could feel the same leg cramping that cramped during the swim so I was really concerned about that going into the run. I had been pretty consistent in my run training up until about the last month before the race when I made a decision that greatly affected my run workouts. But, I knew it was too late to worry about that now. I knew I just needed to somehow get these last 6.2 miles in the bank and cross the finish line.
As with any run coming off the bike, my legs felt like jello. I hadn't done enough BRICKS this year for sure but I didn't think my legs would feel this bad. I tried to get my mojo on the run and it just never came! Once I saw the HILL on the course I knew I was in trouble. I was expecting the Patriots SUPER FLAT run but this would not be it! This run course was a little more challenging than that. I did a lot of walking on this course - probably way more than I should. But, I was really feeling that calf muscle...and felt it for days afterwards.
I wasn't proud of my run or my run time by any means. But, I'm proud that I've recovered from my DNF!
Summary & Lessons Learned
Swim (0.9 miles): 46:29 17th in Age group
I hadn't prepared for the swim. Heck, I barely have even prepared for this race. The last few months have been crazy busy and my training has really been behind schedule. I knew going into this race that I would be doing it for two reasons: 1) to prove myself after my last DNF and 2) to have fun!
During the swim I felt pretty comfortable and relaxed. SO DIFFERENT from Knoxville. The water temps were fabulous (still wetsuit legal...but barely...) so I swam without my wetsuit. I was in the last wave (of course, that's where the old women always get put!) which is always a bummer for me. But, I felt strong. There was a current getting to the first buoy but I saw my turning spot faster than I thought I would. I had swam this same course at Patriots half a few years ago and remembered getting way off course so I made sure not to do that this time. The James River can be very rough at times so I took that into consideration going into the race. During Patriots I remember getting into a rhythm with the waves but that never happened during this race. I did okay going from buoy 1 to buoy 2 with the exception of getting kicked in the face, hit on the leg so many times by the same guy that I got a cramp in my leg, and swam on top of more times than I can count. But, hey, that's triathlon for you!
The only time I felt I could have done better was going from the 2nd buoy to the shore. The current was really strong by that point and I felt I got off course with every stroke. So, I forced myself to push to the right.
After the race, I heard numerous people say how horrific the swim was for them and how many people were pulled from the race (or took themselves out) during the swim. I can't say it was all that bad for me. My time wasn't spectacular but my swim felt comfortable. My last swim of this same distance was only about 30 seconds faster and, given I haven't been in the pool much lately, I'll take it!
T1: 3:51
It was a long trip to transition but as I compared my transition to Patriots, I've shaved off about 1 1/2 minutes from T1. Pretty sweet.
Bike (24 miles) : 1:19:40 11th place in Age group; 18.07 pace
Race day was the first time I had used the multisport feature on the Garmin I had just borrowed from my friend (since I lost mine at Knoxville). When I got on the bike I realized I was still in the swim function mode and that is exactly how the watch stayed for the rest of the race. So, I raced the entire race "naked." Normally if I found myself pacing too slow I would speed up to improve my overall time on both the bike and the run. But, today I would have to do it all by feel!
The bike course was perfect for me - pretty much as flat as they come. Since the half rev and the Olympic rev started at basically the same time, some of the pro field was lapping me and for brief moments in time I was riding with them! It was great to be able to do that if only for 3 seconds or so!
Overall my bike leg was pretty uneventful (thankfully) and I just attempted to push as much as I could yet stay in Zone 2. Result: 18.07 pace. Not too shabby for "riding naked."
T2: 1:05
Pretty uneventful. I did put on socks which I normally don't do!
Run (6.2 miles): 1:17:13 19th place in Age group
Toward the end of the bike I could feel the same leg cramping that cramped during the swim so I was really concerned about that going into the run. I had been pretty consistent in my run training up until about the last month before the race when I made a decision that greatly affected my run workouts. But, I knew it was too late to worry about that now. I knew I just needed to somehow get these last 6.2 miles in the bank and cross the finish line.
As with any run coming off the bike, my legs felt like jello. I hadn't done enough BRICKS this year for sure but I didn't think my legs would feel this bad. I tried to get my mojo on the run and it just never came! Once I saw the HILL on the course I knew I was in trouble. I was expecting the Patriots SUPER FLAT run but this would not be it! This run course was a little more challenging than that. I did a lot of walking on this course - probably way more than I should. But, I was really feeling that calf muscle...and felt it for days afterwards.
I wasn't proud of my run or my run time by any means. But, I'm proud that I've recovered from my DNF!
Summary & Lessons Learned
- If you want your body to feel good at the end of a race you should train for your race!
- Beet juice rocks even if people give you funny faces about it.
- Always be thankful for Jan and her parents for the Williamsburg B&B hook up!
- Having a race with my two favorite teams makes me a happy, happy girl.
- Always hang out with teammates post-race (see pic on the right)...but never mention Howie Mandel during that gathering!
- Read directions and learn how to apply race tats before screwing it all up!
- Never let Patti Jackson point a gun in my face.
- Never ever hit SimplyStu in the face or he will embarrass you publicly. Right Melissa?
- Always have lots of kisses for my teammies
And most importantly...ALWAYS be on the lookout for Miro with his camera...
Next Stop: Luray Double!
